H19 expression in hepatic metastases from a range of human carcinomas.

AIMS: To investigate the expression of the imprinted oncofetal H19 gene in hepatic metastases derived from a range of human carcinomas and assess its prognostic value with the view of developing a DNA based treatment for such metastases. METHODS: Non-radioactive in situ hybridisation for H19 RNA was performed on paraffin wax embedded sections of liver biopsies or partial hepatectomy specimens, taken from 80 patients with hepatic metastases derived from carcinomas from several medical centres in Israel. The degree of expression was graded qualitatively according to the number of cells expressing H19 and the intensity of staining. The medical files were searched for demographic data and survival times before and after diagnosis of hepatic metastases. RESULTS: H19 expression was found in the hepatic metastases of 64 of 80 patients. High expression (higher staining grades) of H19 in the metastases was found in 43 of 80 patients. However, H19 expression status in the hepatic metastases did not correlate with either the length of time to development of metastasis or overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: H19 is highly expressed in more than half of hepatic metastases derived from a range of carcinomas. Thus, these metastases may be suitable candidates for H19 DNA based treatment. Further studies are needed to determine whether H19 expression has prognostic value in metastatic liver disease using larger numbers of specific subtypes of primary carcinomas.

Changes in bone mass early after kidney transplantation.

Renal transplant patients exhibit increased rates of trabecular bone fractures, probably due to glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia, which is known to occur within 6 months after kidney grafting. This mineral loss at a mostly trabecular site (lumbar spine) contrasts with a gain at the radius, which consists mainly of cortical bone. However, the early effects of kidney transplantation on the other parts of the human skeleton and the time course of these changes during the first 5 months after transplantation remain unknown. Therefore, 34 kidney transplant recipients were prospectively followed immediately after kidney grafting (12 +/- 1 days, mean +/- SEM, and then on a monthly basis up to 152 +/- 3 days) and compared with 34 normal healthy volunteers matched for age, sex, and body mass index. Bone mineral measurements of whole body (n = 34), lumbar spine (n = 32), and upper femur (n = 23) were performed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1000W). At time of transplantation, lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) and BMD of the upper femur were lower (p < 0.01) in female but not male patients compared with controls. Lumbar BMD decreased by 1.6 +/- 0.2% per month in both sexes (p < 0.01), whereas BMD of upper femur further decreased in males (p < 0.01) but only tended to decrease in females. At time of transplantation, whole-body bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC), and BMD were decreased by about 8, 15, and 9%, respectively, in patients compared with controls (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The feasibility of in vivo resection of the left lobe of the liver and its use for transplantation.

The anatomical possibility of resecting the left lobe of the liver (segments II and III) in living subjects and using it for transplantation was evaluated. A group of 60 cadaveric livers were dissected at autopsy. The vascular and biliary elements of the left lobe were isolated and the lobe was resected and evaluated for possible grafting. The left lobe was 12-28% (mean 19.4%) of the liver mass. An extrahepatic segment of the left hepatic vein was isolated in 95% of specimens. Arterial blood supply to the left lobe consisted of a single artery (92%) or two arteries (8%). A single portal vein segment to the left lobe (type I) was found in 35% livers. Portal vein branches originated from a common orifice (type II, 35%) or separately (type III, 30%) from the left portal vein, and in these instances, preparation of a portal segment necessitated partial section of the left portal vein wall. Biliary drainage was extrahepatic in 56 livers and consisted of a single duct (type I, 78%), or two ducts (type II, 15%). The resected left lobe was evaluated as satisfactory (single hepatic vein and artery, types I or II portal vein, type I bile duct) in 48% of cases, while a less-satisfactory lobe (type III portal vein or type II bile duct) was obtained in 33%. It was found anatomically difficult or impossible to resect the left lobe for possible transplantation in 11 (19%) liver specimens.

Preoperative parathyroid localization by superimposed iodine-131 toluidine blue and technetium-99m pertechnetate imaging.

A new parathyroid scintigraphic localization study by a dual radioisotope technique using radioiodinated toluidine blue (RTB) for the parathyroids and 99mTc for thyroid imaging is presented. A simple RTB labeling procedure achieving 99% tagging of the 131I-TB was used. The RTB was found to be a highly specific parathyroid radiotracer, consequently enabling superimposition of the delineated thyroid gland over the RTB avid parathyroid foci without a need for subtraction of the thyroid or vascular background. Forty-six patients with primary hyperparathyroidism underwent scintigraphic study prior to cervical (41 patients) or mediastinal (5 patients) exploration and 67 pathological parathyroid glands (34 adenomas and 33 hyperplasias) were excised. On follow-up, serum calcium level returned to normal in all patients. Correlation of the scintigraphic results with the surgical findings disclosed a sensitivity of 93%, with a specificity of 80% and an overall accuracy of 87%. This new simplified and specific RTB scintigraphic method justifies its use as a routine procedure for preoperative parathyroid scintigraphic localization in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Early endoscopic sphincterotomy in the management of acute gallstone pancreatitis in elderly patients.

Eighteen elderly patients with acute attacks of gallstone pancreatitis underwent early endoscopic sphincterotomy of the papilla of Vater. Eleven patients were considered to be at high risk for surgery due to chronic cardiorespiratory or renal problems. The outcome of these patients was compared with that of 20 consecutive elderly patients with gallstone pancreatitis treated at the same time by means other than endoscopic sphincterotomy. Endoscopic sphincterotomy resulted in an immediate clinical improvement in all patients, except in one patient who developed transient cholangitis; there was no mortality. In contrast, there was one death (5%) and 20% morbidity in the controls. Mean hospitalization period was shorter in patients undergoing sphincterotomy (6 compared with 9.5 days), although the patients managed by sphincterotomy were initially more seriously ill than controls. Only two of the 11 high-risk patients underwent elective cholecystectomy; all others were well during a mean follow-up of 22 months. It is concluded that early endoscopic sphincterotomy is highly effective and safe in acute attacks of gallstone pancreatitis in elderly high-risk patients.

A rare complication of the use of a finger cot to protect the cuff of a tracheal tube during nasotracheal intubation.

Some anesthetists in Switzerland and elsewhere use a finger cot to protect the cuff of the endotracheal tube during nasotracheal intubation. In the presented report the finger cut was lost during the procedure and the patient presented 3 months later with a lateral neck mass. The finger cot was found within that mass at exploration. Apart from the other potential risks of this manoeuvre, this severe complication should incite caution against the practice described above.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with gallbladder in situ: the influence of periampullary duodenal diverticula.

Forty-four elderly patients (mean age, 77.2 years; range, 65 to 95) with acute bile duct obstruction, with gallbladder in situ, underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy without subsequent cholecystectomy during the same hospitalization. Thirty patients had periampullary duodenal diverticula, and 14 had no diverticula. Because periampullary diverticula were associated with biliary and pancreatic complications, possibly as a result of stasis in the diverticula, the clinical course in patients with and without diverticula was compared. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was well tolerated and resulted in a rapid clinical improvement in all patients. There were four complications related to the procedure (pancreatitis, two, and cholangitis, two), all were treated conservatively, and there were no deaths. The clinical outcome was similar in both groups of patients. During a mean follow-up of 25 months (range, 6 to 58), only two patients (one of each group) underwent elective cholecystectomy 2 and 3 months after initial presentation. It is concluded that endoscopic sphincterotomy is a safe and effective alternative to surgery as an initial treatment in elderly patients with choledocholithiasis and gallbladder in situ. Periampullary duodenal diverticulum does not interfere with the favorable results of endoscopic sphincterotomy in patients with gallbladder in situ.

The use of radioiodinated toluidine blue for preoperative localization of parathyroid pathology.

The efficiency of preoperative radioactive toluidine blue (RTB) scintigraphy for the localization of parathyroid pathology was evaluated prospectively in 69 patients (age range, 15 to 81 years; mean, 56 years) with primary hyperparathyroidism. Four patients have previously undergone negative exploratory surgery. Patients underwent preoperative dual radionuclide parathyroid-RTB/technetium 99m (Tc 99m)-thyroid scintigraphies with a computer-interfaced gamma-camera with a pinhole collimator. Computer-acquired scintigraphic data were analyzed for parathyroid localizations by an RTB-parathyroid/thyroid superposition technique. At surgery, parathyroid adenomas were found in 64 patients (single adenomas in 60 patients; two adenomas in four patients), nine of these adenomas were mediastinal. Four patients had parathyroid hyperplasia. One patient had no parathyroid pathology (negative exploratory surgery). Correlation between the surgical-pathologic findings and the scintigraphic RTB localization studies disclosed a sensitivity of 87%, with a specificity of 94%, and an overall accuracy of 92%. The routine use of preoperative scintigraphic parathyroid-RTB/Tc 99m-thyroid localization has proved to be highly effective, enabling detection of small hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands in normal and ectopic locations in a wide range of weights. In this series a success rate of 98% was achieved on initial and reexploratory surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism.

The association of biliary and pancreatic anomalies with periampullary duodenal diverticula. Correlation with clinical presentations.

Fifty-eight symptomatic patients with periampullary duodenal diverticula (PDD) were examined for pancreatic and biliary anomalies using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), ultrasonography, and other imaging modalities. The pathologic findings in these patients were compared with those in a matched group of 58 patients without PDD, who were simultaneously undergoing a similar investigation for the same clinical presentations. Pathologic findings in the pancreas and/or biliary tree were detected in 70.7% of all patients with PDD, compared with 39.7% in the control group. In patients with PDD, pancreatobiliary anomalies were detected in all patients who presented with jaundice, 85% of patients with pancreatitis, and 27.8% of patients with abdominal pain, as compared with 60%, 40%, and 17%, respectively, in the control group. In 23 patients, ERCP findings demonstrated pancreatobiliary abnormalities that were not detected by other imaging modalities. Fifteen of the patients with PDD and pancreatobiliary anomalies had undergone cholecystectomy between six months and five years previously. We conclude that ERCP is essential in the investigation of all patients with PDD, especially those presenting with jaundice or pancreatitis. Biliary surgery in patients with PDD and a dilated bile duct should include a biliary drainage procedure to prevent recurrence of pancreatobiliary disease.

The impact of laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound on the management of pancreatic cystic lesions.

HYPOTHESIS: Laparoscopic ultrasound examination combined with biopsy of the cystic wall and aspiration of cystic fluid improves differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions contributing to surgical decision making. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective evaluation of the impact of laparoscopic ultrasound on surgical decision making in patients with pancreatic cysts. SETTING: A general community hospital; the department of surgery serves as referral for pancreatic surgery. PATIENTS: During a 36-month period, 15 patients with pancreatic cystic lesions were prospectively evaluated by laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound with ultrasound-guided biopsy of the cystic wall and aspiration of cystic fluid for cytologic study, viscosity, and determination of levels of amylase and tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen, cancer antigen 19.9). RESULTS: Laparoscopic ultrasound contributed new, additional data in 8 patients (53%) when compared with compiled imaging data obtained by conventional ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and endoscopic ultrasound. A solid cystic component was detected in 6 patients and additional small (<1 cm) cysts in 3 patients. Amylase and tumor marker levels, biopsy of the cystic wall, and cytologic examination had significant impact on surgical decision making in 6 patients. Nine patients underwent resection of the cystic lesion. Three patients diagnosed as having benign cysts had laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound only. Three patients with suspicious lesions refused surgery. Laparoscopic ultrasound predicted correctly the nature of the cyst in 7 of 9 surgically treated patients (sensitivity, 78%). Two patients with serous cystadenoma had high levels of tumor markers (false-positive). CONCLUSION: Although a rather invasive procedure that requires general anesthesia and hospitalization, laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasonography was found to significantly contribute to the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions.

Jejunogastric intussusception. A new diagnostic test.

Jejunogastric intussusception is a rare complication of gastrojejunal reconstruction of unknown cause. There are two types of jejunogastric intussusception: the acute type, presenting as a surgical emergency, and the chronic intermittent type, which is difficult to diagnose and is usually of mild symptomatology but which may progress to the acute type with the incarceration of the intussusceptum. With two case reports and a literature review, an endoscopic diagnostic maneuver is proposed, hinting at disordered motility with reversed peristalsis as a possible causative factor. Corrective surgical treatment to prevent recurrence and incarceration in chronic cases is advocated. Treatment should include dismantling of the efferent loop, which is the most frequent intussusceptum.

The impact of laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonography on the management of pancreatic cancer.

HYPOTHESIS: Laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonographic (LAPUS) examinations combined with a biopsy of the pancreatic lesion contribute significantly in the determination of resectability of pancreatic cancer. DESIGN: A prospective evaluation of the impact of laparoscopy and LAPUS on surgical decision making in patients with pancreatic cancer. SETTING: A general community hospital; the department of surgery serves as referral for pancreatic surgery. PATIENTS: During a 36-month period, 94 patients with pancreatic lesions were prospectively examined. Twenty-seven patients were found to have advanced disease. The remaining 67 patients were examined by laparoscopy and LAPUS to determine the resectability of the pancreatic tumor. RESULTS: Laparoscopy and LAPUS contributed new, additional data in 40 patients (60%). Advanced disease was found in 30 patients, precluding curative resection. The study indicated potentially resectable tumors in 37 patients (55%), including 3 defined by conventional imaging studies as probably unresectable, and these patients were operated on with the intention of curative resection. Thirty-three patients underwent resection, and 4 (6%) were found to have nonresectable disease and form the false-positive group of the study. A summary of the results shows that the study resulted in a change of the decision regarding surgical intervention in 24 patients (36%) and avoided unnecessary laparotomies in 21 (31%). The study had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 88%, and a false-positive rate of 6%. The positive predictive value of the study is 89%, and the negative predictive value is 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Although rather invasive procedures that require general anesthesia and hospitalization, laparoscopy and LAPUS significantly contribute to the staging of patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer, avoiding unnecessary explorative laparotomies. These procedures should be performed in all patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer before explorative laparotomy.

Hemobilia. A disease in evolution.

Ten patients with hemobilia were treated over a six-year period. Six cases resulted from iatrogenic injury (percutaneous invasive procedures, four; surgical trauma, two); the others were caused by gallstone disease (two), liver trauma (one), and vasculitis (one). Five patients were treated successfully by selective arterial embolization. In the other five patients, embolization was not possible due to previous surgical and/or radiologic procedures, or it was contraindicated, and thus, surgical treatment was undertaken. One of these patients died. There were no long-term sequelae in the remaining nine patients followed up for 12 to 66 months. Selective hepatic arterial embolization is the treatment of choice for hemobilia. Inappropriate embolization or surgery frequently fails to control the bleeding and may also prevent later successful embolization.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the liver.

A patient with irresectable primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the liver (histiocytic type, Rappaport classification) is presented. Systemic chemotherapy combined with local irradiation were successful in achieving a disease-free interval in a follow-up of 36 months. Review of the literature disclosed 19 other patients previously reported, with considerable variations in extent of disease at presentation. Criteria for the diagnosis of primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are proposed, and 11 patients met these criteria. Hepatic resection is advocated for localized tumour, while systemic chemotherapy and local irradiation in patients with irresectable tumours were found effective in achieving local and systemic control in a mean follow-up of 37 months.

Characteristics of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. A study of nine cases and a review of the literature.

Clinical and laboratory data for nine patients with hepatocellular fibrolamellar carcinoma treated at our institution have been summarized with emphasis on the relevance of plasma neurotensin levels as a tumor marker. The mean age of the patients was 22 years. Seven underwent hepatic resection, and two of these had later surgical removal of recurrent disease. Plasma neurotensin levels were initially elevated in five of the seven patients in whom it was measured. Neurotensin levels were within normal limits in three of four patients with recurrent disease, but were elevated in one patient who also had elevated plasma neurotensin levels preoperatively. In addition, a review of 80 patients reported since 1980 was performed. The mean age of these patients was 23 years, and only 6 percent were older than 50. The male to female ratio was 3:4. Eight percent were positive for hepatitis B antigen and 11 percent had elevated alpha-fetoprotein levels. Four percent had cirrhosis of the liver. The resectability rate was 58 percent. Five year survival for patients who underwent hepatic resection was 56 percent. Patients treated nonsurgically had a median survival of 13 months, and none of these patients lived for 5 years. Fibrolamellar hepatoma seems to be a distinct clinical entity that mainly occurs in young patients. The prognosis in patients treated with a curative resection is good. Plasma neurotensin levels may be of value as a tumor marker, but further studies are necessary to substantiate this theory.

Liver atrophy complicating benign bile duct strictures. Surgical and interventional radiologic approaches.

The hepatic atrophy and hypertrophy complex has been described in a selected group of nine patients with benign bile duct stricture. The clinical features common to this group were a high biliary stricture and a long-standing history of cholangitis and intermittent jaundice. A history of multiple surgical procedures and associated vascular damage or portal hypertension is strongly suggestive of the atrophy and hypertrophy complex. The radiologic criteria for the diagnosis of this condition are presented. Computerized tomography and HIDA scintigraphy were valuable as noninvasive means to diagnose lobar liver atrophy. The atrophy and hypertrophy complex described herein poses significant therapeutic problems and demands approaches other than those normally applicable for high biliary strictures. A combined surgical and radiologic approach with additional interventional radiologic procedures may be appropriate in patients in whom hilar anastomosis is difficult or impossible.

The role of laparoscopic ultrasound in the minimally invasive management of symptomatic hepatic cysts.

BACKGROUND: Now that the laparoscopic treatment of symptomatic liver cystic disease has proven feasible and safe, it is gaining wide acceptance. However, due to diagnostic pitfalls and a relatively high recurrence rate, further improvements and refinement of the procedure are still needed. We have evaluated the contribution of laparoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of patients with symptomatic liver cysts. METHODS: Twelve patients with single or multiple cysts of the liver and two patients with polycystic liver disease were managed laparoscopically. Laparoscopic ultrasound served as an integral part of the procedure in all patients. RESULTS: Patients underwent either complete cyst excision (two cases) or resection of the extrahepatic cystic component (eight cases). Additionally, in two patients, deep cysts not demonstrated by preoperative imaging studies were detected and treated with a combination of laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound. In one patient with a cystobiliary fistula, conversion to an open cystjejunostomy was necessary. Patients with polycystic liver disease underwent a combination of excision and unroofing of both superficial and deeper cysts using laparoscopic contact ultrasound throughout the procedure. Laparoscopic ultrasonography was found to have a significant impact on the operative strategy in five patients (36%) with multiple cysts or polycystic disease. The postoperative course was uneventful in all cases. Thirteen patients remained asymptomatic throughout the follow-up period of 30 months; one patient with polycystic liver disease developed recurrent symptoms after 5 months and was treated with left hepatectomy. CONCLUSION: Additional use of laparoscopic ultrasound enables the detection, differentiation, and treatment of deep, nonvisualized cystic lesions (two patients, 16.6%) and validation of the adequacy of the laparoscopic procedure.

Extra-appendicular carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.

During the years 1958-1978, seventeen patients were treated for extra-appendicular carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract in Tel-Hashomer and Belinson hospitals. Most of the tumors were located in the colon (eight cases) and in the rectum (four cases). A direct correlation between the tumor size and invasiveness has been noted, with distant metastases in eight of 12 patients with tumors more than 2 cm in size. Gastrointestinal bleeding was the most frequent clinical symptom, whereas the "carcinoid syndrome" appeared only in three patients. Curative surgery was performed in six patients, palliative procedure in two cases, explorative laparotomy was performed in four cases, and in two patients diagnosis was made in postmortem examination. Eight of the 17 patients (47%) had distant metastases at the time of the diagnosis, and six of the 15 operated patients (40%) died during the first year after the operation. The malignant nature of these tumors, together with the high incidence (23%) of associated malignant neoplasms is stressed. Radical resection is advocated in the cases where the tumor's size is more than 2 cm or in the presence of muscular invasion.

Peripheral nerve section as palliation for severe ischemic foot pain.

Multisensory peripheral nerve divisions were performed in 17 elderly patients with severe ischemia, forefoot pain and non-healing lesions or localised gangrene. They were unsuitable for a vascular reconstructive operation, or for localised foot amputation. The mean age of the patients was 73 years; 13 were males and 10 had diabetes mellitus. All were faced with a major amputation. Considerable pain relief was achieved in all patients but only five patients retained a functional lower extremity for more than 6 months. Of these five one was a diabetic and four were non diabetic. Peripheral nerve section is a useful procedure, but should be applied very selectively and only rarely in diabetic patients.

Segmental bile duct injury after blunt abdominal trauma: a difficult diagnosis.

Injury to the extrahepatic biliary system after blunt abdominal trauma is rare and may be overlooked due to associated intra-abdominal trauma. We report on a 31-year-old man who, following blunt abdominal trauma, presented with an unusual injury of the extrahepatic left hepatic duct within the umbilical fissure which was diagnosed only at relaparotomy. Whenever injury to the biliary system is suspected, a thorough assessment of the liver, the extrahepatic biliary system including the left ductal system within the umbilical fissure region should be carried out. Diagnosis is facilitated by intra-operative cholangiography.