A. Nanashima

SUCCESSFUL TRANSVAGINAL REPAIR OF A RECTOVAGINAL FISTULA DEVELOPING AFTER DOUBLE-STAPLED ANASTOMOSIS IN LOW ANTERIOR RESECTION : REPORT OF FOUR CASES

The management of postoperative rectovaginal fistula (RVF) after low anterior resection for rectal cancer is difficult and the results are often unsatisfactory. Among 140 patients with rectal cancer who underwent low anterior resection with a double-stapled anastomosis at our hospital between 1986 and 1996, 4 (2.9%) developed RVF as a post-operative complication. The RVF developed gradually from 9 to 128 days after low anterior resection. We describe herein our technique of using a modified transvaginal approach for RVF repair with a diverting colostomy. In all four patients, the RVFs were completely eradicated with reestablishment of intestinal continuity and did not recur during the mean follwup period of 29.5 months, ranging from 12 to 67 months. This report serves to demonstrate that emerging RVFs secondary to stapled anastomosis in low anterior resection for rectal cancer must be recognized, and that a modified transvaginal approach provides an effective method of repair.

Physiologic stress responses to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A comparison of the gasless and pneumoperitoneal procedures

AbstractBackground: Differences in the physiological stress response to pneumoperitoneal (PP) and gasless abdominal wall-lifting (AWL) procedures used for laparoscopic cholecystectomy have not been properly evaluated. Methods: We compared leukocyte count, interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, arterial blood gases, creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity, cardiothoracic ratio, and clinical outcome in 27 patients without systemic complications who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, including 11 by AWL and 16 by PP. Results: Transient leukocytosis and high IL-6 levels were observed at POD 1 (postoperative day) in both groups, but both values returned to baseline by POD 2. IL-6 levels correlated significantly with operation time (p < 0.01). Changes in blood gases, creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity, and cardiothoracic ratio were not different for the two groups. The clinical outcome was similar for both groups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that both PP and AWL are appropriate for patients without serious complications.

Gasless, video endoscopic transanal excision for carcinoid and laterally spreading tumors of the rectum

Background: The aim of this study is to determine whether gasless, video endoscopic transanal–rectal tumor excision (gasless VTEM) is a valid treatment for rectal carcinoid and laterally spreading tumors (LST). Methods: Eighty-four patients with an adenoma, adenocarcinoma (Tis/T1), or carcinoid tumor of the rectum were divided into three groups: (i) LST (n = 17 patients), (ii) carcinoid (n = 11), and (iii) control with other types of tumors (n = 56). Results: The LST group had a longer median operating time than in the control group, whereas the carcinoid group had a shorter operating time. Two patients (11.7%) in LST group developed peritoneal entry during the operation, while 2 patients (3.6%) in the control group experienced postoperative complications. During a median follow-up length of 55.2 months, one patient in the LST group developed a recurrence. Conclusions: Gasless VTEM is a simple, minimally invasive procedure used to treat LST and carcinoid tumors of the rectum. However, resection for the LST group had a high risk of peritoneal entry during operation.

Prognostic Value of Expression of Sialosyl-Tn Antigen in Colorectal Carcinoma and Transitional Mucosa

We examined the immunohistochemical expression of sialosyl-Tn antigen in the colorectal cancer tissues of 116 patients who underwent curative resection to determine the association between patient prognosis and the expression of sialosyl-Tn in two different tissues: carcinoma and transitional mucosa. Negative or positive expression of sialosyl-Tn in the carcinoma and transitional mucosal tissues were denoted as CA− or CA+ and TM− or TM+, respectively. Patients were classified into one of four groups: CA−/TM−, CA−/TM+, CA+/TM−, and CA+/TM+. CA−/TM− was observed in 13 patients and CA−/TM+, CA+/TM−, or CA+/TM+ was observed in 103 patients. The difference in five-year survival between the CA−/TM− group and all the other groups was statistically significant (P = 0.0457), and multivariate analysis showed that sialosyl-Tn expression in at least one of the two tissues was an independent prognostic factor. We conclude that the evaluation of sialosyl-Tn expression in carcinoma as well as transitional mucosa is useful for predicting survival in colorectal cancer patients.

The Use of an Omental Pedicle Graft to Prevent Small-Bowel Obstruction After Restorative Proctocolectomy

Small-bowel obstruction remains one of the most frequent complications after restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Of particular concern is small-bowel adhesion to the pelvic dead space that causes afferent limb obstruction, sometimes necessitating laparotomy. In this report, we describe a technique using an omental pedicle graft (OPG) to fill the pelvic dead space to prevent small-bowel obstruction and the resulting afferent limb obstruction after IPAA. The OPG is created from the left half of the omentum, while maintaining the blood supply from the left gastroepiploic vessels. The omentum is placed into the pelvis along the left paracolic gutter from where the colon has been resected. It is then passed over the pelvic brim and placed behind and along the bilateral sides of the ileal pouch, filling the space. This modified technique was employed in the treatment of four patients with chronic ulcerative colitis, none of whom developed any signs of small-bowel obstruction.

Prognostic influence of the liver hanging maneuver for patients with hepatobiliary malignancies who underwent hepatic resections

BACKGROUND Prognostic influences of hepatic transection by an anterior approach using the liver hanging maneuver (LHM) has not been fully clarified. METHODS We examined 233 patients who underwent major hepatectomy with the LHM (n = 75; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 35, colorectal liver metastasis (CLM) in 10, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) in 14 and perihilar bile duct carcinoma (BDC) in 16) or without it (n = 158; HCC in 78, CLM in 21, ICC in 31 and BDC in 28). RESULTS In HCC patients, cancer-positive margin rate, blood loss, transection time and prevalence of posthepatectomy ascites in the LHM group were significantly lower than those in the non-LHM group (p < 0.05). In CLM, transection time in the LHM group was significantly lower than that in the non-LHM group (p < 0.05). In BDC patients, amount of blood loss, transection time and prevalence of ascites in the LHM group were significantly lower than those in the non-LHM group (p < 0.05). In CLM patients, tumor recurrence rate in the non-LHM group was significantly higher than that in the LHM group and disease-free survival in the LHM group was significantly better than that in the non-LHM group in CLM patients and, however, this difference was not observed in a large CLM exceeding 5 cm. However, significant differences of posthepatectomy disease-free and overall survivals were not observed in HCC, ICC and BDC patients. CONCLUSIONS Although advantages of LHM improving surgical records in major anatomical liver resections were clarified, oncological advantages in the long-term survival of LHM was still uncertain in the hepatobiliary malignancies.