Preoperative assessment of perigastric vascular anatomy by multidetector computed tomography angiogram for laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy.

PURPOSE: We aimed at investigating the efficacy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiogram reconstructed using the maximum intensity projection (MIP) technique for the assessment of perigastric vascular anatomy before laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) for gastric cancer. METHODS: Seventy-one patients who underwent LAG were enrolled in the study. Contrast-enhanced scans of the portal venous phase were performed by a MDCT scanner. The CT images were reconstructed using thin-slab MIP. The anatomic variations in the inflow and the location of the left gastric vein (LGV) were detected. The patterns of perigastric arterial origins were divided according to Michels' classification. The intraoperative blood loss on LAG was compared before and after MDCT angiography was introduced in the study. RESULTS: The LGV flowed into the portal vein in 31 patients; the splenic vein, 25 patients; and the junction of these two veins, 15 patients. The LGV passed to the dorsal and ventral sides of the common hepatic artery in 30 and 13 patients and to the dorsal and ventral sides of the splenic artery in 8 and 20 patients, respectively. Michels' type II was found in one patient; type V, in three patients; and type VI, in two patients. The LGV location detected by MDCT was confirmed during surgery in all cases. Intraoperative blood loss after introduction of the MDCT angiography was significantly less than that before its introduction (p = 0.0032). CONCLUSIONS: An MDCT angiogram reconstructed using the MIP technique is effective for assessing the perigastric vascular anatomy before LAG for gastric cancer.

Adnexal torsion of mature cystic teratoma with hemorrhagic infarction: helpful findings on successive plain abdominal radiographs.

Adnexal torsion is a relatively rare cause of lower abdominal pain in women, but in many cases it leads to a serious condition. We present a case of adnexal torsion of a mature cystic teratoma in which hemorrhagic infarction was reflected by progressive enlargement and wall thickening on successive plain abdominal radiographs. There has been no other report describing such changes of adnexal torsion on plain abdominal radiographs.

Noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemia syndrome: a rare case of adult-onset nesidioblastosis.

The most common cause of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in adults is insulinoma. Nesidioblastosis is a rare, but well-recognized disorder of persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in infancy, but adult-onset nesidioblastosis associated with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, termed noninsulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemic syndrome (NIPHS), has been reported. Here, we describe an extremely rare case of NIPHS in an elderly man. A 78-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to hypoglycemic coma. During the previous 3 months, he noticed excessive sweating at midafternoon. His low fasting plasma glucose level (27 mg/dl) and high immunoreactive insulin level (11.1 muU/ml) were consistent with the possible presence of insulinoma. Localizing studies including computed tomography of the abdomen and celiac arteriography were negative, but selective arterial calcium infusion (SACI) test suggested the presence of insulinoma in the body and tail of the pancreas. Surgical exploration by palpation and intraoperative ultrasonography failed to detect any mass in the pancreas, and 60% distal pancreatectomy was performed. Postoperatively, his hypoglycemic episodes completely disappeared. Histological examination of the resected pancreas revealed diffuse islet cell hyperplasia consistent with a pathological diagnosis of nesidioblastosis. Thus, our case is a very rare case of NIPHS, or adult-onset nesidioblastosis, in which SACI test was proven to be a useful diagnostic tool for localization of the pancreatic lesion.

A crescent-shaped sparing proximal to a liver tumor may indicate underlying portal tumor thrombus.

A primary or metastatic liver tumor sometimes blocks portal venous flow and causes a focal sparing in the fatty liver. We herein report a case of segmental sparing due to the portal tumor thrombus extending from the metastatic liver tumor. The present case demonstrates characteristic computer-associated tomographic findings, a distal oval hypodense tumor with proximal "crescent-shaped sparing", which may indicate underlying portal tumor thrombus at the apex of the sparing.

Isolated splenic peliosis presenting with giant splenomegaly and severe coagulopathy.

We herein describe a case of successful surgical treatment of isolated splenic peliosis presenting with giant splenomegaly and severe coagulopathy. Pathological features of the spleen included multinodular, blood-filled, cyst-like lesions distributed throughout the whole organ. The pathogenesis of isolated splenic peliosis is controversial, and no definitive disease mechanism has been reported. To our knowledge, this is the first report in English of a case like this.