The Emergency Endoscopic Treatment in Acute Cholangitis.

Background: Acute cholangitis is a systemic disease caused by acute inflammation and infection of the biliary tree and carries significant morbidity and mortality rates. The most common cause of acute cholangitis is choledocholithiasis, which can lead to an increased death rate in severe forms and in the absence of appropriate treatment. The clinical Charcot's triad is outdated due to low sensitivity and has been replaced with the criteria established by the Tokyo guidelines. The criteria of diagnosis are based on the presence of systemic inflammation, cholestasis and/or jaundice and biliary obstruction documented by imaging studies. Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment varies from antibiotic therapy to emergency endoscopic biliary drainage. In severe cases the first-line treatment is achieved by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Method: To evaluate the effectiveness of urgent ERCP treatment in patients with acute cholangitis, a retrospective data analysis was performed of 185 patients that underwent endoscopic interventions between 2018 and September 2020, 74 patients of which have been identified with different grades of acute cholangitis. Results: The studied group consisted of 42 women (56.7%) and 32 men (43.3%), with a mean age of 62.2 (38-93) years. Obstructive choledocholithiasis was as the main cause of cholangitis (44 patients, 59.5%), with varying degrees of severity - grade I (41, 55.4%), grade II (22 patients, 29.7%) and grade III (11 patients, 14.8%). For cases with grade II and III of severity (33 patients, 44.5%), the endoscopic intervention took place in the first 12-24 hours after admission. Patients that had endoscopic dezobstruction in the first 12-24 hours had normal blood tests in 4.7 days (mean) and 5.8 days (mean) of hospital stay while patients that had dezobstruction more than 24 hours after admission had normal blood tests in 6.3 days (mean) and 7.6 days of hospital stay. Mortality was 5.4%, all 4 patients having grade III severity cholangitis. Conclusion: Patients that benefited from endoscopic biliary drainage in the first 24 hours after admission had a faster recovery, decreased duration of antibiotic therapy, decreased duration of hospital stay, lower morbidity and mortality rate compared to those that suffered the intervention more than 24 hours after admission.

Obstructive Jaundice Secondary to Clip Migration in the Common Bile Duct 9 Years after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Surgical clip migration in the common bile duct with consecutive stone formation is a rare occurrence after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, less than 100 cases being reported so far. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with obstructive jaundice due to bile duct stone formed around a migrated surgical clip 9 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient presented with pain in the upper abdomen and jaundice. Abdominal ultrasound diagnosed dilation of the common bile duct and intrahepatic bile ducts. The diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography which revealed a metal clip in the distal part of the common bile duct. The patient was managed successfully by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and the surgical clip was retrieved using the Dormia basket. The exact mechanism of clip migration is not fully understood but may be explained by local inflammation and ineffective clipping. Although a rare occurrence, clip migration should not be excluded when considering the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with obstructive jaundice or cholangitis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Minimally invasive management by ERCP is the procedure of choice for migrated clips related complications but surgical common bile duct exploration may be necessary.

Emergency Surgery and Oncologic Resection for Complicated Colon Cancer: What Can We Expect? A Medium Volume Experience in Romania.

Introduction: Complicated colon cancer most frequently presents as obstruction and needs emergency surgery. Most of these patients receive their diagnosis when presenting for complicated disease and by that time the disease is usually advanced. While concerned first with the survival of the patient, the curative intent of the resection following the principles of oncologic resection may come in second place. Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed 68 consecutive patients with complicated colon cancer that suffered emergency surgery between January 2017 and September 2018. The principles of oncologic resection were analyzed in terms of resection margins and retrieved lymph nodes and/or multivisceral resections in order to achieve clear margins. Intestinal obstruction was observed in 58 patients (85.3%), perforation was found in 8 patients (11.8%) while lower gastrointestinal bleeding complicated 2 cases (2.9%). Twenty-two patients had distant metastases at presentation, and overall 29 patients (42,6%) had stage IV disease. Clear circumferential margins were achieved in 55 cases while longitudinal margins were found to be invaded in 2 cases and the mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was greater than 13.7. The mean hospital stay was 13.9 days and the observed in hospital mortality was 19.1%. Results: The outcomes of surgery for complicated colon cancer in our department fall within the reported literature results. Conclusion: The principles of oncologic resection in terms of surgical margins and retrieved lymph nodescan be respected during emergency surgery and offer the intent of cure for these patients with advanced disease.