William V. McDermott

Surgical margin in hepatic resection for colorectal metastasis: a critical and improvable determinant of outcome.

OBJECTIVE To update the analysis of technical and biologic factors related to hepatic resection for colorectal metastasis in a large single-institution series to identify important prognostic indicators and patterns of failure. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Surgical therapy for colorectal carcinoma metastatic to the liver is the only potentially curable treatment. Careful patient selection of those with resectable liver-only metastatic disease is crucial to the success of surgical therapy. METHODS Two hundred forty-four consecutive patients undergoing curative hepatic resection for metastatic colorectal carcinoma were analyzed retrospectively. Variables examined included sex, stage of primary lesion, size of liver lesion(s), number of lesions, disease-free interval, ploidy, differentiation, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level, and operative factors such as resection margin, use of cryotherapy, intraoperative ultrasound, and blood loss. RESULTS Surgical margin, number of lesions, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels significantly control prognosis. Patients with only one or two liver lesions, a 1-cm surgical margin, and low CEA levels have a 5-year disease-free survival rate of more than 30%. Disease-free interval, original stage, bilobar involvement, size of metastasis, differentiation, and ploidy were not significant predictors of recurrence. The pattern of failure correlates with surgical margin. Routine use of intraoperative ultrasound resulted in an increased incidence of negative surgical margin during the period examined. CONCLUSIONS Surgical resection or cryotherapy of hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer is safe and curable in appropriately selected patients. Biologic factors, such as number of lesions and carcinoembryonic antigen levels, determine potential curability, and surgical margin governs the patterns of failure and outcome in potentially curable patients. Optimization of selection criteria and surgical resection margins will improve outcome.

Resection of the liver for colorectal carcinoma metastases. A multi-institutional study of long-term survivors.

In this review of a collected series of patients undergoing hepatic resection for colorectal metastases, 100 patients were found to have survived greater than five years from the time of resection. Of these 100 long-term survivors, 71 remain disease-free through the last follow-up, 19 recurred prior to five years, and ten recurred after five years. Patient characteristics that may have contributed to survival were examined. Procedures performed included five trisegmentectomies, 32 lobectomies, 16 left lateral segmentectomies, and 45 wedge resections. The margin of resection was recorded in 27 patients, one of whom had a positive margin, nine of whom had a less than or equal to 1-cm margin, and 17 of whom had a greater than 1-cm margin. Eighty-one patients had a solitary metastasis to the liver, 11 patients had two metastases, one patient had three metastases, and four patients had four metastases. Thirty patients had Stage C primary carcinoma, 40 had Stage B primary carcinoma, and one had Stage A primarycarcinoma. The disease-free interval from the time of colon resection to the time of liver resection was less than one year in 65 patients, and greater than one year in 34 patients. Three patients had bilobar metastases. Four of the patients had extrahepatic disease resected simultaneously with the liver resection. Though several contraindications to hepatic resection have been proposed in the past, five-year survival has been found in patients with extrahepatic disease resected simultaneously, patients with bilobar metastases, patients with multiple metastases, and patients with positive margins. Five-year disease-free survivors are also present in each of these subsets. It is concluded that five-year survival is possible in the presence of reported contraindications to resection, and therefore that the decision to resect the liver must be individualized.

Hepatic Venocclusive Disease Associated With the Consumption of Pyrrolizidine Containing Dietary Supplements

Venocclusive disease, a form of Budd-Chiari syndrome, was diagnosed in a 49-yr-old woman. The patient had portal hypertension associated with obliteration of the smaller hepatic venules. A liver biopsy specimen showed centrilobular necrosis and congestion. Analysis of food supplements the woman regularly consumed showed the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The major source was a powder purporting to contain ground comfrey root (Symphytum sp). We calculated that during the 6 mo before the woman was hospitalized, she had consumed a minimum of 85 mg of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (15 micrograms/kg body wt X day). The clinical and analytic findings were consistent with chronic pyrrolizidine intoxication, indicating that low-level, chronic exposure to such alkaloids can cause venocclusive disease.

Intraarterial hepatic infusion and intravenous adriamycin for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. A clinical and pharmacology report

Four patients received intraarterial (ia) hepatic infusion and 10 received intravenous (iv) adriamycin for hepatocellular carcinoma. Four of each group are evaluable. The remaining 6 patients died within 14 days of intravenous therapy and are, therefore, considered nonevaluable. Patients received 2 to 9 courses of adriamycin every 3 weeks. One half of each group of evaluable patients had partial responses (pr). The ia group had pr for 22.5 weeks (range 8 to 37). The iv group had pr 27.2 weeks (range: 16 to 38.5). Mean survival was 21 weeks for nonresponders, and 43 weeks for responders. Intraarterial infusion did not protect patients from adriamycin toxicity. Cardiac and liver toxicity were not seen, but marrow and gastrointestinal toxicity developed at 1.2 × 10−7M adriamycin serum level. Adriamycin disappearance curves after ia and iv therapy were similar for similar bilirubin levels, and prolonged with hyperbilirubinemia. Ascites fluid did not accumulate detectable adriamycin. Pharmacokinetics are described in this report.

Budd-Chiari syndrome: Historical and clinical review with an analysis of surgical corrective procedures☆

Seventeen patients who fulfilled the criteria for the Budd-Chiari syndrome (centrilobular congestion and necrosis, a defined postsinusoidal block, and rapid onset of ascites) have been analyzed in terms of cause, prognosis, and treatment. Causal factors included caval web or tumor, hepatic tumor, a hypocoagulable state, myeloproliferative disease, and veno-occlusive disease. Location of the outflow block was suprahepatic (vena cava or major hepatic veins) in 13 patients and intrahepatic in 4. In five patients, a side-to-side portacaval shunt was effective in dissipating ascites with restoration to a normal lifestyle, as were transatrial fracture of a caval web (one patient) and resection of a huge cystadenoma of the liver (one patient). A peritoneal shunt provided effective palliation in three patients.

Diversion of urine to the intestines as a factor in ammoniagenic coma.

THE studies from this laboratory1 2 3 4 on the subject of ammonia metabolism, which were initiated by the delineation of the syndrome of ammonia intoxication in a patient with an Eck fistula,5 led ...

Pancreas divisum: Results of surgical intervention☆

The embryologic defect that results when the ventral and dorsal anlages of the pancreas do not fuse has been referred to as pancreas divisum. ERCP has made it possible to recognize this anomaly in patients undergoing investigation for otherwise unexplained abdominal pain. Of 70 patients in whom recurrent epigastric pain and pancreas divisum coexisted, sphincteroplasty of both papillae was carried out in 19 because of intractability of symptoms. In six patients, surgery was performed subsequent to failure of other biliary tract surgery. There was one postoperative death. In the remaining 18 patients, initial results were good to excellent in 13 and fair in 1. In four patients, however, recurrence of symptoms developed within periods that ranged from 1 to 6 months; therefore, reasonably permanent relief was limited to 10 patients. Of the remaining eight patients with recurrent or continuing symptoms, a variety of subsequent procedures led to satisfactory results in only three. In only seven patients was there even minimal chemical or microscopic evidence to suggest active pancreatitis. Similarly, pancreatograms in 17 patients with this anomaly revealed no abnormalities except for minor ones in 2 patients. Thus, if this is a syndrome that is due to relative stenosis of the lesser papilla and duct, the anomaly does not often result in documented pancreatitis. The definite but limited success rate from sphincteroplasty suggests that relative stenosis of the lesser papilla may be the cause of a syndrome but surgical refinements will be necessary to achieve a better operative success rate.

Metastatic Carcinoid to the Liver Treated by Hepatic Dearterialization

A historical review of work bearing on the rationale for hepatic artery ligation in the treatment of malignant disease in the liver is presented, particularly the early work showing that malignant disease of the liver is supplied primarily by the arterial circulation and not by the portal. A review is presented of some clinical reports dealing with the effectiveness of this approach and our own limited experience with three cases presented briefly. The major emphasis is placed on the metabolic, arteriographic, microscopic and clinical studies on one patient with the carcinoid syndrome who was followed carefully over several years, treated initially by hepatic resection, later by chemotherapy and finally by hepatic dearterialization as the tumor re-grew and the carcinoid syndrome again became incapacitating. Clinical remissions was documented by changes in the excretion of 5-hydroxyindole- acetic acid and by comparison between pre- and post-op arteriography and by microscopic sections taken at re-exploration for drainage of a necrotic area in the liver.

Elective hepatic resection

Abstract Thirty-two cases in which either right hepatic lobectomy or left or partial lobectomy have been carried out for both benign and malignant disease are described and categorized. Diagnostic and operative technics are outlined, the important metabolic aberrations after extensive resection noted, and some observations on hepatic regeneration in man included in this report

Dearterialization of the liver for metastatic cancer. Clinical, angiographic and pathologic observations.

Five cases of dearterialization of the liver for metastatic cancer are presented. Subjective and objective improvement was accomplished in three patients. Pre- and postoperative arteriography demonstrates the extent of devascularization and the routes of reestablished collateral. Microscopic studies demonstrated effects on tumor and on hepatic parenchyma and biochemical data indicate the extent and duration of hepatic dysfunction.