Reactive lymphoid hyperplasia of the liver after surgery for advanced sigmoid colon cancer: a case report.

We report a case of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH) mimicking colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) on preoperative workup that was clinically indistinguishable. A 78-year-old woman was found to have locally-advanced sigmoid cancer (T4), and then treated with radical sigmoidectomy. One year after the surgery, plain computed tomography (CT) revealed a low-density area in the right hepatic lobe. Metastatic liver tumors could not be ruled out with CT/ magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography-CT . Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with CRLM at S7 of the liver. The patient underwent right posterior sectionectomy. The tumor was adjacent to the right hepatic vein; however, no invasion was observed. The patient was pathologically diagnosed as having RLH. The patient showed no signs of recurrence 16 months after initial surgery. RLH is clinically indistinguishable from CRLM. Further evaluation is required to elucidate the effective strategies of detecting and treating hepatic RLH.

Combined thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgery for epiphrenic diverticulum with associated gastroesophageal reflux disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is indicated for symptomatic epiphrenic esophageal diverticula. Based on the features of a case, thoracoscopic or laparoscopic approaches may be used. Epiphrenic diverticula are often associated with esophageal motility disorders, but cases of reflux esophagitis have rarely been reported. In this report, we describe a case of an epiphrenic esophageal diverticulum with reflux esophagitis, which was successfully treated by thoracoscopic diverticulectomy and laparoscopic fundoplication. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old man visited the hospital with a chief complaint of eructation and hiccup. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a diverticulum in the left wall of the esophagus, which was 37-45 cm distal to the incisors. High-resolution manometry (HRM) showed no esophageal motility disorders. Due to the large size of the diverticulum, a thoracoscopic resection of the esophageal diverticulum was performed. Additionally, the patient had reflux esophagitis due to a hiatal hernia. The anti-reflux mechanism would be more impaired during the diverticulectomy; therefore, we decided that anti-reflux surgery should be performed simultaneously. Thoracoscopic esophageal diverticulectomy and laparoscopic Dor fundoplication were performed. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative course and was discharged on the tenth operative day. He has been symptom-free without acid secretion inhibitors for 21 months after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We described a rare case of a large epiphrenic diverticulum with reflux esophagitis. A good surgical outcome was achieved by thoracoscopic resection of the diverticulum and laparoscopic Dor fundoplication.

Laparoscopic Heller myotomy and Dor fundoplication following an unsuccessful peroral endoscopic myotomy.

BACKGROUND: Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder that presents as dysphagia and severely affects quality of life. An esophageal myotomy has been the golden standard for treatment. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) as a first-line therapy has an acceptable outcome. However, after the clinical failure of POEM, appropriate second-line therapy is rather controversial. Here, we present the first published case in English of a patient who was successfully treated using laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) with Dor fundoplication following an unsuccessful POEM. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old man with type 1 achalasia who had been previously treated with POEM visited our hospital for further treatment. After undergoing LHM with Dor fundoplication, his Eckardt score improved from 3 to 0 points. On a timed barium esophagogram (TBE), the barium height improved from 119 mm/119 mm (1 min/5 min) to 50 mm/45 mm. No significant complications have occurred postoperatively for 1 year. CONCLUSION: Treating refractory achalasia is challenging, and treatment options are controversial. LHM with Dor fundoplication after POEM could be a safe and efficient option for the treatment of refractory achalasia.

Successful treatment with laparoscopic surgery and sequential multikinase inhibitor therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with massive portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) and distant metastasis is considered unresectable. However, due to recent developments in systemic chemotherapy, successful cases of conversion therapy for unresectable diseases have been reported. Herein, we report a successful multidisciplinary approach for treatment of multi-visceral recurrence with sequential multikinase inhibitor and laparoscopic surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 63-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis B virus infection was diagnosed with HCC. Subsequently, she underwent two rounds of laparoscopic partial hepatectomy, laparoscopic left adrenalectomy, and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus sorafenib for recurrence. Four years after initial hepatectomy, she presented with a 43-mm mass in the spleen and tumor thrombus involving the main portal vein trunk with ascites. Her liver function was Child-Pugh B (8), and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA II) levels were elevated up to 46.291 mAU/mL. Since initial treatment with regorafenib for three months was unsuccessful, the patient was administered lenvatinib. Ten months post-treatment, there was no contrast enhancement of PVTT or splenic metastasis. Chemotherapy was discontinued due to severe diarrhea. Afterward, splenic metastasis became viable, and PIVKA II increased. Therefore, hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy was performed. She experienced no clinical recurrence 14 mo after resection. CONCLUSION: Conversion surgery after successful multikinase inhibitor treatment might be considered an effective treatment option for advanced HCC.

Handling of Hilar Vasculature in Living Donor Right Hepatectomy Using Extrahepatic Glissonean Approach.

Donor hepatectomy is one of the most important procedures in LDLT because it affects the safety of donors and the outcome of the recipients. We standardized a method of securing the important vessels at the hepatic hilum while advancing the dissection toward the central direction. This research introduces our technique of handling hilar vasculature in living donor hepatectomy, using the extrahepatic Glissonean approach, and discusses its efficacy. At first, after the extrahepatic right Glissonean approach, the resected hepatic artery and portal vein are secured on the same line as with the secured Glisson. The resected hepatic artery and portal vein are followed in the central direction, and the surrounding area is dissected. The dissection is continued up to the main brunch of the hepatic artery and portal vein. The bile duct can be secured by subtracting the hepatic artery and portal vein from the tape that secured the Glissonean pedicle. The bile duct, hepatic artery, and the portal vein are dissected in this order, before dissecting the right hepatic vein, completing the surgery. This method of dissection approaching the extrahepatic Glisson carried out toward the central direction suggests to acquire minimal tissue removal and to shorten operative time. This could result in adequate perfusion to the remaining liver and donor safety, taken together effective results on the recipient.

Prognostic value of future liver remnant LU15 index of 99mTc-galactosyl serum albumin scintigraphy for predicting posthepatectomy liver failure.

There is no gold standard indicator that is currently used to predict posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). A novel indicator of liver function, the LU15 index of 99mTc-galactosyl serum albumin (GSA) scintigraphy, refers to the liver uptake ratio over a 15-min interval. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the future liver remnant (FLR)-LU15 in predicting PHLF. The clinical data of 102 patients (70 males and 32 females; median age, 70 years) who underwent liver resection between January 2011 and August 2019 were analyzed. The FLR-LU15 was calculated by a fusion of simulated 3-dimensional images and 99mTc-GSA scintigraphy. PHLF was determined according to the definition of the International Study Group of Liver Surgery. The FLR-LU15 was an independent risk factor for PHLF ≥ Grade B according to multivariate analysis, and its value correlated with the PHLF grade. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the FLR-LU15 for PHLF ≥ Grade B was 0.816 (95% confidence interval, 0.704-0.929), which was better than that of other indicators. When the cut-off value of FLR-LU15 was set at 16.7, the sensitivity was 86.7%, specificity was 74.7%, and odds ratio was 19.2 (95% confidence interval, 4.0-90.9), all of which were superior to other indicators. If the cut-off value was 13, the positive predictive value was 57.1%. The FLR-LU15 is a useful predictor of PHLF and may be more reliable than other predictors.

[R0 Resection following Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer Liver Metastasis Close to the Inferior Vena Cava and Hepatic Vein Confluence-A Case Report].

A 78-year-old man was diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer, and laparoscopic sigmoidectomy was performed. On pathological examination, he was diagnosed with RAS-wild type sigmoid colon cancer with regional lymph node metastasis (T3, N1, M0, Stage ⅢB[Union for International Cancer Control 8th edition]). Computed tomography revealed S8 and S7 liver metastasis, 3 months after the initial surgery. The location of the S8 tumor was close to the inferior vena cava(IVC), right hepatic vein(RHV)and segment Ⅷ hepatic vein(V8). He was administered cetuximab plus modified FOLFOX6. After 6 courses of chemotherapy, the S8 and S7 liver tumor shrank. S8 plus 4 plus 1 and S7 partial hepatectomy was performed and R0 resection was achieved. The RHV and V8 were resected, while right superficial and middle hepatic veins were preserved. An IVC invasion was not observed. He was administered 12 courses of adjuvant modified FOLFOX6. After the partial hepatectomy, he has been followed up for 1.5 years with no recurrence.

Long-term outcomes of living donor liver transplantation after locoregional treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma: an experience from a single institute.

PURPOSE: The precise role of downstaging or bridge therapy for cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond or within the Milan criteria (MC) before living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) remains undefined. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 40 cirrhotic patients with HCC who underwent LDLT from 2000 to 2018. Dynamic computed tomography images at the initial presentation and immediately before LDLT as well as the final histopathological findings were reviewed to determine whether they met or exceeded MC. RESULTS: Overall, 29 patients underwent various pre-transplant HCC treatments, including ablation and embolization (bridge therapy, n = 20; downstaging, n = 9). Of the 9 patients who were initially beyond the MC, 4 (44.4%) were successfully downstaged to within the MC. Five patients beyond the MC immediately before LDLT demonstrated a significantly worse 5-year overall survival rate than patients within the MC (16.7% vs. 82.2%, P = 0.004), regardless of the radiological HCC stage at presentation or the final pathological tumor status. All 3 recurrent patients had HCC beyond the MC immediately before transplant and died of their disease at 13, 24, and 50 months after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Successful downstaging for HCC cases beyond the MC provides similar outcomes to those within the MC at presentation, regardless of the histopathological findings.

Surgery for colloid carcinoma of the pancreas with portal vein tumor thrombus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The portal vein is occasionally invaded by advanced malignant tumors in the pancreatic head region. However, pancreatic cancer rarely has portal vein tumor thrombi. We report a case of pancreatic cancer with a massive portal vein tumor thrombus undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy with combined resection of the portal vein. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old man visited a clinic with complaints of abdominal discomfort and vomiting. Gastroscopy showed a massive tumor in the duodenum. He was referred to our hospital for further examinations and treatment. The CT showed a low-density tumor with a maximum diameter of 10 cm located on the pancreas head. A tumor widely invaded the duodenum and had a 6-cm portal vein tumor thrombus. MRCP did not show obvious stenosis of the pancreatic duct due to tumor invasion. There were no findings suggesting distant metastases. Biopsy of the duodenum revealed adenocarcinoma. He was diagnosed with primary pancreatic cancer or duodenal cancer with portal vein tumor thrombus and underwent pancreatoduodectomy with resection and reconstruction of the portal vein. He suffered no postoperative complications and was discharged 2 months after surgery. The final histopathological diagnosis was pancreatic colloid carcinoma. He received adjuvant chemotherapy, but died 16 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Colloid carcinoma of the pancreas is rare, and pancreatic carcinoma seldom forms a portal vein tumor thrombus. We experienced a very rare case of pancreatic colloid carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus and performed radical resection of the pancreas and portal vein.

Living donor liver transplantation for idiopathic portal hypertension with extrahepatic portal vein stenosis and splenic artery aneurysms: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) generally has a good prognosis and rarely results in liver transplantation. Furthermore, there are few reports of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for IPH with extrahepatic portal vein stenosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 51-year-old female patient diagnosed with IPH more than 20 years ago. She suffered severe jaundice, massive ascites, and encephalopathy at the time of her visit to our hospital. The patient's extrahepatic portal vein showed a scar-like stenosis, and the portal flow was completely hepatofugal. Collateral circulation such as the splenorenal shunt was well developed, and multiple splenic artery aneurysms up to 2 cm were observed in the splenic hilum. Her Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score increased to over 40 because of renal dysfunction, requiring temporary dialysis. We performed LDLT using her husband's right lobe graft and splenectomy. The extrahepatic stenotic portal vein was completely resected, and the superficial femoral vein (SFV) graft collected from the recipient's right leg was used for portal reconstruction as an interposition graft. Although the clinical course after LDLT had many complications, the patient was discharged on postoperative day 113 and has been fine for 2 years after LDLT. Histopathologically, the explanted liver had obliterative portal venopathy, nodular regenerative hyperplasia, and incomplete septal cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: This case showed that severe IPH is occasionally associated with extrahepatic portal vein stenosis and can be treated with LDLT with portal vein reconstruction using an interposition graft. It was also suggested that the SFV is a useful choice for the interposition graft.

Resection of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with thrombi in the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and phrenic vein: a report of three cases.

BACKGROUND: Prognosis for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with a tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava or right atrium is extremely poor due to cancer progression, pulmonary embolism, and congestion of the circulatory system caused by right heart failure. Surgical resection of the tumor thrombi may potentially yield better results than non-surgical treatments through prevention of sudden death. However, the benefits of surgical resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and a tumor thrombus extending to the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and potentially in the phrenic vein are unclear. Here, we report three such cases. CASE PRESENTATION: Of the total 136 patients who underwent hepatectomies for hepatocellular carcinoma in our institution, three patients with prior hepatectomies and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma had tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and phrenic vein. Surgical resections were performed, as there was a possibility of sudden death, despite the risk of leaving residual tumor. For all patients, we performed resection of the tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava and right atrium and combined diaphragm resection. Surgical resection was performed using the total hepatic vascular exclusion technique in all cases. Additional passive veno-venous bypass was also performed in two cases, in which complete tumor resections could not be achieved. The microscopic surgical margins of the combined resected diaphragms were positive in all cases. Progression-free survival was 20.2, 3.8, and 9.5 months for case 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The respective overall postoperative survival was 98.0, 38.9, and 30.9 months. The patients died due to liver cirrhosis, acute heart failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma, respectively. Sudden death did not occur for any of the patients. CONCLUSION: Surgical resections may extend prognosis for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombi in the inferior vena cava, right atrium, and phrenic vein, although the indications should be considered carefully.

Efficacy of Enteral Nutrition by Double Elementary Diet Tube after Pylorus-Preserving Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Nutritional support after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy (PpPD) is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of enteral nutrition (EN) via the double elementary diet (W-ED) tube after PpPD. One hundred two patients who received EN by the W-ED tube were compared with 52 patients who received total parental nutrition (TPN) previously. Clinicopathological and postoperative features were analyzed among the two groups. Patients with EN by the W-ED tube after PpPD had a lower incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula than those with TPN. The total protein and albumin levels on discharge in the EN group were significantly higher than those in the TPN group. In the case without complication, decreasing rate of the third lumbar vertebra skeletal muscle area was significantly lower in the EN group. In the cases of soft pancreas, drainage volume by the W-ED tube until four postoperative day was significantly larger in the case without postoperative pancreatic fistula. The W-ED tube offers the advantages of reducing gastrointestinal pressure and enabling reduction of complications after PpPD surgery.

Resection of Hepatic Lesions Perfused by the Cholecystic Vein Using Indocyanine Green Navigation in Patients with cT2 Gallbladder Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Various approaches to hepatectomy have been proposed for cT2 gallbladder cancers (GBC), but the optimal management strategy remains unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of using an indocyanine green (ICG)-based intraoperative navigation system during hepatic resection for cT2 GBC. METHODS: From September 2007 to December 2017, 24 consecutive patients diagnosed with cT2 GBC underwent hepatic resection using ICG navigation. After cannulation of the cholecystic artery, ICG diluted with dissolution liquid was injected and ICG fluorescence illumination was visualized with the HyperEye Medical System. And additional histopathological examination was performed on the most recent 15 of the 24 patients for detection of microscopic liver metastasis. RESULTS: For all patients, the disease-free survival rate was 59.1% at 5 years and overall survival rate was 86.2% at 5 years. Microscopic liver metastasis was detected in the resected liver in 3 (20%) of 15 patients, whose site of liver was S6, S5, and S5, respectively. The weight of the liver resected using ICG navigation was significantly smaller than that of S4a/S5 segmentectomy (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Resected hepatic lesion using ICG imaging was possible to perform hepatectomy including liver micro-metastasis without excess or deficiency. This procedure might be novel intraoperative imaging method to provide valuable information on the optimal surgical approach to cT2 GBC.

Superficial Surgical Site Infection in Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery: Subcuticular Suture Versus Skin Staples.

PURPOSE: Postoperative superficial surgical site infection is a major complication in hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery. We aimed to compare the efficacy of subcuticular sutures versus staples for skin closure in preventing superficial surgical site infection in hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery at our hospital from October 2006 to March 2011 and from April 2012 to March 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Superficial surgical site infection incidence was evaluated in patients who received subcuticular sutures and those who received staples for skin closure. Propensity score matching analysis was used to adjust bias from confounding factors. RESULTS: A total of 691 patients were included. Patients with skin staple closures (n = 346) were compared with patients with subcuticular suture closures (n = 345). After a propensity score matching analysis, a significant difference in superficial surgical site infection incidence was found between the skin stapler group (11.3%) and subcuticular sutures group (2.6%). The same comparison was performed by a subgroup analysis and supported this finding in patients after hepatectomy without biliary reconstruction, pancreatoduodenectomy, or open laparotomy surgeries and in patients with body mass index < 25. CONCLUSIONS: Subcuticular suturing after hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery was more efficacious in reducing postoperative superficial surgical site infection incidence than staples for skin closure.

Elevated Polyamines in Saliva of Pancreatic Cancer.

Detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) at a resectable stage is still difficult because of the lack of accurate detection tests. The development of accurate biomarkers in low or non-invasive biofluids is essential to enable frequent tests, which would help increase the opportunity of PC detection in early stages. Polyamines have been reported as possible biomarkers in urine and saliva samples in various cancers. Here, we analyzed salivary metabolites, including polyamines, using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Salivary samples were collected from patients with PC (n = 39), those with chronic pancreatitis (CP, n = 14), and controls (C, n = 26). Polyamines, such as spermine, N1-acetylspermidine, and N1-acetylspermine, showed a significant difference between patients with PC and those with C, and the combination of four metabolites including N1-acetylspermidine showed high accuracy in discriminating PC from the other two groups. These data show the potential of saliva as a source for tests screening for PC.

Predicting hepatic failure with a new diagnostic technique by preoperative liver scintigraphy and computed tomography: a pilot study in 123 patients undergoing liver resection.

BACKGROUND: A novel index, total liver LU15, has been identified as a surrogate marker for liver function. We evaluated the ability of preoperative remnant liver LU15 values to predict postoperative hepatic failure. METHODS: Preoperative risk factors for postoperative hepatic failure and remnant liver LU15 were evaluated in 123 patients undergoing liver resection for several diseases from September 1st, 2007 to December 1st, 2016. We calculated the remnant liver LU15 value from the total liver LU15 value and the functional remnant liver ratio. Risk factors for postoperative hepatic failure was determined by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Hepatic failure grade B/C developed postoperatively in six patients of seven patients within Makuuchi criteria / without criteria for remnant liver LU15. Operative time (p = 0.0242) and criteria for remnant liver LU15 (p = 0.0001) were prognostic factors for hepatic failure according to the univariate analysis. And criteria for remnant liver LU15 (p = 0.0009) was only prognostic factor by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings form this pilot study, it appears that patients with a remnant liver LU15 value of 13 or less may have a high risk of postoperative hepatic failure.

Serum Metabolomic Profiles for Human Pancreatic Cancer Discrimination.

This study evaluated the clinical use of serum metabolomics to discriminate malignant cancers including pancreatic cancer (PC) from malignant diseases, such as biliary tract cancer (BTC), intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma (IPMC), and various benign pancreaticobiliary diseases. Capillary electrophoresismass spectrometry was used to analyze charged metabolites. We repeatedly analyzed serum samples (n = 41) of different storage durations to identify metabolites showing high quantitative reproducibility, and subsequently analyzed all samples (n = 140). Overall, 189 metabolites were quantified and 66 metabolites had a 20% coefficient of variation and, of these, 24 metabolites showed significant differences among control, benign, and malignant groups (p < 0.05; Steel-Dwass test). Four multiple logistic regression models (MLR) were developed and one MLR model clearly discriminated all disease patients from healthy controls with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.970 (95% confidential interval (CI), 0.946-0.994, p < 0.0001). Another model to discriminate PC from BTC and IPMC yielded AUC = 0.831 (95% CI, 0.650-1.01, p = 0.0020) with higher accuracy compared with tumor markers including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), pancreatic cancer-associated antigen (DUPAN2) and s-pancreas-1 antigen (SPAN1). Changes in metabolomic profiles might be used to screen for malignant cancers as well as to differentiate between PC and other malignant diseases.

Results of a multicenter prospective clinical study in Japan for evaluating efficacy and safety of desensitization protocol based on rituximab in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Deceased organ donations are rare in Japan, with most kidney transplants performed from a limited number of living donors. Researchers have thus developed highly successful ABO-incompatible transplantation procedures, emphasizing preoperative desensitization and postoperative immunosuppression. A recent open-label, single-arm, multicenter clinical study prospectively examined the efficacy and safety of rituximab/mycophenolate mofetil desensitization in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation without splenectomy. METHODS: Mycophenolate mofetil and low dose steroid were started 28 days pretransplant, followed by two doses of rituximab 375 mg/m2 at day -14 and day -1, and postoperative immunosuppression with tacrolimus or ciclosporin and basiliximab. The primary endpoint was the non-occurrence rate of acute antibody-mediated rejection. Patient survival and graft survival were monitored for 1 year posttransplant. RESULTS: Eighteen patients received rituximab and underwent ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. CD19-positive peripheral B cell count decreased rapidly after the first rituximab infusion and recovered gradually after week 36. The desensitization protocol was tolerable, and most rituximab-related infusion reactions were mild. No anti-A/B antibody-mediated rejection occurred with this series. One patient developed anti-HLA antibody-mediated rejection (Banff 07 type II) on day 2, which was successfully managed. Patient and graft survival were both 100 % after 1 year. CONCLUSION: Our desensitization protocol was confirmed to be clinically effective and with acceptable toxicities for ABO-I-KTx (University Hospital Medical Information Network Registration Number: UMIN000006635).

Increased Incidence of Thrombotic Microangiopathy After ABO-Incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a severe life-threatening complication associated with solid organ transplantation. We retrospectively investigated the incidence, risk factors, and appropriate treatment of TMA following adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). MATERIAL AND METHODS The subjects were 129 adult patients who underwent LDLT in our department from 1997 to 2014. Patients with TMA were identified retrospectively based on diagnostic criteria. We calculated the incidence of TMA and performed a risk factor analysis for TMA occurrence. We also assessed our past treatments for TMA and sought to identify the most appropriate form of treatment. RESULTS Thirteen patients were identified as having TMA. The incidence of TMA in the study cohort was 10.1% but was especially high (37.9%) among ABO-incompatible cases. A univariate analysis revealed that ABO incompatibility, usage of tacrolimus, usage of rituximab, and cold ischemic time ≥50 minutes are risk factors for occurrence of TMA (p<0.10). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that ABO incompatibility was the only independent risk factor for TMA (p=0.009). Initiation of treatment on the day of TMA diagnosis was associated with better survival. CONCLUSIONS ABO incompatibility is an independent risk factor for TMA following adult LDLT. Our results suggest that early initiation of treatment is crucial for improving the outcomes.

Long-term survival of a recurrent gallbladder carcinoma patient with lymph node and peritoneal metastases after multidisciplinary treatments: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder carcinoma with peritoneal metastasis has a poor prognosis, with a median survival time of 4.8 months. We report the survival of a patient with gallbladder carcinoma with peritoneal metastasis for 7.6 months owing to treatment with tumor resection after chemoradiotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old man was referred to our hospital for gallbladder carcinoma with hepatic invasion. Cholecystectomy was performed along with S4a and S5 hepatectomy and extrahepatic bile duct resection with lymph node dissection. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, T3, N0, M0, stage IIIA by the International Union Against Cancer TNM classification. Despite treatment with gemcitabine, the common hepatic artery and para-aortic lymph nodes showed metastases after 3 months from surgery. Although a combination of cisplatin, gemcitabine, and radiotherapy reduced the size of the lymph node metastasis, the peritoneal metastasis persisted. The peritoneal metastasis responded to chemoradiotherapy using tegafur-uracil and leucovorin, but it recurred. The metastasis was resected after 3 years and 9 months from the first surgery, and chemotherapy was discontinued. Seven years and 6 months after the initial surgery, the patient exhibited no signs of tumor recurrence or metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary treatment including resection without residual tumors could achieve complete remission of gallbladder carcinoma with lymph node and peritoneal metastases in the selected patient.