Osteocalcin and its forms respond similarly to exercise in males and females.

INTRODUCTION: Acute exercise increases osteocalcin (OC), a marker of bone turnover, and in particular the undercarboxylated form (ucOC). Males and females differ in baseline levels of total OC and it is thought the hormonal milieu may be driving these differences. Males and females adapt differently to the same exercise intervention, however it is unclear whether the exercise effects on OC are also sex-specific. We tested whether the responses of OC and its forms to acute High Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) differed between males and females. Secondly, we examined whether sex hormones vary with OC forms within sexes to understand if these are driving factor in any potential sex differences. METHODS: Total OC (tOC), undercarboxylated OC (ucOC), and carboxylated OC (cOC) were measured in serum of 96 healthy participants from the Gene SMART cohort (74 males and 22 females) at rest, immediately after, and 3 h after a single bout of HIIE, and at rest, 48 h after completing a four week HIIT intervention. Baseline testosterone and estradiol were also measured for a subset of the cohort (Males = 38, Females = 20). Linear mixed models were used to a) uncover the sex-specific effects of acute exercise and short-term training on OC forms and b) to examine whether the sex hormones were associated with OC levels. RESULTS: At baseline, males had higher levels of tOC, cOC, and ucOC than females (q < 0.01). In both sexes tOC, and ucOC increased to the same extent after acute HIIE. At baseline, in males only, higher testosterone was associated with higher ucOC (ß = 3.37; q < 0.046). Finally, tOC and ucOC did not change following 4 weeks of HIIT. CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION: While there were no long-term changes in OC and its forms. tOC and ucOC were transiently enhanced after a bout of HIIE similarly in both sexes. This may be important in metabolic signalling in skeletal muscle and bone suggesting that regular exercise is needed to maintain these benefits. Overall, these data suggest that the sex differences in exercise adaptations do not extend to the bone turnover marker, OC.

Perineal colostomy prolapse: a novel application of mesh sacral pexy.

Full thickness colonic prolapse following pseudocontinent perineal colostomy has not been previously reported. Possible contributing factors include a large skin aperture at the site of the perineal stoma, the absence of anal sphincters and mesorectal attachments and the presence of a perineal hernia. A novel application of sacral pexy combined with perineal hernia repair using two prosthetic meshes is described.

How to deal with hepatic artery injury during pancreaticoduodenectomy. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Operative injury to the hepatic artery is a serious complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy and guidelines to manage this complication are lacking. METHODS: A systematic search performed in PubMed database identified eleven studies overall including 20 patients having sustained injury to the hepatic artery during pancreaticoduodenectomy (n=18) or total pancreatectomy (n=2). One further unpublished personal observation following pancreaticoduodenectomy was also included. RESULTS: Sixteen of 21 patients (76%) experienced serious complications including liver necrosis/abscess (n=14), acute liver failure (n=3), and biliary anastomotic dehiscence (n=6). Eleven patients (52%) were reoperated and 5 patients died (24%). Arterial injury was recognized and repaired immediately in five patients, four recovering uneventfully and one dying from acute liver failure (20%). In contrast delayed or conservative treatment in 16 patients was associated with serious early morbidity in 15 patients (94%), leading to death in 4 patients and late biliary complications in four others. CONCLUSIONS: Accidental interruption of arterial flow to the liver during pancreaticoduodenectomy often results in serious short and long-term consequences. Immediate restoration of arterial flow is indicated whenever technically feasible and may prevent early life-threatening complications as well as late biliary stenosis.

Alveolar echinococcosis in a Belgian urban dweller.

Human alveolar echinococcosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by larvae of the tapeworm E. multilocularis that colonizes the intestines of foxes. The disease predominantly affects the liver and mimics slow growing liver cancer. With a mere 13 reports coming mostly from southern rural regions Belgium has so far been spared from the disease. However alveolar echinococcosis appears to be slowly spreading to non-endemic European countries like Belgium and to urban centres. We report the first autochthonous case involving a patient having lived exclusively in downtown Brussels. Heightened awareness by the medical community is necessary to detect this lethal disease at an early curable stage. In patients with an undetermined focal liver lesion--especially if calcified--and no firm evidence of malignancy, serological screening should be performed to exclude alveolar echinococcosis.

Liver tuberculosis mistaken for malignancy. The role of needle biopsy.

Despite advances in imaging techniques rare or atypical liver lesions still pose a diagnostic challenge. In many centres percutaneous fine needle aspiration cytology or biopsy is routinely performed in order to obtain a definitive diagnosis. However because of the risk of tumour seeding along the needle tract this attitude may jeopardize the patient's chances for cure in case of malignancy. The role of percutaneous liver biopsy is reappraised in the light of an observation in which major hepatectomy was performed for suspected neoplasia only to discover at pathology that the lesion was a benign tuberculosis pseudotumour.

Tuberculosis diagnosed after major hepatectomy for suspected malignancy.

A patient with a history of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy 2 1/2 years previously for Dukes C colonic adenocarcinoma was diagnosed with a focal liver lesion on follow-up examinations. Ultrasound and computed tomography scan revealed a 3.8 cm soft tissue mass. Positron emission tomography scan showed intense uptake, corroborating the diagnosis of a colonic liver metastasis. Major hepatectomy was performed but pathology revealed that the lesion was in fact a benign tuberculosis pseudo-tumour. In developed countries liver tuberculosis remains extremely rare, particularly the macronodular form. The diagnosis is often made only after hepatectomy for suspected malignancy. The increasing use of potent anticancer chemotherapy may favour the reactivation of quiescent tuberculosis, posing a difficult differential diagnosis with liver metastases.

Minimally invasive approach to Boerhaave's syndrome: a pilot study of three cases.

BACKGROUND: Boerhaave's syndrome requires urgent thoracotomy, laparotomy, or both for esophageal repair and pleuromediastinal debridement. Minimally invasive techniques may be suitable alternatives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a period of 12 months, three patients with spontaneous esophageal perforations after forceful vomiting were treated by a combination of minimally invasive techniques including laparoscopy, thoracoscopy, mediastinoscopy, and endoscopic stenting. RESULTS: Esophageal repair was performed transhiatally via laparoscopy using primary suture, primary suture reinforced by a fundic patch, and fundic patch alone in one patient each. One patient had a second perforation of the proximal esophagus, which was sutured through a cervical incision. This patient successfully underwent secondary endoscopic stenting for a persistent esophageal fistula. Mediastinal debridement was performed transhiatally and also by means of a mediastinoscope introduced via the cervical incision in one patient. One patient required secondary thoracoscopic debridement of a pleural empyema but died of sepsis after 1 month. The two other patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital after 2 and 8 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Boerhaave's syndrome is amenable to minimally invasive techniques. Avoidance of a formal thoracotomy with its resulting morbidity could be of considerable benefit to these critically ill patients.

Primary anastomosis and diverting colostomy in diffuse diverticular peritonitis.

BACKGROUND: Despite the well documented morbidity associated with its reversal, Hartmann's procedure remains the favoured option in patients with complicated diverticular disease in the presence of diffuse peritonitis. A prospective study was conducted to determine whether primary anastomosis with diverting colostomy constitutes a valid alternative to the Hartmann procedure. METHODS: Between 1994 and 1998, all patients with diffuse peritonitis due to perforated diverticulitis of sigmoid origin underwent resection and primary anastomosis with diverting colostomy. Restoration of colonic continuity was programmed six weeks later, after verification of the anastomose by gastrografin enema. The group included 5 men and 15 women with a mean age of 72 years (32-97 years). The ASA classification of the patients was as follows: ASA II (n = 2), ASA III (n = 12), ASA IV (n = 3), ASA V (n = 3). The mean delay between onset of symptoms and surgery was 74 hours (8-215 hours). RESULTS: Operative mortality and morbidity was 15% (n = 3) and 50% respectively. No patients showed signs of suture disruption and this was confirmed by routine radiological controls of the anastomoses. Mean length of hospitalization was 20 +/- 10 days (SD; median: 18 days). Closure of the colostomy using a small peristomal incision was performed in all surviving patients after a mean delay of 45 +/- 9 days (range 28-67 days). Mean length of hospitalization for colostomy closure was 7 +/- 3 days (range 3-18 days) without mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Applied systematically to all patients with diffuse peritonitis due to perforated diverticular disease, primary anastomosis was found to be as safe as the Hartmann procedure but appears to be superior in terms of total length of hospital stay, interval to stoma closure and rates of stoma closure. Primary anastomosis with diverting colostomy could constitute a valid alternative to the Hartmann procedure in selected patients with complicated diverticular disease, even in the presence of diffuse peritonitis.

Annular duodenal stricture due to Brunner's gland hyperplasia.

A patient with obstructive Brunner's gland hyperplasia presenting as an annular duodenal stricture is reported. Surgical biopsy was required to obtain a tissue specific diagnosis and obstruction was relieved by performing a Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy. Brunner's gland hyperplasia poses a diagnostic challenge. Conservative management is usually adequate after a histological diagnosis has been firmly established.

Mesenteric liposarcoma or lipodystrophy: an elusive diagnosis.

Mass lesions of the mesentery may be fortuitously encountered on computerized tomographic (CT) scans, posing a diagnostic challenge. Despite CT, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and a surgical biopsy, a patient with mesenteric lipodystrophy was misdiagnosed as having a low-grade mesenteric liposarcoma. Spontaneous regression of the mass on control CT scan and review of the pathological material prompted us to reconsider the diagnosis of malignancy. Because a wide variety of tumors and pseudotumors produce alterations in the density and volume of mesenteric fat on CT scan, a surgical biopsy is usually necessary to obtain a tissue-specific diagnosis, but even then pathological findings may be equivocal. As final resort the natural evolution assessed by radiological follow-up can be of help in determining the nature of the disease.

Pancreaticoduodenal necrosis due to caustic burns.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with caustic necrosis of the digestive tract extending beyond the pylorus were included in a multicenter retrospective study to define a surgical strategy. Twelve patients underwent esophagogastrectomy. Two patients had total gastrectomy without esophagectomy. In addition, all patients underwent duodenal stripping (n = 7) or pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 7). Immediate biliopancreatic reconnection was performed in ten patients. Four patients had biliary diversion and/or pancreatic duct ligation. RESULTS: Seven in-hospital deaths occurred after a mean delay of 27 days (range 16-45 days). There were two late deaths occurring 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Morbidity was noted in 86% of survivors. Acute or chronic airway tract injuries were incurred by 57% of patients. Among the five long-term survivors two were able to feed orally and had preserved voice function. One long-term survivor could resume oral feeding only, another was considered psychologically unfit for digestive reconstruction but had normal voice function and the last patient was deprived of oral feeding and phonation. CONCLUSIONS: Early radical debridement is capable of saving patients with gastrointestinal necrosis extending beyond the pylorus. Necrosis of the duodenum can be managed by pancreaticoduodenectomy or by duodenal stripping, with similar results. Immediate reconnection of the bile and pancreatic ducts to a small bowel Roux-en-Y loop appears preferable to biliary diversion and pancreatic duct ligation. Normal oral feeding and the preservation of voice function can sometimes be achieved but depends on late scarring of the airway-alimentary tract junction. Quality of life is often compromised by prolonged hospital stays, staged surgical procedures and the handicap of a feeding jejunostomy and tracheal tube.

Proximal bile duct cancer: high resectability rate and 5-year survival.

OBJECTIVE: To review and update the authors' experience with resectional surgery for proximal bile duct carcinoma (Klatskin tumor) and assess the role of liver resection over the past 25 years. BACKGROUND: Until recently, resection of proximal bile duct carcinoma was uncommon, with most patients undergoing palliative procedures. The authors adopted a radical surgical approach aimed at definitive cure in 1974. Recent reports suggest that resection improves outcome. METHODS: The records of 40 of 94 patients (23 men, 17 women, age range 34-81 years) diagnosed with proximal bile duct carcinoma who underwent resection between 1968 and 1993 were reviewed. According to the Bismuth classification, there were five type I, four type II, 25 type III, and six type IV lesions; 11 patients underwent tumor resection alone, and 25 patients had combined tumor and liver resection (seven of these also underwent an associated regional vascular resection). In 3 patients, venous allografts were harvested from cadaveric donors and used to reconstruct the portal vein. Four patients underwent liver transplantation; in two, organ cluster-type resections including the liver with porta hepatitis and pancreas were performed. RESULTS: The resectability rate in the more recent period of the study was 49.4%. Most type I, three (of four) type II, T in situ, T1a, T1b, and all stage 0 tumors were resected without hepatectomy. In the other subgroups of tumors, the main surgical procedure was hepatectomy. Thirty-day mortality was 12.5%. After tumor resection alone, survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 81.8%, 45.5%, and 27.3%, respectively. After tumor resection and hepatectomy without vascular resection, 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival was 66.7%, 16.7%, and 6%, respectively. With vascular resection, survival rates were similar: 64%, 20%, and 4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The type of surgery required to achieve cure is closely related to tumor location, TNM classification, and staging. Increasing resectability through the use of hepatectomy improves survival and offers a chance of cure in patients with more advanced disease.

Consolidation of a friable pancreas for pancreaticojejunal anastomosis.

Management of the pancreatic remnant following pancreaticojejunostomy remains a technical challenge particularly when the pancreas is soft. A simple technique that consolidates the pancreas in preparation for pancreaticojejunostomy is described. Application of this technique in patients for whom a difficult anastomosis was anticipated has yielded good results.

New approach to surgical management of early esophageal thoracic perforation: primary suture repair reinforced with absorbable mesh and fibrin glue.

Esophageal perforation is a life-threatening situation and represents a major therapeutic challenge. Results have improved in recent years particularly as a result of progress in antibiotic therapy and the use of total parenteral nutrition. Surgical management retains a predominant role, involving early primary closure and thoracic drainage. We have made an addition to the surgical management by applying an absorbable mesh and fibrin glue to the repaired site. Seven patients (ages 38-79 years) were treated as described. The mean interval from leak to surgery was 28 hours. Six patients had an uneventful postoperative course with a mean hospital stay of 34 days (range 26-45 days). In one case the technique failed and the patient required an exclusion-diversion procedure. All 7 patients recovered without mortality. We believe that this technique provides a real improvement for this precarious esophageal repair.