Joji Shirabe

Occurrence of peptic ulcer in the gastric tube used for esophageal replacement in adults

Reported in this paper are two cases of peptic ulcer which developed in the gastric tube used for esophageal replacement following esophagectomy for esophageal tumors in adults. The results of our cases suggest that acid secretion from the mucosa of the gastric tube, in spite of truncal vagotomy and the state of the tube, seems to play important roles in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer of the gastric tube after esophageal replacement, even though circulatory disturbances, due to postoperative irradiation and gastric tube formation, have been suspected as the cause. Therefore, in those cases of gastric tube stasis, surgical drainage of the gastric tube should be performed.

Myocardial Damage Caused by Free Radicals in Experimentally Induced Myonephropathic Metabolic Syndrome in Dogs

Myocardial damage was studied in the dog heart with experimentally induced myonephropathic metabolic syndrome (MNMS). The animals underwent a ligation of the infrarenal arteries with a re-establishment of arterial flow 5 hours after the operation (group 1) and all showed the typical phenomena of MNMS and revealed basophilic changes in the myocardial cells fixed with 4 per cent formalin in 2 per cent calcium acetate. These degenerated cells were distributed in either the left or right ventricle, or even in both as several foci composed of a considerable number of the myocardial cells. Most of these cells showed a significantly enhanced expression of immunoreactive copper-zinc superoxide dismutase in their sarcoplasm. With luxol fast blue staining, the basophilic myocardial cells appeared to be deep blue in color which indicated an accumulation of phospholipid. Such basophilic cells in the animals undergoing a sham operation (group 2) were only sporadically observed in the myocardium fixed with the same fixative. The present study including morphological procedures indicates that dog MNMS causes severe myocardial damage with superoxidation due to an excessive production of free radicals after the re-establishment of arterial flow.

Myonephropathic-metabolic syndrome as a complication of cardiopulmonary bypass

We encountered eight rare cases of myonephropathic metabolic syndrome (MNMS) which developed as a complication of the femoral arterial cannulation (FAC) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Seven were boys ranging in age from 4–17 years, and all had undergone open heart surgery using CPB with a hemodilution technique. These eight corresponded to 1.9 per cent of the 420 patients treated with CPB before June, 1974. The pump priming fluid used was either Ringer’s lactate solution alone or that containing a small amount of colloidal solution. Duration of CPB ranged from 52 min to 2 hrs and 42 min, but the FAC period was more than 3 hrs in each case. Acute renal failure occurred in 3 and 2 required peritoneal dialysis. Severe respiratory insufficiency occurred in 2 and one died 3 months after the operation. The most effective means to prevent the development of MNMS seems to be the local cooling of the cannulated limb during FAC. MNMS did not occur in 444 cases of CPB with FAC after July 1974, and here local cooling was applied in all cases.

Extracorporeal circulation for the removal of serum myoglobin in experimentally induced myonephropathic metabolic syndrome in dogs.

The removal of serum myoglobin with extracorporeal circulation using a column filled with methylmethacrylate-divinylbenzene (MMA-DVB) was studied in experimentally induced myonephropathic metabolic syndrome in the dog. All animals showed marked edema in the hind limbs and degeneration or necrosis of the adductor muscle 5 hours after the reestablishment of arterial flow. The serum levels of myoglobin, creatinine phosphokinase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and aldolase increased linearly after the reperfusion of blood in the group of animals which received no extracorporeal circulation (group 1). Sediments of numerous myoglobin casts in the renal tubules and immunoreactive myoglobin in the renal epithelium of almost all the tubules were seen in 4 out of 5 cases. In the group of animals reperfused with extracorporeal circulation using the MMA-DVB column, serum myoglobin was adsorbed selectively by the column and showed a significantly lower value at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 hours than that of the group 1 animals. Concomitantly, the immunoreactive myoglobin was absent or scant in the renal epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubule. The present study therefore indicates that extracorporeal circulation using the MMA-DVB column is useful for the removal of serum myoglobin from experimentally induced myonephropathic metabolic syndrome.

Carcinoma in adenoma of the papilla of Vater

Carcinoma in adenoma of the papilla of Vater is extremely rare. We now report a case of adenocarcinoma in adenoma of the papilla of Vater and the clinicopathological findings are discussed. A 73-year-old Japanese woman was endoscopically diagnosed as a case of carcinoma combined with adenoma of the papilla of Vater. She underwent pancreatoduodenectomy and the postoperative course was statisfactory. Histological examination of the resected tissues revealed a superficial adenocarcinoma in the adenoma of the papilla of Vater. In certain cases, carcinoma of the papilla of Vater may develop from a pre-existing adenoma in the region. Therefore, we recommend that pancreatoduodenectomy should be done when an adenoma presents in this region.

Identification of Hemorrhagic Site of the Intestine by RI-angiography

A 36-year-old man was transferred to our department because of massive malena followed by shock. Gastroduodenal endoscopy revealed no bleeding source in the stomach or the duodenum. RI-angiogram performed immediately after admission revealed a bleeding area at the jejunum and laparotomy was done. The bleeding lesion was detected by exploratory jejunotomy and a jejunectomy was successfully performed over 15 cm, including the lesion. RI-angiogram is useful as selective antiography in the diagnosis of intestinal bleeding and is less invasive.