Efficacy of CO2 Infusion for Preoperative Computed Tomographic Angiography with Computed Tomographic Colonography.

BACKGROUND Computed tomographic colonography (CTC) is useful for patients for whom colonoscopy may be difficult to perform and is widely employed to examine the vasculature prior to colorectal cancer surgery. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) was shown to be beneficial intraoperatively to manipulate blood vessels and prevent vascular injury. Three-dimensional (3D)-CTA combined with CTC (3D-CTA with CTC) is useful for preoperative evaluations of the anatomy of mesenteric vessels, colon, and lymph nodes. We observed that when the intestine was dilated with carbon dioxide (CO2), the arteriovenous delineation was often more pronounced than without CO2. To clarify the effects of gas injection with and without CO2 on hemodynamics and vascular passage, we compared the effect of contrast for blood vessels. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty patients with resectable colorectal cancer who underwent a preoperative CT examination at our institution from January to October 2019 were study participants. Of these, 15 underwent 3D-CTA and 15 had 3D-CTA with CTC. Three board-certified radiologists independently and blindly evaluated 18 blood vessels. CT values for each blood vessel were measured on each image. RESULTS CT values for 3D-CTA with CTC were significantly higher with CO2 than without CO2. The quality of 3D-CTA with CTC images for visualization of blood vessels was also significantly greater than that of 3D-CTA, especially those of arterial and intramesenteric venous systems. CONCLUSIONS Based on the higher image quality and CT values obtained by 3D-CTA with CTC for vessels, compared with by 3D-CTA imaging, 3D-CTA with CTC imaging might be useful in evaluating colorectal cancers.

[Assessment of the utility of digital subtraction in lacrimal passage contrasting].

The utility of lacrimal passage contrasting by a digital subtraction system (DS system) was assessed in comparison with a computed radiography system (CR system) by means of simulating the exposure dose of a patient's crystalline lens and measuring the image contrast of both systems. The exposure dose of the patient's crystalline lens in the DS system was an average of 45.8 mGy, which was 41.6 times higher than that of the CR system. Therefore, care must be taken to reduce the exposure dose of the crystalline lens because it is necessary to reduce the probability of radiation injuries such as cataracts. The average of the image contrast of the DS system at the lacrimal passage to other parts of the head radiograph was lower than that of the CR system, but the standard deviation of the DS system was 0.16, a value that was almost constant because the shadow of obstacles such as the facial bone was almost completely removed, and image contrast was improved. The area under the curve (AUC) of the DS and CR systems as determined by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis by ten radiological technologists were 0.869+/-0.066 and 0.746+/-0.125, respectively, and statistical significance was shown for both systems, although the detectability of the DS system was superior to that of the CR system (p<0.05). Therefore, we concluded that the DS system was a useful radiographic technique for lacrimal passage contrasting, and its use in patients is predicted to increase in the future.

Quantitative evaluation of reconstruction methods after gastrectomy using a new type of examination: digestion and absorption test with stable isotope 13C-labeled lipid compound.

BACKGROUND: Digestive and absorptive disorders may negatively influence patients' nutrition, thus resulting in weight loss after gastrectomy. A relationship thus seems to exist between the fat absorptive function and body weight after gastrectomy; however, so far there has been no evidence to prove this hypothesis. Therefore, in this study we evaluated fat absorption ability using a stable isotope, (13)C-trioctanoin, based on the range of the gastrectomy and the method of reconstruction, and we also determined the feasibility of this test. METHODS: Among patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer, 40 patients who had been operated on between 1 and 3 years previously were evaluated. Ten patients had undergone the double-tract (DT) method, and 10 patients had received the Roux-en-Y (RY) method after a total gastrectomy. Twenty patients who had undergone the Billroth I (BI) method after a distal gastrectomy were the control group. In addition, 10 volunteers formed a healthy control group for the (13)C-trioctanoin test. We also examined other six factors related to nutrition after gastrectomy. RESULTS. The (13)C-trioctanoin test showed, in relation to the reconstruction procedure, the highest average peak of fat absorption in the BI group (which had food passage through the duodenum), followed by the average peak of fat absorption in the DT group and the RY groups. In a comparison of duration, at 60 min and 90 min after administration, the BI group and DT group showed a significantly higher level than the RY group. The peaking time (average time at peak level) showed a significant difference between the RY group and the other groups. The absorption amount at an early stage of absorption and the percent (%) dose showed a significant difference between the RY group and the other groups. The RY group had significantly lower fat absorption than the healthy controls. CONCLUSION: According to this study, which evaluated fat absorption after different reconstructive procedures after gastrectomy, the procedure that accommodated for the passage of food through the duodenum showed better results for the absorption of medium-chain triglycerides, and the patients also showed a better physiological state.

Selective use of transthyretin and retinol-binding protein as markers in the postoperative assessment of protein nutritional status.

We evaluated several markers to judge the postoperative state of protein nutriture in eight patients following surgery for cancer. Seven patients had a good prognosis and had no evidence of infections or other complications. Following surgery, all of the patients showed a shift toward abnormal values for the serum concentrations of albumin, transthyretin (TT), retinol-binding protein (RBP), and the amino acid (AA) ratio of nonessential to essential amino acids. In patients without complications, the AA ratio returned to normal first. When blood specimens were collected at 7-day intervals, concentrations of RBP and TT were revealed to be decreased and recovered at the same time, or TT was recovered after RBP was normalized. RBP and TT were usually abnormal until the AA ratio became normal. Although albumin moved toward normal concentrations after RBP and TT, the albumin concentrations in some patients were slightly above the lower reference value, whereas RBP and TT were significantly below their lower reference limits. In these patients, assessments over the next 7-14 days showed persistently low values for albumin, TT, and RBP. We recommend the selective use of TT and RBP for the postoperative assessment of protein nutriture in surgical patients.