Akimasa Matsushita

RERESECTION FOR LOCAL RECURRENCE OF RECTAL CANCER

Local recurrence is one of the major reasons that rectal cancer surgery is unsuccessful. The aim of this study was to investigate the surgical characteristics of patients undergoing reresection for local recurrence of rectal cancer. A total of nine patients were enrolled in this study, six of whom underwent total pelvic exenteration, one, posterior exenteration, one, abdominoperineal resection with sacral resection, and one, lymph node dissection alone. The mean operative time was 8h 15min, and the mean operative blood loss was 2 325 ml. Although major postoperative complications occurred in four patients (44%), there were no postoperative or hospital deaths. Lateral lymph node metastasis was detected in all four patients whose lateral lymph nodes were dissected or extirpated at the reresection. Two patients survived for more than 5 years without rerecurrence, and the cumulative 5-year survival rate was 26%. The para-aortic lymph nodes were the most common site of first rerecurrence. The results of this study indicate that patients who undergo reresection for local recurrence of rectal cancer are at high risk of developing lateral or para-aortic nodal metastasis. Nevertheless, reresection may be a therapeutic option for the local recurrence of rectal cancer.

Hepatic resection of giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver.

Surgical treatment of giant hemangioma of the liver is still controversial. The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of hepatic resection for giant hemangioma of the liver. Twenty patients with giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver were treated by hepatic resection. The mean diameter of the hemangiomas was 13.9 cm (range, 6.5-30 cm). The surgical outcome was reviewed retrospectively. Major hepatectomy was performed in 14 patients and minor hepatectomy in 6 patients. Complications occurred in 7 of the 20 patients treated by hepatic resection. At a mean follow-up of 79 months (range, 12-173 months), 18 patients were symptom free whereas 2 patients had died--one died of pneumonia at 2 years and the other died of gastric cancer 6 years after surgery. Mean intraoperative hemorrhage and blood transfusion in all patients was 4,343 mL (range, 270-24,000 mL) and 1,860 mL (range, 0-8,800 mL) respectively. In the seven patients with preoperative high levels of fibrin degradation products (FDP), mean intraoperative hemorrhage and blood transfusion were markedly higher (9,371 mL and 3,714 mL respectively) than in the 13 patients without abnormal FDP (1,603 mL and 900 mL respectively). Preoperative hematologic status returned to normal after operation in all patients. Hepatic resection is a useful treatment for giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver. More careful management to reduce intraoperative hemorrhage is recommended to increase the safety of surgery, particularly in patients with preoperative abnormal FDP.