Nobuhiko Taniai

Long-term and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with propensity score matching: A multi-institutional Japanese study

The aim of this study was to compare the long‐term outcomes and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) with those of open liver resection (OLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) between well‐matched patient groups.

Long-Term Results of Partial Splenic Artery Embolization as Supplemental Treatment for Portal-Systemic Encephalopathy

OBJECTIVES:To present long-term results of angiographic partial splenic artery embolization (PSE) as a supplemental treatment of portal-systemic encephalopathy.METHODS:Twenty-five patients with portal-systemic encephalopathy were divided into two groups: 14 patients underwent transportal obliteration and/or balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) of portal-systemic shunts (PSS), followed by PSE (PSE(+) group), and 11 patients underwent only transportal obliteration and/or BRTO of PSS (PSE(−) group).RESULTS:Portal venous pressures pretreatment was similar to posttreatment in the PSE(+) group, but lower than posttreatment in the PSE(−) group. Serum ammonia levels were higher at pretreatment than at 1 wk posttreatment in both groups, but the levels in the two groups were similar at pretreatment, 1 wk, 3 months, 3 yr, 4 yr, and 5 yr posttreatment. However, serum ammonia levels were lower in the PSE(+) group than in the PSE(−) group 6 months, 9 months, 1 yr, and 2 yr posttreatment. Grades of encephalopathy were higher at pretreatment than at 1 wk posttreatment in both groups, but the levels in the two groups were similar at pretreatment, 1 wk, 2 yr, 3 yr, 4 yr, and 5 yr posttreatment. However, grades of encephalopathy were lower in the PSE(+) group than in the PSE(−) group 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 yr posttreatment.CONCLUSIONS:Obliteration of PSS followed by PSE benefit patients with portal-systemic encephalopathy.

Long-term results of multiple minocycline hydrochloride injections for the treatment of symptomatic solitary hepatic cyst

Background: The current study presents the long‐term results of multiple minocycline hydrochloride (MINO) injections for the treatment of symptomatic solitary hepatic cyst.

Long-term and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver resection for colorectal liver metastases with propensity score matching: A multi-institutional Japanese study

The aim of the present study was to clarify the surgical outcome and long‐term prognosis of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) compared with conventional open liver resection (OLR) in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Genetic Polymorphisms of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2, Cytochrome p450 2E1 for Liver Cancer Risk in HCV Antibody-Positive Japanese Patients and the Variations of CYP2E1 mRNA Expression Levels in the Liver due to its Polymorphism

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in persons with liver cirrhosis (LC) arises following hepatitis virus infection. Alcohol may accelerate the risk of development of LC and HCC. Cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) oxidizes ethanol to form acetaldehyde and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) detoxifies acetaldehyde, which is carcinogenic in humans, and both alcohol-metabolizing enzymes show the genetic polymorphisms in a Japanese population. Methods: Using polymorphism analysis, we studied the frequency of ALDH2 functional deletion due to the G to A single-bp mutation in exon 12 and CYP2E1 polymorphism in the transcriptional region, both associated with higher levels of acetaldehyde, in 135 patients with LC and/or HCC, including 99 with HCC, and 135 non-cancer controls. The mRNA expression levels of CYP2E1 in the liver were also examined in 55 surgical specimens. Results: The allelic frequency of the homozygous ALDH2 2-2 genotype, coding for the enzyme deletion, was significantly higher compared to that of the homozygous or heterozygous ALDH2 1-1 genotypes in cases with HCC (OR r = r 5.4, 95% CI 2.1-14.0). There were no differences in the frequencies of specific genotypes of CYP2E1 in cases of HCC, but combined analysis of ALDH2 and CYP2E1 revealed that the odds ratio of occurrence of the C1/C1 homozygosity of CYP2E1 and the ALDH2 2-2 homozygosity was as high as 23.0 (2.9-182). The mRNA levels of CYP2E1 were higher in the liver of patients with the C1/C1 homozygosity of CYP2E1 than in those with other genotypes ( P r < r 0.05). Conclusions: ALDH2 and CYP2E1 polymorphisms may modify the risk of development of HCC against the background of LC in the Japanese. Polymorphism analysis of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes using molecular techniques may be useful in the risk assessment of liver cancer in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in persons with liver cirrhosis (LC) arises following hepatitis virus infection. Alcohol may accelerate the risk of development of LC and HCC. Cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) oxidizes ethanol to form acetaldehyde and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) detoxifies acetaldehyde, which is carcinogenic in humans, and both alcohol-metabolizing enzymes show the genetic polymorphisms in a Japanese population. METHODS Using polymorphism analysis, we studied the frequency of ALDH2 functional deletion due to the G to A single-bp mutation in exon 12 and CYP2E1 polymorphism in the transcriptional region, both associated with higher levels of acetaldehyde, in 135 patients with LC and/or HCC, including 99 with HCC, and 135 non-cancer controls. The mRNA expression levels of CYP2E1 in the liver were also examined in 55 surgical specimens. RESULTS The allelic frequency of the homozygous ALDH2 2-2 genotype, coding for the enzyme deletion, was significantly higher compared to that of the homozygous or heterozygous ALDH2 1-1 genotypes in cases with HCC (OR = 5.4, 95% CI 2.1-14.0). There were no differences in the frequencies of specific genotypes of CYP2E1 in cases of HCC, but combined analysis of ALDH2 and CYP2E1 revealed that the odds ratio of occurrence of the C1/C1 homozygosity of CYP2E1 and the ALDH2 2-2 homozygosity was as high as 23.0 (2.9-182). The mRNA levels of CYP2E1 were higher in the liver of patients with the C1/C1 homozygosity of CYP2E1 than in those with other genotypes (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS ALDH2 and CYP2E1 polymorphisms may modify the risk of development of HCC against the background of LC in the Japanese. Polymorphism analysis of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes using molecular techniques may be useful in the risk assessment of liver cancer in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Long‐term results of elective hepatectomy for the treatment of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE According to the General rules for the clinical and pathological study of primary liver cancer, compiled by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan, ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is classified as stage 4, even if the tumor is small and solitary. We examined the long-term results of elective hepatectomy for the treatment of ruptured HCC. METHODS A first hepatectomy was performed without operative death in 193 patients with HCC. Ten patients had ruptured HCC (ruptured group) and 183 patients had nonruptured HCC (nonruptured group). The extension of HCC was macroscopically classified as stage 1 in 23 patients, stage 2 in 71, stage 3 in 53, and stage 4 in 46. RESULTS Cumulative survival rates in the ruptured group at 1, 5, and 10 years were 90.0%, 67.5%, and 20.3%, respectively. The cumulative survival rate was lower in patients with stage 4 disease in the nonruptured group than that in patients in the ruptured group (P < 0.05). Cumulative survival rates did not differ significantly between patients in the ruptured group and those with stage 2 or stage 3 disease. CONCLUSIONS Survival rates after elective hepatectomy in patients with ruptured HCC are good, even if the disease is classified as stage 4.

Rupture of a hepatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma

We describe a rare case of spontaneous rupture of a hepatic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma that was treated successfully by hepatic arterial embolization. A 65-year-old woman, who had been undergoing immunotherapy for inoperably disseminated renal carcinoma and lung metastases, presented with severe abdominal pain in a state of hypovolemic shock. Computed tomography revealed a highly attenuated mass lesion in the right lobe of the liver and massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage. Subsequent hepatic angiography showed extravasation from the feeding right hepatic artery. Transcatheter embolization of the right hepatic artery was subsequently performed, and the patient made an uneventful recovery. Although hepatic rupture due to metastatic cancer is extremely rare, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is an appropriate and useful treatment for massive hemorrhage caused by spontaneous rupture of liver metastasis.

Splenic artery embolization before laparoscopic splenectomy in children

BackgroundThis study assessed the safety and utility of preoperative splenic artery embolization before laparoscopic splenectomy in children.MethodsFive young girls with a mean age of 13.2 years underwent laparoscopic splenectomies at the authors’ institution from August 1998 to April 2003. Three of the patients had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and two had hereditary spherocytosis. Preoperative splenic artery embolization was performed the day before the surgery in all cases. The laparoscopic splenectomy was performed using traditional laparoscopic procedures and standard laparoscopic instruments with the patient in the right semilateral position.ResultsThe mean spleen weight was 252.6 g, and the mean length was 11.6 cm. All the patients reported postembolic pain, but not to a level unmanageable by intravascular narcotics. There were no severe complications in the splenic artery embolization. The laparoscopic splenectomies were completed in a mean of 211 min, with a mean estimated blood loss of 9 ml. None of the operations required conversion to traditional open laparotomy, and none of the patients died or experienced operative complications.ConclusionThe authors concluded that splenic artery embolization is safe and useful as an adjuvant procedure performed before elective laparoscopic splenectomy in children.

Reconstruction of the vena cava with the peritoneum.

BACKGROUND Reconstruction of the vena cava with an autologous vein requires extra incisions. Prosthetic material is associated with an increased risk of infection. We therefore created an animal model of vena cava reconstruction using the peritoneum. METHODS A 2.5 x 2.5 cm piece of peritoneum was resected from 7 pigs weighing 30 to 40 kg. An oval window (long axis: 1.5 cm) was made in the infrarenal vena cava. This was repaired with the peritoneal patch fixed in alcohol. RESULTS In 2 animals sacrificed at 5 hours, there was no evidence of thrombosis, but there was fibrin clot on the patches. Two animals sacrificed on day 8 exhibited excellent patency of the vena cava. Complete endothelialization of the patch was noted at day 15. At 6 weeks, the vena cava was healed. No infections or other problems were noted. CONCLUSIONS The peritoneum is an accessible and safe substitute for reconstruction of the vena cava.

Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising worldwide. Spontaneous rupture of HCC occasionally occurs, and ruptured HCC with intraperitoneal hemorrhage is potentially life‐threatening. The most common symptom of ruptured HCC is acute abdominal pain. The tumor size in ruptured HCC is significantly greater than that in non‐ruptured HCC, and HCC protrudes beyond the original liver margin. In the acute phase, hemostasis is the primary concern and tumor treatment is secondary. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) can effectively induce hemostasis. The hemostatic success rate of TAE ranges 53–100%. A one‐stage surgical operation is a treatment modality for selected patients. Conservative treatment is usually given to patients in a moribund state with inoperable tumors and thus has poor outcomes. Patients with severe ruptures of advanced HCC and poor liver function have high mortality rates. Liver failure occurs in 12–42% of patients during the acute phase. In the stable phase, tumor treatment, such as transarterial chemoembolization or hepatic resection should be concerned. The combination of acute hemorrhage and cancer in patients with ruptured HCC requires a two‐step therapeutic approach. TAE followed by elective hepatectomy is considered an effective strategy for patients with ruptured HCC.