Management of intrahepatic stones: the role of subcutaneous hepaticojejunal access loop. A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with intrahepatic stones usually present with recurrent cholangitis, biliary sepsis and intrahepatic abscesses, may develop liver atrophy and may progress to cholangiocarcinoma. Treatment of intrahepatic stones is difficult and the disease progresses in most patients even after adequate treatment. Surgical removal of stones has been the standard management but residual stones and stone recurrence occur frequently whatever the technique. Because of the need for repeated biliary instrumentation, long-term access routes involving percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic lithotripsy (PTCSL), hepaticocutaneousjejunostomy (HCJ) and subparietal hepaticojejunal access loop to permit stone retrieval or stricture dilatation have been developed. PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to evaluate the outcome of subcutaneous hepaticojejunal access loop in the management of intrahepatic stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2009 and January 2013, 42 patients with intrahepatic stones underwent surgical treatment at the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit, Main Alexandria University Hospital. Demographic data, details of operative findings, follow up details, and treatment of recurrent stones were analyzed. After approval of local ethics committee, all patients included in the study were informed well about the procedure and an informed written consent was obtained from every patient before carrying the procedure. RESULTS: Forty-two patients (17 males and 25 females) with intrahepatic stones underwent surgery with construction of a subcutaneous hepaticojejunal access loop. Stones were confined to the left lobe in 25 patients, the right lobe in 3 patients and bilobar in 14 patients. Associated extrahepatic stones were found in 33 patients. Twenty-two patients had associated intrahepatic duct strictures. Five patients with atrophy of segments II and III underwent hepatic resection at the time of access loop formation. The mean operation time was 4.9 h and mean blood loss was 440 mL. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 10 days. Wound infection was the commonest complication, occurring in 5 (12%) patients. There were no specific complications attributable to the construction of the access loop. The subcutaneous access loop was used to gain access to the biliary tree in 28 patients with residual or recurrent stones. A total of 55 procedures (range 1-5) were attempted with successful access achieved in all cases and successful stone clearance in 21 of the 28 patients, and all of them were symptom free for at least 12 months after the last procedure. Partial stone clearance was achieved in the remaining seven patients. These seven patients had different degrees of biliary strictures. CONCLUSION: The subcutaneous access loop offers the advantage of permanent access for the successful management of retained or re-formed intrahepatic stones with minimal morbidity since it permitted easy access to intrahepatic ducts using the conventional forward-viewing endoscope or the choledochoscope, without the additional morbidity of a biliary-cutaneous fistula or transhepatic access.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) related emergencies.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, accounting for 1-3% of all gastrointestinal malignancies. Throughout the whole length of the gastrointestinal tract, GIST arises most commonly from the stomach followed by small bowel. The clinical presentations of GIST are highly variable according to their site and size. The most frequent symptoms are anemia, weight loss, gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain and massrelated symptoms. Patients may present with acute abdomen, obstruction, perforation or rupture and peritonitis. Surgical resection is the "gold standard" for therapy of GIST. Recently, targeted therapy with inhibitors of tyrosine kinase receptors (imatinib) has been introduced for the management of advanced and metastatic tumors. PURPOSE: The aim of this work is to present the experience of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit, Alexandria Faculty of Medicine in the management of patients with GIST related emergencies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was carried out on all patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors who presented to the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit, Main Alexandria University Hospital in an emergency situation during the period from January 2005 till December 2012. All patients' data, clinical presentations, radiological and endoscopic data, surgical procedures, complications, and survival data were collected, reviewed and analyzed. After approval of local ethics committee, all patients included in the study were informed well about the procedure and an informed written consent was obtained from every patient before carrying the procedure. RESULTS: Between January 2005 and December 2012; 92 patients (54 males and 38 females) were admitted with different emergency presentations of clinically and radiologically suspected GISTs. The tumors were located in the stomach in 49 patients, in the duodenum in 6 patients, in the small intestine in 27 patients, in the small intestinal mesentery in 4 patients, in the colon in 3 patients and in the rectum in 3 patients. The most frequent presenting symptom was gastrointestinal bleeding in 45 patients. Twenty-six patients presented with intestinal obstruction, 14 patients with intraperitoneal hemorrhage and 7 patients with rupture and peritonitis. Ninety patients were operated upon. Two patients presented with extensive GIST, and were not candidate for surgical treatment. All operated patients underwent surgical resection. Complete macroscopic resection was achieved in 86 patients (95.6%), while 4 patients (4.4%) had incomplete resection. All over 11 patients developed metastases, or recurrence. The 3 and 5-years overall survival rates for all patients, using the Kaplan-Meier actuarial curve, were 92.1% and 81.4% respectively. The 3 and 5-years disease-free survival rates for all patients were 73.2% and 64.5% respectively. CONCLUSION: Although GISTs are uncommon, their incidence is probably increasing especially their emergency presentations. The emergency surgeon must be acquainted with the disease, its emergency presentation and principles of surgery in the presence of GIST tumors. Early diagnosis and treatment would save life of many patients who presented with GIST related emergencies. Surgery is still the gold standard treatment in localized GIST, although the percentage of relapse is not low even after radical surgery. The prognosis is strictly related to size and completeness of surgical resection. We strongly advocate that all patients with a GIST be carefully and regularly followed-up for an indefinite period. The large number of patients in this series is an alarming signal for further studies to elucidate the pathogenesis of this disease.

Colonic endolumenal stenting devices and elective surgery versus emergency subtotal/total colectomy in the management of malignant obstructed left colon carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, left-sided acute bowel obstruction is treated by a staged procedure because immediate resection and anastomosis in a massive distended and unprepared colon carries a high complication rate. Total abdominal colectomy is a one-stage procedure that will remove synchronous proximal neoplasms, reduce the risk of subsequent metachronous tumor, and avoid stoma. Colorectal stents are being used for palliation and as a bridge to surgery in obstructing colorectal carcinoma, making elective surgery straightforward, enabling easily mobilization and resection of the colon with a possible trend toward reduction in postoperative complication rates compared to emergency surgery. The purpose of this work was to compare the procedures of endoscopic stenting followed by elective colectomy versus total abdominal colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis in the management of acute obstructed carcinoma of the left colon as regards feasibility, safety, and clinical outcomes METHODS: From January 2009 through May 2012, 60 patients were randomized to either emergency stenting followed by elective resection (ESER group) or total abdominal colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis (TACIR group). RESULTS: Twenty nine patients (96.7 %) had successful stenting and underwent elective surgery 7-10 days later (ESER group). Postoperative complications were encountered in four patients in the ESER group compared to 15 patients in the TACIR group (p = 0.012). Anastomotic leakage was encountered in one patient (3.3 %) in the TACIR group. There were no operative mortalities in the present study. Within the first three postoperative months, the TACIR group patients had significantly more frequent bowel motions per day compared to the ESER group patients although (p = 0.013). In both study groups, the follow-up duration ranged from 6 to 40 months with a median of 18 months. Recurrent disease was encountered in five patients (17.2 %) in the ESER group compared to four patients (13.3 %) in the TACIR group (p = 0.228). CONCLUSION: Both techniques are feasible, safe, and produce comparable oncological outcomes. However, endoscopic stenting followed by elective resection was associated with significantly less postoperative complications and bowel motions per day.