Heontak Ha

Distal pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection for pancreatic body and tail cancer invading celiac axis.

Purpose Pancreatic body/tail cancer often involves the celiac axis (CA) and it is regarded as an unresectable disease. To treat the disease, we employed distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) and reviewed our experiences. Methods We performed DP-CAR for seven patients with pancreatic body/tail cancer involving the CA. The indications of DP-CAR initially included tumors with definite invasion of CA and were later expanded to include borderline resectable disease. To determine the efficacy of DP-CAR, the clinico-pathological data of patients who underwent DP-CAR were compared to both distal pancreatectomy (DP) group and no resection (NR) group. Results The R0 resection rate was 71.4% and was not statistically different compared to DP group. The operative time (P = 0.018) and length of hospital stay (P = 0.022) were significantly longer in DP-CAR group but no significant difference was found in incidence of the postoperative pancreatic fistula compared to DP group. In DP-CAR group, focal hepatic infarction and transient hepatopathy occurred in 1 patient and 3 patients, respectively. No mortality occurred in DP-CAR group. The median survival time (MST) was not statistically different compared to DP group. However, the MST of DP-CAR group was significantly longer than that of NR group (P < 0.001). Conclusion In our experience, DP-CAR was safe and offered high R0 resection rate for patients with pancreatic body/tail cancer with involvement of CA. The effect on survival of DP-CAR is comparable to DP and better than that of NR. However, the benefits need to be verified by further studies in the future.

Intrahepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm-induced Hemobilia Caused by a Plastic Biliary Stent After ABO-incompatible Living-donor Liver Transplantation: A Case Report

Bile leakage after duct-to-duct anastomosis in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) can mostly be managed by therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Following this, various complications such as biliary infection, pancreatitis, perforation, and bleeding can occur, and endoscopic sphincterotomy is primarily associated with post- endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography bleeding; other causes have been published in case reports. In the present case, a plastic biliary stent used for treating liver abscesses and leakage at the bile duct anastomosis site after ABO-incompatible LDLT resulted in an intrahepatic artery pseudoaneurysm and hemobilia, which were managed by angiography and coil embolization. Although the complex postoperative course after LDLT can obscure the prompt diagnosis of an intrahepatic artery pseudoaneurysm and hemobilia, biliary stenting should be considered as a possible cause.

Pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy in a living donor with type 3a biliary variation: A case report

Rationale: With refinements in the operative technique, laparoscopic surgery has become the standard practice for liver resection. In the field of living donor liver transplantation, a few centers adopted laparoscopic surgery as an alternative to conventional open donor hepatectomy, and the application of pure laparoscopic donor right hepatectomy has been limited to the donors with simple, favorable biliary anatomy. Patient concerns: The candidate donor was a 19-year-old woman with type 3a bile duct variation. Interventions: After confirming precise cutting points under the guidance of a radiopaque marker rubber band, the bile ducts were divided and the remnant stumps were closed with suture and clipping using Hem-o-lok, respectively. Outcomes: The postoperative course was uneventful and she was satisfactory 6 months after surgery. Lessons: A laparoscopic donor hepatectomy for the living donor with biliary variation was feasible. Biliary variations are commonly encountered during living donor surgery, and we think that such variations in laparoscopic donor hepatectomy need to be overcome to expand the selection criteria.

Predictive Factors for Long Operative Duration in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy After Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiography for Combined Choledochocystolithiasis

Purpose: Choledochocystolithiasis and its associated complications such as cholangitis and pancreatitis are managed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), with endoscopic stone extraction followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). However, affected patients present with complex conditions linked to operative difficulties in performing LC. The aim of this study was to elucidate the predictive factors for a prolonged LC procedure following ERC for treating patients with choledochocystolithiasis. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 109 patients who underwent LC after ERC for choledochocystolithiasis from September 2012 to August 2014 were evaluated retrospectively. The cases were divided into long and short operative duration groups using a cutoff operative time of 90 minutes. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to investigate predictive factors associated with long operative duration according to clinical variables, ERC-related factors, and peak serum levels of laboratory test values between the initial presentation and LC (intervening period). Results: Seventeen patients needed >90 min to complete LC. The presence of acute cholecystitis, placement of percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage, higher peak serum white blood cell count and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), and lower peak serum levels of lipase during the intervening period were associated with prolonged operative duration. Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictive factors for long operative duration were the presence of acute cholecystitis (hazard ratio, 5.418; P=0.016) and higher peak levels of CRP (hazard ratio, 1.077; P=0.022). Conclusion: When patients with choledochocystolithiasis are scheduled for LC after ERC, the presence of acute cholecystitis and high CRP levels during the intervening period could predict a protracted operation.