J. E. J. Krige

Long term outcome of endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts

Objective: Nonoperative drainage either by the percutaneous or endoscopic route has become a viable alternative to surgical drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts. Endoscopic drainage has been reported in a few small series with encouraging short term results. The aim of this study was to determine the indications, suitability, and long term outcome of transmural endoscopic drainage procedures. Methods: All patients presenting over a 2-yr period to a tertiary referral hepatobiliary unit with pancreatic pseudocysts were studied. Endoscopic drainage was performed in patients with pseudocysts bulging into the stomach or duodenal lumen. Outcome measures were successful drainage of the pseudocyst, complications, and recurrence rates. Results: Of 66 patients presenting with pseudocysts, 34 were considered suitable for endoscopic drainage. Twenty-four (71%) were successfully drained. Failures were associated with thick walled pseudocysts (>1 cm), location in the tail of the pancreas, and pseudocysts associated with acute necrotizing pancreatitis. There were three recurrences (7%), two of which were successfully redrained endoscopically. The long term success rate (median follow-up, 46 months) of the initial procedure was 62%. Conclusion: Transmural endoscopic drainage is a safe procedure with minimal complications. It should be the procedure of choice for pseudocysts associated with chronic pancreatitis or trauma, with a wall thickness of <1 cm and a visible bulge into the gastrointestinal lumen. Forty percent of pseudocysts fulfilled these criteria in our study.

Selective non-operative management of liver gunshot injuries†

In contrast to non‐surgical treatment of blunt liver trauma, non‐operative management (NOM) of liver gunshot injuries (LGSIs) is not widely accepted. This prospective study evaluated an experience of NOM of gunshot wounds to the liver.

The Evolving Role of Endoscopic Treatment for Bleeding Esophageal Varices

The treatment of acute and recurrent variceal bleeding is best accomplished by a skilled, knowledgeable, and well-equipped team using a multidisciplinary integrated approach. Optimal management should provide the full spectrum of treatment options including pharmacologic therapy, endoscopic treatment, interventional radiologic procedures, surgical shunts, and liver transplantation. Endoscopic therapy with either band ligation or injection sclerotherapy is an integral component of the management of acute variceal bleeding and of the long-term treatment of patients after a variceal bleed. Variceal eradication with endoscopic ligation requires fewer endoscopic treatment sessions and causes substantially less esophageal complications than does injection sclerotherapy. Although the incidence of early gastrointestinal rebleeding is reduced by endoscopic ligation in most studies, there is no overall survival benefit relative to injection sclerotherapy. Simultaneous combined ligation and sclerotherapy confers no advantage over ligation alone. A sequential staged approach with initial endoscopic ligation followed by sclerotherapy when varices are small may prove to be the optimal method of reducing variceal recurrence. Overall, current data demonstrate clear advantages for using ligation in preference to sclerotherapy. Ligation should therefore be considered the endoscopic treatment of choice in the treatment of esophageal varices.

Sabiston textbook of surgery: the biological basis of modern surgical practice. 16th ed. 285 × 220 mm. Pp. 1750. Illustrated. 2001. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: WB Saunders.

Egalement disponible en version electronique par MD Consult (mot de passe requis). Comprend des bibliogr. et un index.

Self-expanding metal stents as an alternative to surgical bypass for malignant gastric outlet obstruction.

Gastroduodenal obstruction due to malignancy can be difficult to palliate. Self‐expanding metal stents (SEMS) are gaining acceptance as an effective alternative to surgical bypass.

Prognostic factors, morbidity and mortality in pancreatic trauma: a critical appraisal of 432 consecutive patients treated at a Level 1 Trauma Centre.

BACKGROUND This large retrospective observational cohort study evaluated prognostic factors, 30-day morbidity and mortality and complications related to the pancreas in patients who had sustained pancreatic injuries. METHODS The records of 432 consecutive patients treated for pancreatic injuries at an urban Level 1 Trauma Centre in Cape Town between January 1982 and December 2012 were reviewed. Primary endpoints were postoperative morbidity and death. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess significant predictors of morbidity and mortality. RESULTS Overall mortality in 432 patients [394 men, median age 26, median RTS 7.8] was 15.7% and morbidity 66%. Bivariate logistic regression analysis showed that nine factors, age, RTS, presence of shock, need for a transfusion, volume of blood transfused, damage control surgery, AAST grade of pancreatic injury, an associated vascular injury and a repeat laparotomy were significant predictors of morbidity. In the final multivariate logistic regression analysis model however only two variables, AAST grade of pancreatic injury and a repeat laparotomy were significant predictors of morbidity. When factors associated with mortality were considered, logistic regression analysis found that 11 variables, age, RTS, the presence of shock, patients who required a major blood transfusion, the median number of units transfused, the need for a damage control laparotomy, AAST grade 3, 4, 5 pancreatic injuries, associated vascular injuries, the number of associated injuries, postoperative complications and days in ICU were significant. However in the final stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis model only five variables, age, shock, median number of units transfused and the presence of associated complications were significant factors associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS Morbidity was 64% and AAST grade of pancreatic injury and a repeat laparotomy were significant predictors of morbidity. Overall mortality was 15.7%. Most deaths were due to associated injuries and were unrelated to the pancreatic injury. Five variables, age, shock, median number of units transfused and the presence of associated complications were significant factors associated with mortality. These data indicate that the magnitude of blood loss and haemorrhagic shock are primary determinants for survival and that urgent reversal of shock and control of bleeding are essential to reduce mortality in this cohort of patients.

Morbidity and mortality after distal pancreatectomy for trauma: A critical appraisal of 107 consecutive patients undergoing resection at a Level 1 Trauma Centre

BACKGROUND This study evaluated 30-day morbidity and mortality and assessed pancreas-specific complications in patients with major pancreatic injuries who underwent a distal pancreatectomy. STUDY DESIGN Records of 107 consecutive patients who underwent a distal pancreatectomy at a Level 1 Trauma Centre in Cape Town between January 1982 and December 2011 were reviewed. Primary endpoints were postoperative morbidity and death. Complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo severity classification and the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) definitions. RESULTS A total of 107 patients [94 men, median age 26, median RTS 7.8, 69 penetrating injuries (63 gunshot wounds, 6 stabs wounds), 38 blunt injuries] underwent distal pancreatectomy. Overall mortality was 12%, 16% for gunshot injuries, 8% for blunt trauma and 0% in patients who had stab wounds. Eighty patients had a post-operative complication. A pancreatic leak (n=26) was the most common pancreatic related complication. Median postoperative stay in 28 patients with no or grade I complications was 9 days; in 11 patients with grade II complications was 18 days; in 14 grade IIIa, 31 days; in 19 grade IIIb, 38 days; in 8 grade IVa, 33 days in 14 grade IVb, and in 13 grade V the duration of postoperative stay was 14±39.4 days. CONCLUSIONS Overall mortality for distal pancreatectomy was 12%. Pancreatic leak was a common cause of morbidity. Length of hospitalisation increased with increasing Clavien-Dindo severity grading. There was a significant difference in the duration of hospitalisation in patients with no or grade I complications compared to those with grade II-IV injuries (p<0.05).

Management of blunt liver trauma in 134 severely injured patients

BACKGROUND In haemodynamic stable patients without an acute abdomen, nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt liver injuries (BLI) has become the standard of care with a reported success rate of between 80 and 100%. Concern has been expressed about the potential overuse of NOM and the fact that failed NOM is associated with higher mortality rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors that might indicate the need for surgical intervention, and to assess the efficacy of NOM. METHODS A single centre prospective study between 2008 and 2013 in a level-1 Trauma Centre. One hundred thirty four patients with BLI were diagnosed on CT-scan or at laparotomy. The median ISS was 25 (range 16-34). RESULTS Thirty five (26%) patients underwent an early exploratory laparotomy. The indication for surgery was haemodynamic instability in 11 (31%) patients, an acute abdomen in 16 (46%), and 8 (23%) patients had CT findings of intraabdominal injuries, other than the hepatic injury, that required surgical repair. NOM was initiated in 99 (74%) patients, 36 patients had associated intraabdominal solid organ injuries. Seven patients developed liver related complications. Five (5%) patients required a delayed laparotomy (liver related (3), splenic injury (2)). NOM failure was not related to the presence of shock on admission (p=1000), to the grade of liver injury (p=0.790) or associated intraabdominal injuries (p=0.866). CONCLUSION Physiologic behaviour or CT findings dictated the need for operative intervention. NOM of BLI has a high success rate (95%). Nonoperative management of BLI should be considered in patients who respond to resuscitation, irrespective of the grade of liver trauma. Associated intraabdominal solid organ injuries do not exclude NOM.

Isolated pancreatic injuries: an analysis of 49 consecutive patients treated at a level 1 trauma centre

BACKGROUND This study interrogated a large prospectively documented institutional database to determine morbidity and mortality after an isolated pancreatic injury (IPI). METHOD Complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification and the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) definitions. The degree of the pancreatic duct injury was graded using a modified Takishima duct injury classification. Primary endpoints were general and pancreas-specific morbidity and mortality. RESULTS Four hundred and forty-eight consecutive patients were treated between 1990 and 2014 for pancreatic injuries of whom 49 (median age: 30, range: 13-68 years, 41 men, blunt injuries: n=43) had an IPI. Thirty-four (70%) patients underwent urgent surgery, 20 of whom had a distal pancreatectomy and 14 had external drainage of the pancreatic injury. Fifteen (30%) patients presented with a non-resolving pancreatic pseudocyst or fistula; five had grade 4A or 4B ductal injuries and underwent surgery, 10 with 3A and 3B ductal injuries were successfully managed endoscopically. Fifty-five percent had postoperative morbidity. Two patients (4%) died of non-pancreatic-related causes. CONCLUSION While overall mortality is low after an IPI, morbidity is high. Two thirds of patients required operative intervention and one third were treated endoscopically. The degree of pancreatic ductal injury determined whether endoscopic intervention was effective.

Ciliated Hepatic Foregut Cyst: A Rare Cystic Liver Lesion

Ciliated hepatic foregut cysts are an unusual congenital cause of cystic liver lesions. Although most are benign, 4.4% of reported cases have been shown to harbor squamous cell carcinoma. Diagnostic uncertainty or misdiagnosis frequently results in surgical exploration. We present a case of a ciliated hepatic foregut cyst and review this uncommon condition.