[Impact of surgery in the management of pancreatic metastases of renal cell cancer]. / Place de la chirurgie dans la prise en charge des métastases pancréatiques des cancers du rein.

INTRODUCTION: Incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing over the 25 last years. Pancreatic metastases of RCC are rare. The aim of this work was to study overall survival of patients operated for pancreatic metastases of RCC in Montpellier cancer institute. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2000 and 2012, a retrospective monocentric study was performed at Montpellier cancer institute. We evaluated the outcomes of curative pancreatic metastases from renal primary and the impact of targeted therapies. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were treated in our center for pancreatic metastases of RCC. Twelve patients had a curative surgery of metachronous pancreatic metastases. Four patients were without recurrence after pancreatic resection (33.3%). None had adjuvant therapy. Six patients were treated by targeted therapies, because of metastatic progression. Five of 6 died, the sixth evolved with targeted therapies by thyrosine kinase inhibitor. Average deadline between appearance of metastases and death was 89.9 months for operated patients. Average deadline between appearance of c metastases and death was 33.1 months for the others (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment of pancreatic metastases should increase life expectancy of patients. Others studies are necessary to prove the impact of targeted therapies in metastatics patients in this indication. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5.

Day-care for breast cancer: ambulatory surgery and intra-operative radiation. Techniques and preliminary results of the Centre Val-d'Aurelle--Montpellier.

One-day breast carcinoma treatment is defined as association of ambulatory surgery and intra-operative irradiation. Selection and rigorous process of patients is the key to success. The surgical technique is not changed by the radiotherapy. Patient's satisfaction index is very high. Financial loss should not be a hurdle to its implementation.

[Endocrine tumor arising in heterotopic gastric pancreas]. / Tumeur endocrine développée sur pancréas ectopique gastrique.

We report the case of a 49-year-old caucasian woman, in whom an endocrine tumor arising in gastric heterotopic pancreas was diagnosed. The patient was treated surgically with a gastric wedge resection. Heterotopic pancreas is a benign anatomic condition, probably widely underdiagnosed because usually asymptomatic. The malignant transformation of aberrant pancreas is very rare and almost always in adenocarcinoma. The endocrine tumors developed in heterotopic pancreas are exceedingly rare. Of our knowledge, only four cases have been published and only one case in the gastric location similar to this reported case.

[Treatment of biliary injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: retrospective study of 27 patients]. / Traitement des complications biliaires après cholécystectomie par coelioscopie: étude rétrospective de 27 patients.

UNLABELLED: Biliary injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy are rare but serious. Their mortality rate can reach 9%. AIM OF THE STUDY: Describe the management of biliary injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our center. PATIENTS: Between January 1995 and June 2005, 27 patients (13 women, 14 men) were treated. The mean age was 53 years old (range, 18-92 years). The biliary injuries were common bile duct sections (n=16, 60%), common bile duct stenoses (n=5, 18.5%), biliary fistulas from the cystic duct (n=4, 15%), and biliary fistulas from an aberrant biliary duct (n=2, 7.5%). RESULTS: Acute cholecystis was present in 40% of cases (n=11). An intraoperative cholangiography was done in 12 patients (44%). The mortality rate was 0%. Of the common bile duct sections, 43% were diagnosed during the cholecystectomy (n=7) or after the cholecystectomy within a mean of 11.2 days (n=9). Common bile duct injuries were treated in 16 cases with hepatojejunostomy and in five cases with an external biliary drain. Fistulas from the cystic duct were diagnosed within a mean 14.8 days. A fistula from an aberrant biliary duct was diagnosed during the cholecystectomy (n=1) or in the second postoperative day (n=1). Fistulas were treated with a clip on the cystic duct (n=2), an external biliary drain (n=1), a biliary endoprosthesis (n=1), and the biliary aberrant duct suture (n=2). CONCLUSION: Common bile duct injuries are a serious complication because their treatment is a hepaticojejunostomy in 75% of cases.

[Spontaneous haemoperitoneum due to a ruptured intra-abdominal varix with cirrhosis: report of two cases]. / Hémopéritoine spontané par rupture de varices intra-abdominales chez le patient cirrhotique.

Spontaneous haemoperitoneum due to ruptured intra abdominal varices with cirrhosis is rare and the diagnosis is generally difficult. Two cases of spontaneous intraperitoneal bleeding due to ruptures varices with cirrhosis are reported. One case is a ruptured portal cavernome and the other one is a ruptured varix of the gastrosplenic ligament. The combination of hypovolemic shock with increasing abdominal girth should impose the diagnosis. This is a surgical emergency and the mortality rate is high.

Laparoscopic surgery and corticoadrenalomas.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the "gold standard" procedure for the treatment of benign lesions. However, the situation is not so clearcut when the issue is laparoscopic excision of malignant adrenal tumors. We present our results of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for treating malignant tumors over the past decade. METHODS: Between October 1995 and June 2004, 131 consecutive laparoscopic adrenalectomies were performed on 120 patients (11 synchronous bilateral procedures). All patients underwent a standardized investigation protocol during their workup for surgery. RESULTS: There were only two conversions to laparotomy (1.6%). Complications that occurred during the procedure were limited to six patients (5%). Postoperative 30-days mortality was nil. Postoperative complications occurred in five patients (4.7%) during the first 30 days of recovery. The median hospital stay for all patients was 2.5 days (range = 2-10 days). Twelve patients (9%) had a malignant tumor: nine corticoadrenalomas, one pleomorphic sarcoma, one metastatic deposit from a previously excised colonic cancer, and one malignant pheochromocytoma. At mean followup of 34 months, mean survival time was 42.3 months for corticoadrenalomas that had undergone laparoscopy versus 29.7 months for those who had had a laparotomy. Five of the nine patients are alive and well at a mean of 37 months following surgery. One patient developed pulmonary metastases one year postsurgery; they were responsive to mitotane. Five years later, the same patient had a reoperation for an intra-abdominal retrogastric recurrence of her tumor and continues to do well. Another patient developed pulmonary metastases 22 months following adrenalectomy. Two patients died of metastatic intra-abdominal disease 20 and 7 months postsurgery. CONCLUSION: When laparoscopic surgery is to used for cancer treatment, caution is the rule to maintain the primary objective of securing a survival rate at least as high as that for open surgery, without increased risk of recurrence. Considering the results presented within this study, it seems that the laparoscopic removal of a corticoadrenaloma should not worsen the prognosis, provided the surgeon respects the primary rules of oncologic resectional surgery. Any surgical conditions that would preclude the strict application of these criteria are contraindications to a laparoscopic procedure.

[Surgical management of a preaortic paraganglioma: Report of one case]. / Prise en charge chirurgicale d'un paragangliome préaortique: à propos d'un cas.

Paragangliomas (PG) are rare and often diagnosed in the young adult. One case of retroperitoneal preaortic paraganglioma localised between the celiac trunk and the superior mesenteric artery is reported. The management of paraganglioma involves endocrinologists, geneticists and surgeons but the only potentially curative treatment remains surgical resection. Pathology reports can not always discriminate between benign or malignant tumors. Hereditary in paraganglioma occurs in approximately 25% of cases. Genetic investigation is therefore mandatory in all patients with PG. Since the type of genetic mutation is correlated with tumoral aggressiveness, genetic investigation results should be taken into account when a surgical procedure is planned.

[Evaluation of inguinal hernia management in ambulatory surgery]. / Evaluation de la prise en charge des hernies inguinales en chirurgie ambulatoire.

AIM: To evaluate the prospects of ambulatory surgery for inguinal hernia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1995 to June 2001, 599 operations on inguinal hernias were performed. Patients were composed of 554 men and 45 women. The average age was 58 years (7-95). All patients were examined by their primary doctor on the first and the third day, and by the surgeon on the 10th day. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighty-one patients were operated on by ambulatory surgery (80.3%). The "Tension-free" technique was carried out among 495 patients (82.6%). Loco-regional anaesthesia was used for 499 patients (83.3%). The postoperative rate of complications was 10.4% (62 patients). Only 201 patients presented postoperative painful symptomatology (33.6%), 341 a discomfort (56.9%), and 57 (10%) experienced no pain. The overall satisfaction rate was 92.9%. CONCLUSION: Use of the "Tension-free" technique under loco-regional anaesthesia for inguinal hernias allows ambulatory surgery with a low rate of complications and high satisfaction for the patients.

Factors and consequences of conversion in laparoscopic sigmoidectomy for diverticular disease.

BACKGROUND: The disadvantages of laparoscopic elective sigmoidectomy for diverticular disease include the risk of conversion to open operation and longer operative time. The aim of this study was to analyse the causes and consequences of conversion in 168 consecutive patients who underwent a laparoscopically assisted colectomy between January 1994 and June 2001. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively to analyse the causes and consequences of conversion to open surgery in terms of postoperative morbidity and patient recovery. RESULTS: Postoperative mortality, morbidity, conversion and reoperation rates were zero, 21.4 per cent (n = 36), 14.3 per cent (n = 24) and 3.0 per cent (n = 5) respectively. The reasons for conversion were presence of intraperitoneal adhesions and/or inflammatory pseudotumour (n = 21), an intraoperative diagnosis of sigmoid cancer (n = 1), hypercapnia (n = 1) and abdominal bleeding (n = 1). Three preoperative factors were associated with a significant higher risk of conversion: surgical expertise, the presence of sigmoid stenosis or fistula, and the severity of diverticulitis on pathological examination. Morbidity was no different between laparoscopic sigmoidectomy (30 of 144; 20.8 per cent) and converted procedures (six of 24; 25.0 per cent). Open conversion was associated with a longer operative time and significantly delayed patient recovery and hospital discharge. CONCLUSION: Surgical experience and severe diverticular disease are predictive factors for conversion in laparoscopic elective sigmoidectomy. Even if necessary, conversion does not increase the morbidity rate.

Is laparoscopic left pancreatic resection justified?

BACKGROUND: We reviewed our experience of laparoscopic left pancreatectomy to establish the feasibility of this approach and the characteristics of the operating procedure. METHODS: Thirteen patients with a mean age of 60 years were deemed for a left pancreatectomy. Preoperative diagnoses were: nine mucinous cystadenoma and one insulinoma, intraductal mucinous ectasia, chronic pancreatitis with ductal stenosis, and distal pancreatic tumor. RESULTS: Operative mortality was nil. Two patients required conversion for bleeding from splenic vein injuries leading to a splenectomy in one case. The spleen was preserved in 10 cases. Postoperative course was uneventful in nine cases. Four patients experienced postoperative complications: one pancreatic fistula, two liquid cysts on the pancreatic margin, and one reoperation for bleeding from a trocar port. Length of stay ranged from 5 to 22 days. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results confirm that in selected cases laparoscopic resection of the left pancreas is feasible and safe.

[Laparoscopic re-establishment of digestive continuity following Hartmann's procedure. Retrospective study of the French Society of Endoscopic Surgery]. / Rétablissement de la continuité digestive après intervention de Hartmann par voie laparoscopique. Etude rétrospective de la Société française de chirurgie endoscopique (SFCE).

STUDY AIM: Reversal of the Hartmann's procedure is associated with a high morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and results of laparoscopic reversal of the Hartmann's procedure. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Thirty eight consecutive patients, mean age 60 +/- 13.5 years were included in this retrospective study. The most common indication for the primary procedure was diverticular disease (70%). The mean time from the primary operation to the reconstruction was 136 +/- 124 days. The stoma was first dissected in 24 patients, allowing introduction of the first port. In the remaining 14 patients a standard umbilical port was inserted. The amount of adhesions was classified as low in 13 patients, mild in 15 patients and severe in 10 patients. All patients had a mechanical anastomosis. RESULTS: The conversion rate was 15%, due to adhesion problems in 5 patients and for a positive leakage test in one. The morbidity rate was 23.5% including 8 surgical complications. One patient died after post operative peritonitis complicating an anastomic leakage. The average hospital stay was 10 +/- 4.4 days. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that laparoscopic reversal after Hartmann's procedure is feasible. The morbidity is lower than after classical open reconstruction. The presence of diffuse peritonitis at the primary operation as well as a short delay before the reconstruction, are important factors of conversion.

Nocardiosis revealed by thyroid abscess in a liver--kidney transplant recipient.

Nocardiosis is a life-threatening infection, particularly among immunocompromised patients, which usually affects lungs, skin and central nervous system. We report a case of disseminated nocardiosis revealed by suppurative thyroiditis in a liver-kidney transplant recipient with poor nutritional status at the time of infection. Nocardia Asteroides was isolated from fine-needle aspiration material of the thyroid abscess. Clinical manifestations resolved after surgical drainage of the thyroid abscess, prolonged antibiotherapy and diminution of immunosuppressive regimen. Clinicians should be aware of this entity, as Nocardia Asteroides may need more than 5 days of culture to be isolated.

Neoadjuvant tamoxifen for operable breast cancer: a need for phase III studies?

We conducted a case-control study to analyze the effect of neoadjuvant tamoxifen on steroid receptors and histologic grade and to evaluate the feasibility of phase III studies in operable breast cancer. Between 1987 and 1990, 107 patients without clinical metastases who had had no chemotherapy preoperatively, were treated preoperatively with 20 mg/day of tamoxifen for 3 weeks. Of them, 92 were matched with controls for age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, presence or absence of lymph node involvement, and preoperative radiotherapy. The percentage of ER1 tumors (P = .03) and the mean and median ER levels (P<.001 for both) were lower in the tamoxifen group than in the control group. In six patients analyzed longitudinally, the mean ER decreased from 52 to 19 fmol/mg protein. The difference in relapse-free survival between the two groups was not significant (mean follow-up 87 months). This study suggests a decrease in ER content in patients treated with neoadjuvant tamoxifen. This change may thus be taken into account when ER determination is performed after tamoxifen therapy is started. Further randomized trials should determine whether patients with operable breast cancer benefit from neoadjuvant tamoxifen treatment.

[Elective laparoscopic colectomy for sigmoid diverticulitis. Prospective study of 56 cases]. / Colectomie élective laparoscopique pour sigmoïdite diverticulaire. Etude prospective de 56 cas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study was to assess the feasibility and postoperative advantages of the laparoscopic-assisted elective colectomy for diverticular disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From january 1989 to december 1997, among the 114 patients electively operated on for diverticulitis, 56 patients were treated by laparoscopic approach. Evaluated parameters included: gender, age, weight, size, ASA score, operating time, duration of hospital stay, of analgesic treatment, and of postoperative ileus, morbidity and mortality rate. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 35 women and 21 men. Mean age was 59 years (34-81 years); 29 patients were ASA 1 and 27 ASA 2. Overall postoperative mortality rate was 0% and morbidity rate 16% (n = 9). There were no complications directly related to laparoscopic technique. The conversion rate was 14% (n = 8). Mean operating time was 300 min (200-600 min). Mean duration of postoperative ileus was 2.4 days. Mean duration of hospital stay was 9.4 days. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of elective laparoscopic-assisted colonic resection for diverticular disease in more than 80% of cases with a postoperative morbidity and mortality rate comparable to those of conventional surgery.

[Treatment of common bile duct stones with laparoscopy. Retrospective multicenter study with 612 patients]. / Traitement de la lithiase de la voie biliaire principale sous laparoscopie. Etude rétrospective multicentrique chez 612 malades.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse retrospectively the results of one-stage laparoscopic treatment for common bile duct stones in 19 surgical centers in France. PATIENTS: From January 1991 to July 1996, 612 patients with choledocholithiasis underwent laparoscopic treatment. RESULTS: Overall duct clearance was obtained in 489 of the 612 patients (80%): through the cystic duct in 222 of 380 patients (58.4%), by secondary choledochotomy (after unsuccessful transcystic duct extraction) in 77 of 96 (80%), and in 190 of 232 (82 %) by primary choledochotomy. The overall duct clearance rate increased from 65% in 1991 to 84% in 1996. The use of the choledochotomy approach increased from 43% in 1991 to 69% in 1996 (P<0.01), due to a substantial increase in primary choledochotomy. In contrast, the use of the transcystic approach decreased from 57% to 31% (P<0.01). The mean time for surgery was shorter for cystic duct exploration than for primary choledochotomy (101+/-51 vs. 155+/-62 min, P<0.0001). The mean hospital stay decreased from 7.7+/-3.6 days in 1991 to 4.1+/-2 days in 1996 (P<0.001). The main biliary complications were related to biliary drainage (2,8%) and retained stones (3.1%). CONCLUSION: This study confirms that laparoscopy is a good alternative with a low complication rate, a short hospital stay, and is an effective and safe option for the management of common bile duct stones.

Liver iron excess in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma developed on viral C cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Liver iron deposits are frequent in viral C cirrhotic patients but their role is not well defined. AIMS: To investigate the effect of liver iron excess on the prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with viral C cirrhosis. METHODS: Hepatic iron was evaluated retrospectively using a semiquantitative method in liver biopsies of 104 viral C cirrhotic patients, 48 with HCC and 56 controls (HCC free). Corrected total iron score (0-60) was defined by the sum of three scores: hepatocytic iron score (0-36), sinusoidal iron score (0-12), and portal iron score (0-12), multiplied by 3/3, 2/3, or 1/3 according to the heterogeneous iron localisation in the nodules. RESULTS: After adjustment for known risk factors for HCC, regression analysis showed that iron deposits (corrected total iron score >0) were more frequent in HCC patients than in controls (odds ratio 4.94; 95% confidence interval 1.59-15. 32; p=0.0056). The median of corrected total iron score was significantly higher in HCC patients than in controls (odds ratio 1. 092; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.13; p=0.021). This liver iron overload was sinusoidal (odds ratio 5.2; 95% confidence interval 1. 82-15.11; p=0.0022). CONCLUSIONS: Liver iron deposition was more frequent and more important in viral C cirrhotic patients with HCC than in HCC free controls. Liver iron overload seems to contribute to the development of HCC in patients with viral C cirrhosis.

Natural killer cell and alphabeta and gammadelta lymphocyte traffic into the liver graft immediately after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The persistence and migration of donor leukocytes has been well established, but cellular kinetics immediately after revascularization and the potential relevance of these different lymphocyte populations to spontaneous tolerance remain unclear. During the early hours of revascularization, there is a transitory "congestion" of the liver graft, which is evidence of an early phase that we have termed "first cellular contact." METHODS: We have carried out by flow cytometry a prospective comparative study of the peak kinetics of lymphocyte subpopulations contained in: (a) peripheral blood and liver grafts at the time of multi-organ extraction from 14 brain-dead donors, (b) recipient peripheral blood before transplantation, and (c) recipient peripheral blood and liver grafts after (t=2 h) declamping and vascularization of the liver graft. RESULTS: Before transplantation, the liver grafts contained large numbers of natural killer (NK) and NK-like cells with early lymphocyte activation. Immediately after revascularization, there was an influx of recipient NK and NK-like cells into the liver. CONCLUSIONS: NK and CD3+CD56+ (NK-like) cells flooding into the liver graft immediately after revascularization could rapidly destroy allogeneic cells. However, spontaneous tolerance and the persistence of donor lymphocytes after orthotopic liver transplant could be a result of donor TCRalphabeta NK1.1 liver graft lymphocytes, which may be involved in the destruction of CD8+ T lymphocytes that would have received the apoptosis signal, and to NK and NK-like cell inhibition via inhibitory NK receptors. The decrease in gammadelta T lymphocytes in the two compartments suggests a mechanism of recirculation and capture in other lymphoid organs.