Randomized clinical trial of duct-to-mucosa versus invagination pancreaticojejunostomy after pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: The postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rate for duct-to-mucosa and invagination anastomosis after pancreatoduodenectomy is still debated. The aim of this RCT was to investigate the POPF rate for duct-to-mucosa versus invagination pancreaticojejunostomy. METHODS: Patients were stratified by pancreatic texture and diameter of the main pancreatic duct and randomized to the duct-to-mucosa or invagination group. The primary endpoint was the rate of clinically relevant POPF (defined as grade B or C). Secondary endpoints were suture material cost for pancreaticojejunostomy, drain insertion duration and duration of postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: Some 120 patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy were included following consent. Clinically relevant POPF developed in six of 59 patients (10 per cent) in the invagination group and in 14 of 61 patients (23 per cent) in the duct-to-mucosa group (P = 0·077). Duration of drain insertion (6 versus 7 days respectively; P = 0·027) and postoperative hospital stay (19 versus 24 days; P = 0·015) were shorter in the invagination group. Subgroup analysis for 61 patients with a soft pancreas revealed a lower rate of clinically relevant POPF in the invagination group (10 per cent versus 42 per cent in the duct-to-mucosa group; P = 0·010). Among 20 patients with a clinically relevant POPF, the six patients in the invagination group had a shorter duration of drain insertion (38·5 days versus 49 days for 14 patients in the duct-to-mucosa group; P = 0·028) and postoperative hospital stay (42 versus 54·5 days respectively; P = 0·028). CONCLUSION: This study did not demonstrate a superiority of invagination over duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy in the risk of POPF. However, in high-risk patients with a soft pancreas, invagination may reduce the risk of clinically relevant POPF compared with duct-to-mucosa. Registration number: UMIN000005890 (http://www.umin.ac.jp).

Left hepatic trisectionectomy for advanced perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Data on outcomes of left hepatic trisectionectomy (LT) for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma are limited. The aim of this study was to clarify short- and long-term outcomes of LT for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: Patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent LT between January 2000 and October 2011 were analysed. Surgical variables, mortality, morbidity (Clavien grade I-V), recurrence sites and survival were compared between subjects who underwent LT, right hemihepatectomy or left hemihepatectomy. RESULTS: A total 214 patients underwent resection for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, 25 (11·7 per cent) of whom underwent LT, 88 (41·1 per cent) right hemihepatectomy and 94 (43·9 per cent) left hepatectomy. There were no deaths among those who had LT, but 20 patients developed complications. The incidence of grade IIIa complications was significantly higher among patients who underwent LT than in patients who had right or left hemihepatectomy (P = 0·001 and P < 0·001 respectively). Only one patient developed a grade IIIb or IV complication (liver failure) after LT. The overall 5-year survival rate after LT was 39 per cent and median survival was 45 months. There were no significant differences in survival between patients who underwent LT and those who had a right or left hemihepatectomy. CONCLUSION: LT may provide a good outcome for advanced perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

A Novel Assessment of Vascular Regions Using an Intraoperative Near-Infrared Fluorescence.

INTRODUCTION: The risk of complications and transplant renal function increases in multiple arterial renal transplantations compared with single arterial renal transplantations. Even when multiple arteries are involved, with the introduction of laparoscopic nephrectomy, I mainly choose the left side kidney. Therefore, the number of renal artery reconstructions is increasing, and simultaneous imaging of arterial rebuilding during the donor nephrectomy is important. MATERIAL: Between 2006 and 2015, we performed 132 living donor kidney transplantations at our center and analyzed 32 cases that were diagnosed pre- and intraoperatively. METHOD: We compared the single renal artery (SRA) and multiple renal arteries (MRA) groups and analyzed the number of renal arteries, reconstruction methods, donor and recipient ages, sex, total ischemic times, and 1-month serum creatinine values. RESULT: In the MRA and SRA groups, the average recipient age was 52.3 and 47.0 years, respectively, while the average donor age was 52.9 and 53.1 years, respectively. In SRA and MRA groups, total ischemic time (TIT) was 96.1 and 143.6 min (P < .01). Serum creatinine level 1 month post-transplantation was 1.54 and 1.25, respectively (P < .001). Here we experienced 12 cases of living renal donor nephrectomy with multiple vessels in which the vascular supply territory was first assessed in April 2013 using an intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence camera system. In addition, regarding TIT, it is possible to shorten surgery by using individual anastomosis and ligation. CONCLUSION: By managing multiple donors; arteries by nephrectomy, it is possible to improve kidney transplantation results.

Adult living-donor liver transplantation for a recipient with a high preoperative 1,3-beta-D-glucan level and positive test result for Aspergillus antigen.

The patient was a 45-year-old man with underlying alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Two years prior, he was repeatedly hospitalized for liver failure symptoms and requested a living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) because of end-stage cirrhosis. A pretransplantation blood test revealed a high 1,3-beta-d-glucan (BDG) value of 102.0 pg/mL (reference value <20.0 pg/mL) and a high blood Aspergillus antigen (AsAg) value of 1.6 cutoff index (COI; reference value <0.5 COI). Contrast-enhanced thoracoabdominal-pelvic computed tomography (CT) and cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed no fungal infection. However, latent fungal infection could not be ruled out, hence preoperative antifungal agent treatment was administered. BDG and AsAg levels showed a decreasing trend after treatment initiation. However, normalization did not occur; the BDG and AsAg levels were 25.8 pg/mL and 1.0 COI, respectively. Although the possibility of latent fungal infection was judged low, we prophylactically administered antifungal agents after LDLT. The BDG level consistently increased at 35-39 pg/mL until postoperative day 5 but subsequently normalized. The AsAg level was higher than the limit of detection at 5.0 COI on postoperative day 3 but normalized to 0.2 COI on postoperative day 5 and did not subsequently increase. The postoperative course was uneventful despite bacterial pneumonia and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 35. A histopathologic examination (Grocott methenamine silver staining) and a fungal polymerase chain reaction assay were performed for the resected liver, but the results of both were negative. At 9 postoperative months, the patient was making ambulatory follow-up visits. Currently, the BDG and AsAg values remain normal and clinical progress is favorable. We found no reports of LDLT for a recipient with a high preoperative BDG level and positive test result for AsAg. Thus, we report on such a case with a discussion of the literature on the causes of high preoperative BDG and AsAg values.

Mixed type of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with hemi-pulmonary vein atresia.

This reports a successfully corrected case of an 8-day-old baby who had a rare mixed type of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in which the left pulmonary vein connected to the portal vein and the right one was atretic as demonstrated by pulmonary artery wedge angiography. The left common pulmonary vein and right pulmonary veins were anastomosed to the left atrium, separately. The patient tolerated the operation and has been well. Early total repair after accurate diagnosis was successful for this rare combination of anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Growth hormone-producing pituitary adenomas: correlations between clinical characteristics and morphology.

In this study, we compared the clinical and endocrinological characteristics, neuroimaging findings, surgical outcome, and conventional histological findings (including immunohistochemistry) with the electron microscopic appearance of 31 growth hormone (GH)-producing adenomas. By electron microscopy, these 31 tumors were divided into 23 densely granulated somatotroph adenomas (DG adenomas) and 8 sparsely granulated somatotroph adenomas (SG adenomas). SG adenomas more frequently affected younger women, but no significant correlation was found between the adenoma type and the characteristic signs and symptoms of acromegaly, the incidence of diabetes mellitus or hypertension, or the basal serum GH and insulin-like growth factor I levels. A distinct response of GH to thyrotropin-releasing hormone, bromocriptine, or GH-releasing hormone was significantly more common in patients with DG adenomas than in those with SG adenomas, whereas the incidence of a response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone or oral glucose was not significantly different between the two groups. An analysis of neuroimaging findings and surgical results indicated that SG adenomas were more likely to be macroadenomas with suprasellar extension or invasive tumors and had a lower surgical cure rate. However, postoperative radiotherapy seemed to be similarly effective in both types of adenoma to prevent a tumor recurrence and to reduce postoperative GH basal level in serum. Light microscopy showed that DG adenomas were mainly acidophilic and were immunopositive not only for GH but also for prolactin (43%), the beta subunit of thyroid-stimulating hormone (26%), and the alpha subunit of glycoprotein hormone (87%), whereas SG adenomas were almost all chromophobic and only revealed immunopositivity for GH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Value of paraaortic lymphadenectomy for gallbladder carcinoma].

Seven reports of paraaortic lymphadenectomy for advanced carcinoma of the gallbladder were reviewed and positive paraaortic nodes were found in 20-40% of the resected patients and 10-15% of those with subserosal cancer invasion. The rate of patients with positive paraaortic nodes/all patients with positive nodes was 30-50%. Paraaortic lymphadenectomy did not improve the surgical outcome, and most of the patients with positive paraaortic nodes died within 1 year even after aggressive surgery with extensive lymph node dissection. Therefore it is important to clarify the value of paraaortic lymph node dissection for patients with possibly positive paraaortic node metastasis and those with histologically positive nodes excluding the paraaortic area. Although pancreatoduodenectomy for prophylactic lymphadenectomy around the head of the pancreas has been carried out in some institutions, the procedure does not seem to be effective because the main lymphatic route from the gallbladder has a direct connection with the paraaortic nodes via the pericholedochal, periportal, and/or the posterior nodes along the common hepatic artery. The present authors recommend a D2 plus paraaortic lymph node dissection (ext D2) as a standard surgical strategy for carcinoma of the gallbladder.

Pulmonary blood flow distribution after the total cavopulmonary connection for complex cardiac anomalies.

In total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC), the anastomotic portion of the caval veins to the pulmonary artery (PA) is decided empirically based on personal experience. To compare the pulmonary flow distribution from both caval veins in various types of cavopulmonary anastomosis, intrapulmonary ventilation-perfusion distribution after TCPC was studied using lung scanning. We studied 11 patients, 2 to 37 years old, at 30-84 months after TCPC. Lung scanning was performed by administering 185 MBq of xenon-133 saline solution from their upper extremities and, after xenon-133 was washed out, from their lower extremities. Radionuclide counts on both lungs were obtained and intrapulmonary ventilation-perfusion distribution was assessed. In 4 patients whose superior vena cava (SVC)-PA anastomosis was on the right side of the inferior vena cava (IVC)-PA anastomosis, the blood flow distribution of the right and left lungs was 57.4%: 42.6%. In 3 patients whose SVC-PA anastomosis was on the left side of the IVC-PA anastomosis, the blood flow distribution of the right and left lungs was equal in both lungs (right, 53.1%; left, 46.9%). Systemic arterial oxygen saturation increased after TCPC (before TCPC, 85.3% +/- 2.7% and after TCPC, 89.8% +/- 2.3% (P < 0.05) in group R; before TCPC, 86.1% +/- 2.8% and after TCPC, 93.6% +/- 0.6% (P < 0.02) in group L). After TCPC, the value in group L had a tendency to be greater than that in group R (P < 0.04), in spite of the same values of systemic arterial oxygen saturation before TCPC and cardiac index (group R, 2.9 +/- 0.96; group L, 3.4 +/- 0.37). Lung scanning with xenon-133 revealed the distribution of pulmonary blood flow in the patients after TCPC quantitatively, and in the patients whose SVC-PA anastomosis was on the left side of the IVC-PA anastomosis, the right and left balance of the pulmonary blood flow distribution appeared to be more balanced compared with patients whose connection was done the opposite way.