Akihiro Toyokawa

Role of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration in the early management of acute cholecystitis

Early cholecystectomy is currently the gold standard treatment for acute cholecystitis (AC). However, the acceptability and safety of this strategy remain in dispute. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA) in the early management of AC in a single center.

Two-stage treatment with hepatectomy and carbon-ion radiotherapy for multiple hepatic epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas.

Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEH) is a rare neoplasm of vascular origin with variable malignant potential. Because most patients with this condition have multiple bilobar lesions, liver transplantation is the standard treatment, and hepatectomy is much less frequently indicated. We describe a case of a 35-year-old woman with unresectable multiple bilobar HEH successfully treated by combination treatment with hepatectomy and carbon-ion radiotherapy. This case is very meaningful since it demonstrated the effectiveness of carbon-ion radiotherapy for HEH and the possibility of expanding the curative treatment options for multiple bilobar hepatic tumors.

Comparison of laparoscopic sigmoidectomy with and without preservation of the superior rectal artery: A single‐institution retrospective study

The inferior mesenteric artery is usually divided during the resection of sigmoid colon cancers. However, this sometimes results in an insufficient blood supply to the anastomosis, leading to anastomotic leakage. We conducted a retrospective analysis to determine the feasibility and potential benefits of preserving the superior rectal artery (SRA).

Current role of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration: from palliative to curative management for acute cholecystitis.

The present study assessed conservative management of acute cholecystitis (AC) with a focus on percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA).

Validity of Laparoscopic Gastrectomy in the Elderly

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the validity of laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery in elderly patients. Methods: A total of 202 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer between January 2007 and December 2016 were divided into an elderly group (age ≥75 years, n = 36) and a control group (age < 75 years, n = 166). The patients’ clinicopathological data were reviewed. Results: The overall morbidity rate was relatively higher in the elderly group (16.7 vs. 11.4%, p = 0.389), whereas the incidence of serious complications ≥grade III according to the Clavien-Dindo classification did not increase significantly in the elderly group (8.3 vs. 7.8%, p = 0.920). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age ≥75 years was not a significant predictive factor of postoperative morbidity (p = 0.568). There was no significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rate of patients with pathological stage I gastric cancer between the groups (97.1 vs. 96.1%, p = 0.704; hazard ratio, 0.669; 95% confidence interval, 0.036–3.692). Conclusions: Laparoscopic gastrectomy has an acceptable morbidity rate in elderly patients, and the long-term outcome of patients with stage I gastric cancer was similar to that of the control group.

Outcomes of Consistent Conservative Management for Acute Cholecystitis Followed by Delayed Cholecystectomy

Objective: This study’s objective was to assess outcomes of a totally conservative strategy for acute cholecystitis (AC) followed by delayed elective cholecystectomy. Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent cholecystectomy for AC were divided into the Emergent and Elective cholecystectomy groups. Patients in the elective cholecystectomy group were divided into early, medium, and late groups according to time from symptoms onset. Results: The success rate for conservative management reached 97.2%. Increased blood loss and a higher conversion rate were significantly associated with the emergent group. Patients in the late group had significantly lower operative time and tended to have lower blood loss and less frequent conversion to open surgery than those in the early and medium groups. Conclusions: Most AC cases could be managed conservatively, and elective cholecystectomy was performed safely regardless of the time. Elective cholecystectomy carried out in late phase was likely to be associated with decreased surgical difficulty.

Impact of Gastric Cancer Surgery in Elderly Patients

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the validity of gastric cancer surgery in elderly patients. Methods: A total of 544 patients who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer were divided into an elderly group (age ≥75 years, n = 171) and a control group (age <75 years, n = 373). The clinicopathological data of the patients were reviewed. Results: The overall morbidity rate (26.3 vs. 16.1%, p = 0.005) and the incidence rate of anastomotic leakage (6.4 vs. 1.6%, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the elderly group. The proportion of patients who had severe complications (≥grade IIIa) was relatively higher in the elderly group (10.5 vs. 5.7%); however, the difference was not significant (p = 0.074). A stage-matched survival analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups (stage I: p = 0.978; stage II: p = 0.964; stage III: p = 0.199). For the pathological stages II and III, the overall survival of the patients in the elderly group who received adjuvant chemotherapy for >3 months was significantly better than that of the patients who received it for ≤3 months or did not receive it (p = 0.023). Conclusions: An aggressive treatment strategy should be adopted in selected elderly patients with gastric cancer.

Is the Glasgow Prognostic Score Applicable to Both Early- and Advanced-Stage Gastric Cancers?

Background The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) has been reported as a sensitive prognostic marker for gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate whether the GPS is equally applicable to patients with early-stage and advanced-stage gastric cancers. Methods Patients (n = 544) who underwent elective gastrectomy for gastric cancer between 2007 and 2015 were retrospectively studied. GPSs of 2, 1, and 0 were allocated to patients with both an elevated C-reactive protein level (> 1.0 mg/dL) and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 mg/dL), patients with only one of these abnormalities, and patients with neither abnormality, respectively. The prognostic factors relevant to patients with early-stage (pStage I, n = 304) and advanced-stage (pStage II, III, and IV, n = 240) gastric cancer were analyzed through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results In the early-stage group, only the serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level (P = 0.037) was a significant prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis; the GPS was not significant (P = 0.095). In the advanced-stage group, an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of 3 or 4 (P = 0.032), elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (P = 0.043) and CA19-9 (P = 0.045) levels, a GPS 1 - 2 (P = 0.017), and type 4 tumor (P = 0.020) correlated significantly with worse overall survival. Conclusions GPS is a simple and useful prognostic score for patients with advanced-stage, but is not applicable to early-stage patients.

Outcome of Gastric Cancer Surgery in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: The influence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the outcome of gastric cancer surgery has rarely been reported. Methods: Retrospectively collected clinicopathological data on patients who underwent elective gastrectomy between January 2007 and December 2014 were analyzed (n = 500). The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): a non-CKD group (eGFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2, n = 392) and a CKD group (eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, n = 108). Short- and long-term results of the surgery were compared. Results: There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of the overall morbidity rate (p = 0.215), and in any kind of postoperative complication, including infectious and cardiovascular complications. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the morbidity rate irrespective of the type of gastrectomy and the extent of lymph node dissection. The 3-year relapse-free survival rates in the non-CKD and CKD groups were 92.1 and 92.0%, respectively, in stage I disease (p = 0.640), 81.4 and 73.7%, respectively, in stage II disease (p = 0.825), and 35.9 and 31.9%, respectively, in stage III disease (p = 0.784). Conclusion: CKD did not affect the short- and long-term outcomes in patients after gastric cancer surgery.

Intestinal perforation management using T-tube drainage

In cases of small bowel perforation with gross contamination, enterostomy has traditionally been the treatment of choice. An 86-year-old woman was diagnosed with perforative peritonitis. Emergency laparotomy revealed a small bowel perforation with gross contamination, and a T-tube enterostomy was performed. The T-tube was used for intestinal decompression for the first few days and was then accompanied by enteral feeding. When oral intake was sufficient, the T-tube was removed. The abdominal wall’s fistula healed within 2 days of removal. Except for wound infection, the patient developed no postoperative complications. Under specific circumstances, a T-tube enterostomy can be an effective alternative for a traditional enterostomy. Its advantages include less or no anastomotic leakage, easier management of fluid and electrolyte levels, postoperative enteral feeding from the tube, a shorter operative time and no need for a second operation to close the stoma.