[Indications and surgical technique of Appleby's operation for tumor invasion of the celiac trunk and its branches]. / Intervention d'Appleby: place et technique en cas d'envahissement tumoral du tronc coeliaque et de ses branches.

Cancerous invasion of the celiac trunk is usually considered a contraindication to attempts at curative resection. Appleby was the first to propose an en bloc resection of the celiac trunk along with the celiac nervous plexus and lymph nodes for advanced gastric cancer. We describe a "modified Appleby technique" without gastrectomy for locally advanced cancer of the body of the pancreas. It accomplishes radical tumor resection, relieves pain, and improves the quality of life and overall prognosis. The principal complications are pancreatic fistula and gastric ischemia. Preoperative embolization of the common hepatic artery helps to develop favorable collateral blood flow and to avoid ischemia of the hepatobiliary system. A stomach-preserving" Appleby resection" may be appropriate treatment for selected nonaggressive cancers of the midpancreas; preoperative embolization of the common hepatic artery is an important adjunct of this technique.

"Natural history" of complete cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Combining complete cytoreductive surgery (CCRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a new approach allowing curatively intended treatment of multiple malignant peritoneal tumour seedings. This aggressive treatment is frequently followed by a complicated or an unusual postoperative course, that has yet to be described. AIM: To describe the clinical and biological post-therapeutic course of patients treated with CCRS plus HIPEC, who were considered uncomplicated cases, and were discharged from hospital before the 15th postoperative day. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients were retrospectively selected on these criteria among 232 treated patients, most of whom had received intraperitoneal high-dose oxaliplatin and intravenous 5-fluorouracil. The daily postoperative clinical and biological parameters are presented in graphs using boxplots. RESULTS: Hyperthermia at 38 degrees C was the rule during the first postoperative week. The daily flow rate of the abdominal drains decreased progressively from 500 ml to 50 ml from day 1 to day 7. The flow rate of the nasogastric tube was high and close to 1000 ml/24 h until day 6. Resumption of digestive transit occurred between day 4 and day 6; it was always a diarrheic transit until day 12. Severe hypophosphoremia was observed at day 2 and day 3. White blood cells gradually decreased until day 12 to half the normal value, haemoglobin remained stable and the platelet count, which was low after surgery, continued to decrease progressively until day 3. Other data are presented. CONCLUSION: These results, in this selected group of patients, allow a description of the "natural history" of CCRS plus HIPEC, which is not similar to classic uncomplicated postoperative courses following surgery. Knowledge of these "natural" changes may help avoid unnecessary explorations, and allow the early detection of postoperative complications.

Comparison between the minimum margin defined on preoperative imaging and the final surgical margin after hepatectomy for cancer: how to manage it?

BACKGROUND: The liver surgeon's decision to operate is based on imaging studies. However, no clear practical guidelines are available enabling surgeons to safely predict tumor-free margins after a partial hepatectomy. The aim of this retrospective study is to provide surgeons with simple and easily applicable practical guidelines. METHODS: We retrospectively stringently selected 42 anatomical right or left hepatectomies whose main characteristic was to pass along the median hepatic vein, which was preserved. This vein is an easily visualized anatomical landmark on preoperative imaging and is never transgressed by the surgeon. We compared the minimum distance between the tumor and this vein measured on preoperative imaging, and the minimum tumor-free excision margin measured on the specimen by the pathologist. RESULTS: The median tumor-free excision margin was 5 mm at pathological analysis, significantly different (P < .0001) from the tumor-free margin measured on preoperative imaging (15 mm). The mean difference between these two measurements was 10 +/- 4 mm (median, 9 mm). This difference was partly the result of the transection and partly the result of technical deviations in relation to the ideal resection line. CONCLUSIONS: The liver surgeon must consider that roughly a 5 to 8 mm tumor-free margin will disappear during hepatectomy when comparing measurements on the basis of preoperative imaging versus tumor-free specimen margins. If the histologically assessed minimum 2-mm tumor-free margin is added, the surgeon must plan to have a 7 to 10 mm tumor-free margin on preoperative imaging. However, few technical solutions exist that would enable the surgeon to increase the safety margin in borderline cases.

[Biliary-enteric anastomosis malfunction: retrospective study of 20 surgical cases. Review of literature]. / Dysfonctionnement des anastomoses biliodigestives: à propos d'une série chirurgicale de 20 cas. Revue de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective study of 20 procedures for malfunction of a biliary-enteric anastomosis include 7 choledochoduodenal anastomosis (CD) and 13 choledocho- or hepaticojejunal anastomosis (HJ). METHODS AND RESULTS: The malfunctions were revealed by angiocholitis (N=16) jaundice (N=4) acute abdominal syndrome (N=1). Among the 7 CD, the median waiting period before reoperation has been 14 years, the procedures were justified by a biliary disorder in 5 cases (1stricture, 4 stones or food obstruction) or by a duodenal stricture (2 cases). The CD have been converted into HJ. The operative mortality was null, the morbidity rate was of 14%. A recurrence of angiocholite occurred in the long-term followed-up. About HJ, the waiting time before reoperations was 6 years and 9 months, the procedures were justified by anastomotic anastomosis stricture (7) calculi without stricture (4) Roux-en-Y limb anomalies (2). Two Roux-en-Y limbs have been lengthened. The anastomoses have been redone when necessary. The side-to-side HJ were converted in end-to-side HJ. The operative mortality was null, the morbidity rate of 8%. In the long term followed-up, 2 stenosis recurrence and 1 lithiase recurrence occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Malfunctions of biliodigestives anastomosis are revealed by angiocholitis that can lead to secondary biliary cirrhosis. The complications treatment of CD is easy and effective. The complications evolution of HJ depends of initial pathology.

[Bile duct injuries at laparoscopic cholecystectomy: early repair results]. / Plaies des voies biliaires lors d'une cholécystectomie sous coelioscopie: résultat des réparations précoces.

STUDY AIM: To compare the early repair results in bile duct injuries at laparoscopic cholecystectomy to a later repair and so the early reconstruction by an end-to-end anastomosis to a Roux-en-Y bypass. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From 1990 to 2003, twelve patients were treated for bile duct injury, not diagnosed at the time of cholecystectomy and had an early repair within 30 days after the cholecystectomy. They had either a duct to duct anastomosis or a Roux-en-Y bypass at the time of the reconstruction. RESULTS: The level of the injury was Bismuth II (N=7), III (N=1), IV (N=2) and V (N=1) referral to Bismuth classification and one isolated right sectoral duct injury. Four patients had an duct to duct anastomosis and eight an hepaticojejunostomy at a median of 15.3 days after cholecystectomy. With one patient lost to follow up, the overall success rate in this series was 81.8% after reconstruction with a mean 40 months follow up. The reconstruction by an end to end anastomosis was successful in 100% of patients (with a mean 31.2 months follow up) and in 71.4% of patients after a Roux-en-Y biliary reconstruction (with a mean 45 months follow up). CONCLUSION: Good results may be performed, by an early repair in bile duct injuries at laparoscopic cholecystectomy, either by an duct to duct anastomosis or a Roux-en-Y bypass.