Metastatic Hepatoblastoma in Adolescence: A Clinical Case Report and Literature Review.

Hepatoblastoma is the most common hepatic neoplasm in children. However, its incidence is infrequent beyond age five. We present the case of a 15-year-old female diagnosed with metastatic hepatoblastoma during hospitalization for liver function deterioration. The patient presented with abdominal distension, jaundice, and other symptoms indicative of advanced disease. Imaging and biopsy confirmed stage IV epithelial hepatoblastoma with pulmonary metastases. This case underscores the importance of considering hepatoblastoma in older pediatric patients or young adults presenting with hepatic masses despite lacking traditional risk factors for liver malignancies.

An Unusual Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Healthy Adolescent Male.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare occurrence in adolescents, especially in those without underlying liver diseases. We present the case of a 16-year-old male, having no significant relevant previous medical history, who presented with signs and symptoms of an abdominal mass and hepatic dysfunction. Diagnostic investigations unveiled a startling finding of HCC, challenging the conventional understanding of this malignancy's epidemiology and etiology in young individuals. This example emphasizes the significance of taking HCC into account even in young, healthy individuals who present with unusual symptoms, leading to a comprehensive diagnostic examination and treatment plans customized to meet the specific requirements of patients in their adolescent years. HCC is thought to be more likely to develop in young patients with cirrhosis or fibrosis. The patient in this case study is a young 16-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with HCC.

Rendezvous procedure, a simultaneous endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and laparoscopic cholecystectomy for choledocholithiasis, in a rural surgical program in Northwest Ontario.

Introduction: Northwest Ontario has a high prevalence of cholelithiasis, at 1.6 times the provincial norm. There is a concomitant 14% rate of choledocholithiasis. Accessing surgical services in the region often requires extensive travel by air. Choledocholithiasis management is typically with a 2-staged approach, an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) followed several days or weeks later by laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Regional surgeons were concerned about the patient burden of travel and the loss to follow-up inherent in scheduling two independent procedures at separate hospital admissions. They adopted a 1-stage management, called the rendezvous procedure, which describes the simultaneous performance of an ERCP and LC. Methods: We accessed Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre hospital data for all patients receiving an ERCP and LC between 1 June 2019 and 1 December 2022. We documented patient demographics, operative outcomes, length of stay and transfer to other facilities. Results: There were 29 rendezvous procedures performed, with successful cannulation of the ampulla of Vater in 27 (93%) cases and stone removal in 23 (79%), with a complication rate of 7%. The operating time averaged 136 min, and two patients required transfer to a tertiary care centre and four were stented locally and required a return trip to Sioux Lookout for repeat ERCP and successful stone removal. The average length of stay was 2.1 ± 1.3 days. Patients who could not access a rendezvous procedure averaged 46.1 ± 78.1 days between procedures. Conclusion: Managing choledocholithiasis with a 1-stage approach was safe and effective and reduced patient travel, time to definitive care and hospital admissions.

Résumé Introduction: Le nord-ouest de l'Ontario présente une prévalence élevée de cholélithiase, soit 1,6 fois la norme provinciale. Le taux de cholédocholithiase concomitant est de 14%. L'accès aux services chirurgicaux de la région nécessite souvent de longs déplacements en avion. La prise en charge de la cholédocholithiase SE fait généralement en deux étapes: Une cholangiopancréatographie rétrograde endoscopique (CPRE) suivie, plusieurs jours ou semaines plus tard, d'une cholécystectomie laparoscopique (CL). Les chirurgiens régionaux étaient préoccupés par le fardeau que représentaient pour le patient les déplacements et la perte de suivi inhérents à la programmation de deux procédures indépendantes à des admissions hospitalières distinctes. Ils ont adopté une gestion en une étape appelée procédure de rendez-vous, qui décrit la réalisation simultanée d'une CPRE et d'une CL. Méthodes: Nous avons accédé aux données hospitalières du centre de santé Meno Ya Win de Sioux Lookout pour tous les patients ayant bénéficié d'une CPRE et d'une CL entre le 1er juin 2019 et le 1er décembre 2022. Nous avons documenté les données démographiques des patients, les résultats opératoires, la durée du séjour et le transfert vers d'autres établissements. Résultats: Vingt-neuf procédures de rendez-vous ont été réalisées, avec une canulation réussie de l'ampoule de Vater dans 27 cas (93%) et l'ablation des calculs dans 23 cas (79%), avec un taux de complication de 7%. Le temps d'opération a été en moyenne de 136 min. Two patients ont dû être transférés dans un centre de soins tertiaires et 4 ont été stentés localement et ont dû être ramenés à Sioux Lookout pour une nouvelle CPRE et une extraction réussie du calcul. La durée moyenne du séjour était de 2,1 ± 1,3 jours. Les patients qui n'ont pas pu accéder à une procédure de rendez-vous ont passé en moyenne 46.1 ± 78.1 jours entre les procédures. Conclusion: La prise en charge de la cholédocholithiase en une seule étape s'est avérée sûre et efficace et a permis de réduire les déplacements des patients, les délais de prise en charge définitive et les admissions à l'hôpital. Mots-clés: Rural, chirurgie, maladie de la vésicule biliaire.

A Complex Diagnosis of Ampullary Adenocarcinoma Presenting As Decompensated Cirrhosis.

Neoplasms arising from the ampulla of Vater are exceedingly rare, and there is a paucity of literature regarding their diagnosis and management. Ampullary cancer typically presents with jaundice and signs of biliary obstruction. We present a case of ampullary adenocarcinoma with concomitant choledocholithiasis that proved complex and diagnostically challenging.

Clinical Conundrum of Acute Hepatitis B With Concurrent Hepatitis E Infection Leading to Severe Acute Liver Injury.

Acute liver injury in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can occur both during primary infection and after chronic HBV reactivation. Guidelines recommend considering antiviral therapy in both cases. Antiviral therapy with a nucleoside analog may be beneficial in patients with acute liver failure from acute HBV infection, though not all studies have shown a benefit. This is a case of a 53-year-old woman with a past medical history of untreated hepatitis C with undetectable viral load and right breast cancer status post lumpectomy, who presented to the emergency department with complaints of yellowish skin and sclera discoloration with right upper quadrant pain for one week. She was a known intravenous drug abuser and binge alcohol user. Her labs were positive for hepatitis B, hepatitis E, and hepatitis C viruses. She also had elevated liver enzymes with hyperbilirubinemia showing severe acute liver injury. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast was normal, and the abdominal ultrasound showed homogenous echotexture of the liver without a focal lesion. The patient was diagnosed with acute fulminant hepatitis B. After initial hemodynamic stabilization, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and tenofovir were started, and transaminases were followed. Liver function tests showed a downtrend, and, in a few weeks, they came to baseline. Hepatitis B viral load became undetectable as well. Acute hepatitis B infection is seldom treated. The presented case depicts the use of tenofovir in the setting of severe acute liver injury due to hepatitis B. Starting antiviral therapy (especially tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) early in the disease course was shown to have very assuring results with complete resolution of symptoms and normalization of liver function tests. The treatment protocol for acute HBV deserves further investigation.

Choledochal Cyst in Pregnancy: A Case Report.

Choledochal cyst is a rare congenital malformation of the biliary tree. It can be present in various locations along the biliary tree. The diagnosis of choledochal cyst during pregnancy can be challenging for clinicians due to its atypical presentation. In this case report, we discuss a case of a female patient who presented in the third trimester. She was misdiagnosed with cholecystitis and was treated medically. She underwent emergency lower segment cesarean section (LSCS) and was then discharged. The patient later presented with the same symptoms and was diagnosed with choledochal cyst type IVA. She underwent percutaneous drainage and improved. The patient had to deliver the baby prematurely due to the late diagnosis and thus late treatment. In order to avoid the recurrence of those events, physicians should be familiar with the presentation of a choledochal cyst and should subsequently use the proper imaging modalities such as MRI more frequently in pregnant patients with such presentation, which will result in an early diagnosis and prevent the maternal and fetal complications.

The Usefulness of Combining Noninvasive Methods for Early Identification and Potential Prevention of Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Liver Disease.

Cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Liver damage in the course of CF ranges from biochemical abnormalities to full-blown cirrhosis and may involve complicated processes like inflammation, fibrogenesis, remodeling, apoptosis, and cholestasis. Despite robust research in the field of CF, its complex pathogenesis is not fully understood. Because of the unknown pathogenesis, it is difficult to develop a highly sensitive and specific test or technology that is standardized, acceptable, and available at most pediatric institutions. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) recommends annual blood tests to screen for liver pathology, which often fails to identify early-onset liver disease. In this review article, we present the use of different liver indices and imaging modalities that can help identify liver disease at the onset and may help in its prevention. Although the disease is commonly diagnosed in the pediatric population, due to increased life expectancy, there is increasing evidence of liver disease in adults too. We believe that the tools we present in this review will help in the prevention of liver disease and thereby reduce the associated morbidity and mortality.

Feasibility for SERS-based discrimination of gallbladder cancer from polyp by indirect recognition of components in bile.

The aqueous solution extracted from raw bile juice is composed primarily of bile salts, with lower levels of bilirubin and its derivatives. Among them, the bilirubin and bilirubin-derived metabolites are the only surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active components. An analytical scheme indirectly responsive and able to utilize all bile components, including SERS-inactive bile salts, was explored for SERS-based discrimination of gallbladder (GB) polyp and GB cancer. Initially, the surface of a SERS substrate (Au nanodendrite on Ni foil (AuND@NiF)) was covered with an alkanethiol molecule to generate a SERS signal and attract bile components by mutual interaction. For more effective recognition of bile components, 4 independent substrates covered with 4 different alkanethiols with various functional groups (SH(CH2)2CH3, SH(CH2)2NH2, SH(CH2)2COOH, and SH(CH2)2OH) were prepared. The SERS peaks of each substrate clearly varied on interaction with pure bile components as well as aqueous bile samples, and the SERS peaks in each substrate were individually characteristic. When the principal component (PC) scores of spectra obtained using the SH(CH2)2CH3- and SH(CH2)2OH-covered substrates were combined, the k-Nearest Neighbor-based discrimination accuracy was 100%, superior to those (90.6-96.9%) using individual substrates. The use of complementary bile component-induced spectral information provided by the two substrates was responsible for accurate discrimination. On the other hand, when bare AuND@NiF recognizing only SERS-active bilirubin derivatives was used, discrimination was unsatisfactory (accuracy: 75.0%).

Acute Liver Failure in Sickle Cell Disease: A Perfect Storm.

Sickle cell hepatopathy is a well-described but uncommonly seen complication of sickle cell disease and is usually caused by multiple overlapping processes. A more acute liver complication is hepatic sequestration which is important to recognize in order to initiate life-saving treatment. A 33-year-old woman with sickle cell disease complicated by painful crises, splenic infarction and significant alcohol abuse presented with gastrointestinal distress, pain crisis, acute-on-chronic anemia, and hyperbilirubinemia in the setting of greater than baseline alcohol consumption. She was found to have hepatomegaly, encephalopathy, severe jaundice, and severe hyperbilirubinemia. She was treated with red cell exchange and supportive care which resulted in an improvement in her symptoms as well as hyperbilirubinemia. She was discharged with plans for monthly red cell exchange, iron chelation therapy, and close monitoring of liver disease was planned upon discharge. This case illustrates that chronic liver disease can occur in sickle cell disease (Hgb SS) especially in the setting of acquired iron overload. More acutely, sequestration is a serious and life-threatening complication of sickle cell disease that can culminate in acute liver failure. Primary treatment for hepatic sequestration is red cell exchange along with management of contributing comorbidities, and symptomatic management of encephalopathy. In end-stage liver disease, transplantation may be considered in the context of the patient's clinical status.

Short-term outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for benign gall bladder diseases in 76 dogs.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is widely accepted as the standard treatment for benign gall bladder diseases in humans because it has proven to be less invasive and safer than are traditional methods. However, the efficacy of LC in dogs remains unclear. The present study aimed to examine the short-term outcome of LC for benign gall bladder diseases in dogs. We enrolled 76 consecutive dogs that underwent LC for benign gall bladder diseases at our hospital between April 2008 and October 2016. Dogs with jaundice, gall bladder ruptures, abdominal effusion, or extrahepatic biliary obstruction were not excluded from the indication. Factors including age, body weight, sex, clinical sign, disease, operative time, conversion to open surgery, perioperative complications, and postoperative hospital stay were investigated. The median age of the dogs was 11 years, and the median body weight was 5.4 kg. Fifty percent of the dogs exhibited no symptoms at the initial visit. Preoperative elevation of total bilirubin levels was observed in 16 dogs (21%). LC was successfully completed in 71 dogs (93%); the median operative time was 124 min. Although gall bladder ruptures were observed in 2 (2.6%) dogs, the operations were completed successfully. Three dogs (4.1%) had to be converted to open cholecystectomy and 2 (2.6%) underwent reoperation. Two dogs (2.6%) died intraoperatively and 2 (2.6%) died postoperatively. LC was a feasible, safe, and appropriate procedure considering the current operative indications for benign gall bladder diseases in dogs.

Single-site robotic cholecystectomy: efficiency and cost analysis.

BACKGROUND: Single-incision surgery has gained in popularity, and the recent development of specialized robotic and laparoscopic instruments may remove some of the ergonomic and technical difficulties associated with this approach. However, questions of cost and efficiency remain. METHODS: We prospectively collected perioperative outcome and efficiency (operative time, case volume) data for our single-site robotic cholecystectomy cases and retrospectively reviewed data for our single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases. RESULTS: There were no differences in patient characteristics or perioperative outcomes between the robotic (n = 20) and laparoscopic (n = 10) groups; operative times were equivalent (84.6 vs 85.5 min; p = 0.8737) and blood loss and complications were minimal. There was a higher robotic case volume, with an average of two robotic cases (range 1-4)/day vs one/day for laparoscopic cases (range 1-1; p = 0.0306). Streamlined instrument costs were essentially equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic single-site cholecystectomy is a safe, cost-effective alternative to single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a robot-existing model.

Combined lower segment cesarean section and cholecystectomy in single sitting-our initial experience.

OBJECTIVE: To study feasibility and results of cholecystectomy at the time of cesarean section. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients were subjected to cholecystectomy at cesarean section. Most of them were diagnosed with cholelithiasis at or before the first antenatal scan. Cholecystectomy was performed by subcostal mini-laparotomy, after assessing the anatomy via the cesarean wound. RESULTS: Cholecystectomy was combined with lower segment cesarean section in all the patients. Under general anaesthesia, surgeries were performed with an mean duration of 90 minutes. Difficult anatomy at calots was found in 3 patients, who required extension of subcostal incision by 3-4 cm. One woman required blood transfusion during operation. There were no other intraoperative or postoperative complications. No extra antibiotics or analgesics doses were needed. Patients were discharged on 5(th)-7(th) postoperative day. CONCLUSION: Combined cesarean section and cholecystectomy avoids rehospitalisation for separate cholecystectomy. With an additional small subcostal incision, single anaesthesia, and single hospital stay, the combined procedure confers valuable advantages for both patient and hospital in time, cost, and convenience, including avoiding the separation of mother from newborn entailed by reoperation. It also prevents the possibility of developing acute cholecystitis while the patient is waiting for cholecystectomy. Our results indicate that the combination approach is safe, effective, and well accepted.