Seigo Yukisawa

Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for clinically suspicious spontaneous passage of bile duct stones.

Background and Aim:  We investigated the usefulness of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and the need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with clinically suspicious spontaneous passage of bile duct stones.

Ultrasound-guided vs endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for pancreatic cancer diagnosis

AIM To clarify the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS Patients who were diagnosed with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic PC between February 2006 and September 2011 were selected for this retrospective study. FNA biopsy for pancreatic tumors had been performed percutaneously under extracorporeal ultrasound guidance until October 2009; then, beginning in November 2009, EUS-FNA has been performed. We reviewed the complete medical records of all patients who met the selection criteria for the following data: sex, age, location and size of the targeted tumor, histological and/or cytological findings, details of puncture procedures, time from day of puncture until day of definitive diagnosis, and details of severe adverse events. RESULTS Of the 121 patients who met the selection criteria, 46 had a percutaneous biopsy (Group A) and 75 had an EUS-FNA biopsy (Group B). Adequate cytological specimens were obtained in 42 Group A patients (91.3%) and all 75 Group B patients (P = 0.0192), and histological specimens were obtained in 41 Group A patients (89.1%) and 65 Group B patients (86.7%). Diagnosis of malignancy by cytology was positive in 33 Group A patients (78.6%) and 72 Group B patients (94.6%) (P = 0.0079). Malignancy by both cytology and pathology was found in 43 Group A (93.5%) and 73 Group B (97.3%) patients. The mean period from the puncture until the cytological diagnosis in Group B was 1.7 d, which was significantly shorter than that in Group A (4.1 d) (P < 0.0001). Severe adverse events were experienced in two Group A patients (4.3%) and in one Group B patient (1.3%). CONCLUSION EUS-FNA, as well as percutaneous needle aspiration, is an effective modality to obtain cytopathological confirmation in patients with advanced PC.

Long‐term prognosis of patients with endoscopically treated postoperative bile duct stricture and bile duct stricture due to chronic pancreatitis

Aim:  To compare the outcome of endoscopic therapy for postoperative benign bile duct stricture and benign bile duct stricture due to chronic pancreatitis, including long‐term prognosis.

Clinical Outcome of Biliary Drainage for Obstructive Jaundice Caused by Colorectal and Gastric Cancers

OBJECTIVE To clarify the prognostic factors for patients with obstructive jaundice due to advanced colorectal and gastric cancers who had undergone percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. METHODS Baseline variables and clinical outcomes were evaluated for 92 consecutive patients treated with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. RESULTS Of the 92 patients, 32 (35%) had colorectal cancer and the remaining 60 (65%) had gastric cancer. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage was successfully achieved in 74 (80%) patients, and 39 of them could receive subsequent chemotherapy. The median survival after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage was 273 days in the 39 patients who had undergone successful percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage and subsequent chemotherapy, 65 days in 35 patients who had undergone successful percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage but who had not received subsequent chemotherapy and 34 days in the remaining 18 patients who had undergone unsuccessful percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (P < 0.001). Multiple liver metastases and hepatic hilar bile duct stricture were independently associated with unsuccessful percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Poor performance status, multiple liver metastases, presence of ascites, multiple prior chemotherapy administrations, undifferentiated type histology and high serum CA19-9 level were independently associated with a poor prognosis. A prognostic index calculated based on the number of these six factors was used to classify the patients into a good-risk group (index ≤2) (n = 56) and a poor-risk group (index ≥3) (n = 36). The median survival time and 2-month survival rate for the two groups were 163 and 44 days, respectively, and 85.7 and 33.3%, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS As regards the introduction of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in patients with obstructive jaundice due to colorectal and gastric cancers, careful patient selection might be necessary. A prognostic model seems to be useful for making decisions as to whether percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage is indicated for particular patients.

A transcatheter arterial chemotherapy using a novel lipophilic platinum derivative (miriplatin) for patients with small and multiple hepatocellular carcinomas.

Background/purpose Miriplatin is a platinum complex developed to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through administration into the hepatic artery as a sustained-release formulation suspended in lipiodol. A single-institute pilot study was conducted to investigate the antitumor efficacy of miriplatin infusion therapy for small and multiple HCCs. Materials and methods Small HCCs sized 2 cm or less, judged to be inadequate for curative treatment, were indicated for transcatheter arterial miriplatin infusion therapy. We prospectively investigated the course of patients treated with miriplatin between March 2010 and September 2010. Efficacy was evaluated by computed tomography at 4–8 weeks and the overall evaluation was carried out more than 3 months after treatment. Results The study included 14 patients, of whom 13 were evaluable for efficacy. Of the 13 patients, one (8%) showed a complete response and three (23%) showed a partial response, with an overall response rate of 31%. Grade 3/4 hematological toxicity including thrombocytopenia was not seen. Increases to grade 3/4 in aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were observed for nonhematological toxicity. Irreversible deleterious changes in hepatic function were not seen. Conclusion Miriplatin infusion therapy showed safe and moderate effects on small HCCs. However, transarterial chemoembolization as a standard therapy cannot be replaced. We await the results of an ongoing study of transarterial chemoembolization with miriplatin.

Animal and Clinical Studies for the Treatment of Liver Carcinomas with High‐Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

In the study carried out in goats, we used the JC200 focused ultrasound tumor therapeutic system (Chongqing Haifu Tech Co., Ltd, China). The therapeutic ultrasound energy is produced by a transducer with a focal length of 160mm, at a frequency of 0.8MHz. The animals (n=6) were divided into a control group (n=3) and an experimental group subjected to costectomy (n=3). Costectomy was performed 1 week before HIFU. There was no difference in the coagulation volume between the two groups. Skin burns accompanied with reddish color and focal edema were observed in two goats. There were no other complications. In the clinical study, HIFU was applied in patients with with ⩽ 3 lesions of liver carcinoma ⩽ 4cm in diameter. The complications and anti‐tumor effects on liver carcinomas should be evaluated. Tumor ablation was complete in 5 of 6 patients. There were no complications such as skin burns and local pain. HIFU did not influence blood chemical findings.