Igor Rabin

The accuracy of sentinel node mapping according to T stage in patients with gastric cancer

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping has been recently introduced to the field of gastric cancer. To the best of our knowledge, no study has dealt with the accuracy of SLN mapping according to the T stage of the primary tumor. The aim of the present study was to evaluate SLN status according to the T stage of the primary tumors.MethodsEighty patients with gastric cancer underwent SLN mapping with patent blue dye during gastric resection.ResultsForty-seven patients underwent distal subtotal gastrectomy; 17 patients, proximal gastrectomy; 14, total gastrectomy; and 2, gastric stump resection. SLNs were stained in 61/80 patients (76.3%). The number of stained SLNs varied from 1 to 16 (mean, 3.3). Patients undergoing proximal gastrectomy had a mean of 3 stained SLNs, whereas patients undergoing distal subtotal gastrectomy had a mean of 2.8 stained SLNs. In 55/61 patients (90.2%) with stained SLNs a positive correlation was found between the presence of metastases and stained or non-stained SLNs. Ten out of 11 patients (90.9%) with T1 tumors (mean, 3.27 SLNs per patient) and 15/17 patients with T2 tumors (88.2%; mean, 3 SLNs per patient) had stained SLNs as compared to only 33/48 (68.8%) of patients with T3 tumors (mean, 3.3 SLNs per patient). The positive predictive value of the SLN mapping was 100%, the negative predictive value was 76.9%, and sensitivity was 85.4%.ConclusionWhile in T1 and T2 tumors sentinel node mapping may be of assistance in the decision-making process regarding the extent of lymphadenectomy (sensitivity, 100%; negative predictive value, 90%-100%), SLN mapping in patients with T3 tumors will be misleading in a third of the patients and should not be attempted.

Effect of Timing of Thrombectomy on Survival of Thrombosed Arteriovenous Hemodialysis Grafts

Background: The use of an arteriovenous (AV) graft for hemodialysis is associated with a relatively high rate of thrombosis. Unfortunately, the urgent thrombectomy is not always readily available. Our aim was to investigate a possible association between the timing of thrombectomy and the patency rates of AV grafts. Methods: A retrospective single-center study on patients who underwent thrombectomy of clotted AV grafts was conducted. According to the time of thrombectomy, all patients were divided into 4 groups. Results: Primary graft patency at 6 months after thrombectomy was 28.3%, with no significant difference between the study groups (P = .161). Secondary graft patency at 6 months was significantly worse in the group that underwent thrombectomy between the third and fifth days than in the whole cohort: 15.4% versus 45.6% (P = .038). Conclusions: Timing of thrombectomy of a clotted AV graft may have a significant impact on the graft survival.

Effect of Arteriovenous Hemodialysis Shunt Location on Cardiac Events in Patients Having Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Using an Internal Thoracic Artery

The possibility of developing coronary steal in patients having coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) using internal thoracic artery (ITA) and ipsilateral upper extremity arteriovenous (AV) hemodialysis shunt has been reported. The impact of this phenomenon on clinical outcomes is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate an association between the AV dialysis shunt location regarding the side of the ITA CABG and clinical outcomes. This retrospective cohort study included chronic hemodialysis patients having ITA CABG and upper extremity AV shunt. The patients were divided into two groups: those with ipsilateral and those with contralateral location of ITA CABG and AV shunt. The outcomes were: death from any cause, cardiac death and a first cardiac event. In a group of 112 chronic hemodialysis patients having CABG, 32 had an ipsilateral and 25 had a contralateral location of ITA CABG and an upper extremity AV shunt. Significantly more cardiac events occurred in the group with an ipsilateral compared to a contralateral location of ITA CABGs and dialysis AV shunts (hazard ratio, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.11 to 4.19], P = 0.023). There was no difference between the groups in the all cause mortality risk (hazard ratio, 1.005 [95% CI, 0.43 to 2.37], P = 0.990) or the risk of cardiac death (hazard ratio, 2.43 [95% CI, 0.64 to 9.17], P = 0.191). The ipsilateral location of a CABG with the use of ITA and upper extremity AV hemodialysis shunt may be associated with increased risk of cardiac events.

Effect of Timing of the First Cannulation on Survival of Arteriovenous Hemodialysis Grafts

The use of an arteriovenous graft as vascular access for hemodialysis is associated with a high rate of patency loss. The influence of timing of the first cannulation of the graft on graft survival has not been sufficiently studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate an association between the timing of the first cannulation of the polytetrafluoroethylene arteriovenous graft and the incidence of 12‐month failure. This is a retrospective study on a cohort of chronic hemodialysis patients treated in a single center. According to the time, in weeks, between graft construction and its first successful cannulation, the grafts were divided into six groups: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th or more week after surgery. The primary outcome was primary graft failure at 12 months, defined as the first occurrence of graft thrombosis or any invasive access procedure. The secondary outcome was cumulative graft failure at 12 months, defined as complete loss of the access site for dialysis. Fifty‐eight patients with 64 newly‐created arteriovenous grafts were included in the study. In the whole cohort, the incidence of primary graft failure at 12 months was 72.2%, and the incidence of cumulative graft failure at 12 months was 40.7%. The incidences of primary graft failure and cumulative graft failure at 12 months did not differ significantly between the study groups. In our study, timing of the first cannulation of a new arteriovenous polytetrafluoroethylene graft had no significant impact on graft survival.

Tumor differentiation as related to sentinel lymph node status in gastric cancer

AIM To investigate the influence of tumor grade on sentinel lymph node (SLN) status in patients with gastric cancer (GC). METHODS We retrospectively studied 71 patients with GC who underwent SLN mapping during gastric surgery to evaluate the relationship between SLN status and tumor grade. RESULTS Poorly differentiated tumors were detected in 50/71 patients, while the other 21 patients had moderately differentiated tumors. SLNs were identified in 58/71 patients (82%). In 41 of the 58 patients that were found to have stained nodes (70.7%), the tumor was of the poorly differentiated type (group I), while in the remaining patients with stained nodes 17/58 (29.3%), the tumor was of the moderately differentiated type (group II). Positive SLNs were found in 22/41 patients in group I (53.7%) and in 7/17 patients in group II (41.2%) (P = 0.325). The rate of positivity for the SLNs in the two groups (53.7% vs 41.2%) was not statistically significant (P = 0.514). CONCLUSION Most of our patients were found to have poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach and there was no correlation between tumor grade and SLN involvement.

Epithelioid hemangioendotheliomia as a rare cause of blue toe syndrome

Blue toe syndrome (BTS), is a well-known entity of toe gangrene and rest pain secondary to micro emboli lodged within the digital arteries. BTS among young patients should alert physicians to look for causes such as trauma, connective tissue disease, hypercoagulability state, and others. We hereby describe a 32-year-old female with right BTS. A mass obstructing 80% of the right popliteal artery lumen was the source of emboli. The histologic results of the replaced arterial segment revealed a thrombus on top of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. This is the first description of the association between primary vascular tumor and BTS.

Effect of hemodialysis access blood flow on cardiac events after coronary artery bypass grafting using an internal thoracic artery

Background The possibility of coronary steal through an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) in hemodialysis (HD) patients with coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) using an ipsilateral internal thoracic artery (ITA) has been suggested. In order to define the significance of such a possibility, we analyzed cardiac events and mortality risk in patients in relation to AVF flow. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed on prevalent HD patients from a single center. The outcomes included a first cardiac event, cardiac death and death from any cause. Results The group consisted of 23 chronic HD patients having ITA CABG and upper extremity AV access, 12 patients had an ipsilateral and 11 patients had a contralateral location of ITA CABG and an upper extremity AV access. The mean follow-up period was for 37.0 months. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis of risk of death from any cause in relation to AV access flow showed no increased risk, neither in the group with ipsilateral location of ITA grafts and dialysis accesses (adjusted HR, 3.047 [95% CI, 0.996 to 1.000], p = 0.081), nor in the group with contralateral location of both shunts (adjusted HR, 0.173 [95% CI, 0.997 to 1.002], p = 0.678). There was no significant correlation between AV access blood flow and the risk of first cardiac event as well as cardiac death in either study group. Conclusions In this study on HD patients having ipsilateral ITA CABG and AVF, fistula flow rate was not found to be associated with mortality or cardiac risk.