Akinori Sasada

Intraabdominal nonvascular operations combined with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Abstract. The therapeutic approach to a patient who has an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and an intraabdominal nonvascular surgical disorder simultaneously remains controversial. To establish guidelines for the management of those patients, a retrospective review of patients who had concomitant AAA and intraabdominal nonvascular surgical disorders was undertaken. During the period January 1988 to December 1997 a series of 162 patients underwent surgical repairs of AAA in our hospital. Among them 16 patients (9.9%) had several kinds of intraabdominal nonvascular surgical disorders, and 13 underwent one-stage operation for both diseases. That is, cholelithiasis coexisted in five patients, inguinal hernia in four, gastric cancer in two, and retroperitoneal tumor and renal tumor in one each. All AAAs were the infrarenal type, and there were no inflammatory or ruptured aneurysms. In cases of cholelithiasis coexistent with AAA, aneurysmectomy was performed first. After tight closure of the retroperitoneum, cholecystectomy was done. In cases of cholelithiasis coexistent with AAA, aneurysmectomy was performed first. After tight closure of the retroperitoneum, cholecystectomy was done. In cases of inguinal hernia coexistent with AAA, the AAA was first replaced with a prosthetic vascular graft and a residual piece of the graft was used as a patch for hernioplasty. This procedure was similar to laparoscopic hernioplasty. In two cases of gastric cancer concomitant with AAA, the AAA was first replaced. Subtotal gastrectomy with D2 lymphatic dissection was done after tight closure of the retroperitoneum. A drain was inserted into the epiploic foramen to detect anastomotic leakage. A retroperitoneal tumor coexisting with AAA was dissected and resected en bloc with the aneurysmal wall because the tumor firmly adhered to the aneurysm. The abdominal aorta was then replaced with a prosthetic graft. In a case of renal tumor concomitant with AAA, nephrectomy was done first to perform a complete lymphatic dissection around the renal artery. Then AAA repair was performed with a conventional procedure. There were no fatal complications, such as pneumonitis, hemorrhage, anastomotic leakage, or graft infection. All 13 patients were discharged from our hospital and are currently free from recurrence of malignancy or hernia. In summary, properly selected one-stage operations for intraabdominal nonvascular surgical disorders and AAA may be safe and bring physical and economic benefit to the patient.

A two-stage operation successfully performed for giant leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus with hepatic metastasis

Leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus is a rare neoplasm, with only 95 cases having been reported in the literature. Dysphagia is the most commonly noted symptom, however, because of its location in the submucosal layer, the tumor has usually grown to a considerable size by the time this presents. We report herein a case of a 39-year-old man who had no symptoms other than a 7 month history of a cough. After several investigations, the patient underwent resection of the thoracic and abdominal esophagus with lower lobectomy of the right lung through a right and left thoracotomy. The tumor measured 18×15×8cm in length and weighed 1,500g, being the biggest such tumor ever reported. Forty days after the first operation, an extended right hepatic lobectomy of the liver was performed for hepatic metastasis. He was discharged from the hospital 20 days after the second operation and is now doing well. The clinical features and surgical treatment of leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus are discussed herein.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma with a Sarcomatous Appearance : Report of a Case

Abstract A 59-year-old man was admitted with general fatigue, an epigastric mass, and remittent fever. Radiological examinations disclosed a huge solid-to-cystic mass in the right lobe of the liver, and the mass severely compressed the right diaphragm, the inferior vena cava, and the right atrium. In addition, the patient suffered from chronic hepatitis; however, the serum α-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and PIVKA II levels were all within the normal ranges. The serum C-reactive protein level was 7.71 mg/dl. With a clinical diagnosis of a malignant hepatic tumor invading the right diaphragm, surgery was performed. The tumor originated from segments IV and VII of the liver, was well defined, and grew extrahepatically. The tumor was resected using an ultrasonic cavitational aspirator together with the infiltrated right diaphragm. The resected tumor measured 23 × 13 × 23 cm in size and weighed 3 700 g. Histologically, the tumor was found to consist of hepatocellular carcinomatous component and sarcomatous component. In the sarcomatous component, spindle-shaped cells which were positive for the immunohistochemical localization of vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, and keratin were identified. The postoperative course was uneventful. The value of the serum C-reactive protein returned to within the normal range, and the patient became afebrile. The patient received a postoperative combination chemotherapy (etoposide, epirubicin, and cisplatin), and remains well with no signs of recurrence 12 months after the operation.

Complete Caudate Lobectomy:Its Definition, Indications, and Surgical Approaches

There are three ways to approach and resect the caudate lobe of the liver, that is; and isolated caudate lobectomy, a combined resection of the liver overlying the caudate lobe, and a transhepatic anterior approach by splitting parenchyma of the liver. We had two patients with neoplasms originating in the caudate lobe who underwent a complete caudate lobectomy. Both patients have been doing well without liver dysfunction. Although after the transhepatic anterior approach we anticipated an adverse effect from splitting the parenchyma of the liver, the postoperative course was uneventful and similar to that of the right side approach.

Management of cholelithiasis in combination with cardiovascular surgery

A retrospective review of the perioperative management of patients with cardiovascular surgical disorders and cholelithiasis was conducted, and the surgical strategies employed are discussed. Between 1988 and 1998, 18 patients having cardiovascular surgical disorders underwent cholecystectomy. These patients were divided into three groups: group I, given a one-stage operation (n = 9); group II, given a two-stage operation (n = 3); and group III, given cholecystectomy during follow-up after cardiovascular surgery (n = 6). In group I, a median laparotomy was adopted for patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to allow both disorders to be treated through the same incision, whereas a right subcostal approach was employed to separate the incisions for patients who underwent cardiac operations. In group II, one patient underwent cholecystectomy before cardiac surgery, and two patients underwent cholecystectomy for postoperative cholecystitis after cardiovascular operations. One patient from group II and all from group III were on preoperative anticoagulant therapy, two of whom underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. No fatal complications such as prosthetic infection, intraperitoneal hemorrhage, or cerebral attack were encountered. In conclusion, we consider that performing cholecystectomy during AAA repair may be safe and prevents the risk of postoperative cholecystitis; it is preferable to treat cholelithiasis coexisting with cardiac disorders concomitantly with or before cardiac operations; and laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely performed under anticoagulant therapy.

Transabdominal inguinal hernioplasty combined with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

The number of patients being encountered with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and inguinal hernia is increasing. We describe herein a technique of performing a concomitant one-stage operation for both disorder. After conventional transperitoneal AAA repair, transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair is carried out through the same incision using a prosthesis made from the same material as the graft used for AAA. The maneuver is similar to that of laparoscopic hernioplasty. We employed this technique in the treatment of four patients, none of whom developed any complications such as infection or recurrence of the inguinal hernia. Thus, we conclude that this one-stage operation for AAA and inguinal hernia may bring physical and economic benefits to patients who have both diseases concomitantly.

Two Resected Cases of Giant Leiomyosarcoma of the Esophagus.

食道平滑筋肉腫はまれな疾患で文献的にはこれまで95例が報告されているにすぎない.最近, われわれは2例の巨大な食道平滑筋肉腫の手術切除例を経験したので報告する.症例1は39歳の男性, 多発性の肝転移をともなった巨大な腫瘍であったが, 手術を2期に分けて切除しえた.まず1回目の手術で右開胸により腫瘍が浸潤した右肺下葉を切除し, 体位を変え左開胸開腹連続切開により1,500gの腫瘍を切除した.食道再建は胃管により胸骨後経路で行った.2回目の手術は40日後に非定型的肝右葉拡大切除術を施行し肝の内側区, 前下および後下区域の肝転移巣を切除しえた.術後経過は良好で20日後に退院したが, 第1回目手術から1年2か月後に多発性縦隔および肝転移で死亡した.症例2は46歳男性, 左開胸開腹連続切開により腫瘍が浸潤した左肺下葉と下部食道を切除した.腫瘍の重量は800gであった.再建は空腸を間置し術後経過良好であり, 現在術後3か月目になるが外来で経過観察中である.