Tetsuo Ishizaki

Complete laparoscopic resection of the rectum using natural orifice specimen extraction

AIM To investigate how complete laparoscopic anterior resection with natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE), as a novel minimally invasive surgery, compares to conventional laparoscopic surgery. METHODS Twenty patients who underwent complete laparoscopic anterior resection with NOSE and 50 patients who underwent laparoscopic assisted anterior resection by the conventional method between 2011 and 2012 were studied. Selection for complete laparoscopic anterior resection with NOSE was decided on the basis of tumor size, localization of the tumor, and body mass index. Outcomes related to surgery, including operation time, postoperative wound pain, hospital stay after surgery, the number of totally dissected lymph nodes, postoperative complications (suture failure and wound infection), and anal function, were reviewed retrospectively. Anal function was assessed at 3 and 6 mo after surgery using the Wexner fecal incontinence scoring system. RESULTS Complete laparoscopic resection with NOSE was performed to completion in all 20 patients. There was no patient emergency that required conversion to conventional laparoscopic surgery or open surgery. The comparison between complete laparoscopic resection with NOSE and conventional laparoscopic surgery showed no significant differences in the maximal diameter of the tumor, number of totally dissected lymph nodes, bleeding volume, mean operation time, time to start of oral ingestion, postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications. On the other hand, with regard to pain after epidural anesthesia, the total usage of analgesia in this novel surgical technique was 1.85 ± 1.8 times, whereas it was 5.89 ± 2.86 in conventional laparoscopic surgery (P < 0.001). The postoperative pain period was 1.9 ± 1.9 d in this novel surgical technique, whereas it was 3.43 ± 1.41 d in conventional laparoscopic surgery (P < 0.004). In complete laparoscopic surgery with NOSE, the mean postoperative follow-up period was 20 mo (range: 12-30 mo). Neither local recurrence nor remote metastasis was observed during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION Complete laparoscopic anterior resection using NOSE does not require any incision and has excellent cosmetic properties, with mitigated postoperative pain.

Correlations of Clinicopathological Factors with Protein Expression Levels of Thymidylate Synthase, Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase and Orotate Phosphoribosyltransferase in Colorectal Cancer

Background: Expression levels of thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) have been reported to be associated with tumor response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Method: We investigated correlations of clinicopathological factors with protein expression levels of TS, DPD, OPRT in colorectal cancer (CRC). The subjects were 202 patients who had undergone CRC resection. Result: There was a negative correlation between DPD and OPRT protein levels, but no correlation of TS levels with either OPRT or DPD levels. The DPD levels in women was significantly lower than that in men. The DPD level was significantly lower in colonic tumors than in rectal tumors, while the OPRT level was significantly higher in colonic tumors than in rectal tumors. The TS level did not correlate with any clinicopathological factors. Conclusion: DPD and OPRT protein levels in CRC suggest that female gender and colonic tumors are positive prognostic factors in patients who receive chemotherapy with 5-FU.

Urinary Polyamine Biomarker Panels with Machine-Learning Differentiated Colorectal Cancers, Benign Disease, and Healthy Controls

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most daunting diseases due to its increasing worldwide prevalence, which requires imperative development of minimally or non-invasive screening tests. Urinary polyamines have been reported as potential markers to detect CRC, and an accurate pattern recognition to differentiate CRC with early stage cases from healthy controls are needed. Here, we utilized liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to profile seven kinds of polyamines, such as spermine and spermidine with their acetylated forms. Urinary samples from 201 CRCs and 31 non-CRCs revealed the N1,N12-diacetylspermine showing the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), 0.794 (the 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.704–0.885, p < 0.0001), to differentiate CRC from the benign and healthy controls. Overall, 59 samples were analyzed to evaluate the reproducibility of quantified concentrations, acquired by collecting three times on three days each from each healthy control. We confirmed the stability of the observed quantified values. A machine learning method using combinations of polyamines showed a higher AUC value of 0.961 (95% CI: 0.937–0.984, p < 0.0001). Computational validations confirmed the generalization ability of the models. Taken together, polyamines and a machine-learning method showed potential as a screening tool of CRC.

Successful laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal schwannoma arising from the femoral nerve: A case report

We report on a 45‐year‐old man who presented with pain in the left leg, which he had had for 2 months. A contrast‐enhanced CT scan displayed a 25‐mm tumor in the lateral side of the left psoas muscle. For this suspected retroperitoneal tumor, we performed laparoscopic resection of the tumor, which was encapsulated by the funicular femoral nerve, using surgical scissors rather than a surgical energy device and preserved the normal fascicles wherever possible. Pathological examination indicated a benign ancient schwannoma arising from the femoral nerve. The patient was able to return to his job 3 weeks after surgery, and he has shown no evidence of recurrence. This was thought to be because of the use of surgical scissors, rather than a surgical energy device, combined with visual magnification. Therefore, the laparoscopic approach is an effective and minimally invasive option for the resection of femoral nerve schwannoma.

A case of tubular adenoma developing after bladder augmentation: Case report and literature review

Highlights • We report a rare case of adenoma that developed after sigmoidocolocystoplasty.• There were 11 cases of oncogenesis after bladder augmentation in the literature, including our case.• We recommend routine surveillance cytoscopy and cytology for patients after bladder augmentation, although this remains controversial.

Preoperative evaluation of blood vessel anatomy using three-dimensional computed tomography for laparoscopic surgery of transverse colon cancer

This study describes the efficacy of the evaluation of blood vessel anatomy by 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) for laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer (TCC). A total of 102 p...