[Surgical therapy of alveolar echinococcosis and long-term outcome]. / Die chirurgische Therapie der alveolären Echinokokkose und deren Langzeitergebnisse.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is low, and studies and progress reports with regard to surgical procedures are rare. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of surgical therapy of AE and its long-term results between 1983 and 2000 by evaluating medical records and questionnaires. SETTING: German university hospital within the endemic area. RESULTS: Twenty-five surgical procedures were performed in 19 patients with AE (12x partial resection of the liver, 3 of them with additional extrahepatic resection; 3x just extrahepatic resection, 4x bilidigestive anastomosis, 5x exploratory laparotomy, 1x bypass procedure). Fifteen patients were operated on the first time with that diagnosis, four due to a relapse. Seven surgical procedures were estimated to be curative, whereas 18 were palliative, because the parasitic mass could not be resected in toto. One patient died from persistent systemic sepsis as a consequence of microbial superinvasion of a splenic parasitic mass. Morbidity was 28%. All patients had additional medical treatment and periodic follow-up. Three of seven patients estimated for curative surgery developed a relapse. One of the patients discharged following palliative surgery died 13 years after diagnosis with liver insufficiency. Advances in conservative and interventional treatments have greatly improved the prognosis of the disease. CONCLUSION: Curative surgery for AE is feasible only in a minority of patients, because frequently the disease has already spread widely when diagnosed. The minimum distance between the lesion and the cut surface should be 2 cm. Taking the advances in conservative treatment into consideration, the benefit of palliative surgery is uncertain and today there is no evidence for prolonged survival by palliative surgical procedures. Palliative surgery should therefore be reserved for cases with complications that could not be managed by conservative and interventional treatment.

Diverticular disease-associated hemorrhage in the elderly.

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding is frequent in the elderly secondary to diverticular disease and occurs in about 10-30%. It is the most frequent cause of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage (about 40% of cases) followed by angiodysplasia (up to 20% of cases). The incidence of both diseases increase with age, but the patient's general condition and state of health decrease. Often cardiovascular morbidity coexists, resulting in an eventual risk of ischemic consequences. The intensity of bleeding varies from massive to occult. In diverticular disease, hemorrhage is caused by rupture or erosion of the vasa recti stretched by diverticula. Classically inflammation is absent. Although most diverticula (> 90%) are located in the sigmoid colon, bleeding originates more frequently from the right (> 50%) than the left colon. The preferred diagnostic tool following resuscitation is colonoscopy with an ability to locate the site of bleeding in up to 90% of cases. Additionally, injections and thermocoagulation are available to control bleeding endoscopically with a success rate of about 27%. Angiography is considerably variable concerning positive results (13.6-86%), has a complication rate of about 10% and is expensive. Hence, it is a second-line diagnostic method. Diverticular hemorrhage will cease spontaneously in about 90% of cases. Therefore, conservative treatment is preferred. Patients with persistent, massive or recurrent bleeding despite active conservative measures require surgical treatment. If surgical intervention is necessary, the site of hemorrhage must be sought to allow segmental resection. However, if the source of blood loss cannot be located, a subtotal colectomy is justified.

Endotoxemia and acute-phase proteins in major abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Translocation of endotoxin is a controversial issue. The ability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin is an indirect measure of endotoxemia. Endotoxin is a potent stimulator of the inflammatory response and affects the innate immune system. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the kinetics of endotoxemia and the ability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin in patients with major abdominal operations. To demonstrate the early time course of the acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), alpha(1)-antitrypsin, alpha(2)-macroglobulin, transferrin, and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and to correlate them with the amount of endotoxemia. METHODS: Twenty patients with elective major abdominal operation and 10 healthy controls were investigated. Blood was collected preoperatively, during the operation and regularly up to 12 days after surgery. Endotoxin was measured by Limulus amebocyte lysate test (LAL), the ability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin by modified LAL, the acute-phase proteins nephelometrically, and IL-6 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Preoperative endotoxin plasma level (0.026 +/- 0.004 EU/mL) did not differ from healthy volunteers but increased during operation (0.09 +/- 0.02 EU/mL, P = 0.02). Endotoxemia peaked 1 hour after the surgical procedure (0.16 +/- 0.03 EU/mL; P <0.0001 versus preoperative) and decreased to almost normal values after 48 hours. The capability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin was significantly reduced during (recovery, 0.16 +/- 0.03 EU/mL), 1 hour (0.25 +/- 0.04 EU/mL) and 24 hours (0.16 +/- 0.02 EU/mL) after the operation compared with preoperative (0.068 +/- 0.01 EU/mL) values. Plasma IL-6 was significantly increased for 48 hours with a peak 1 hour after surgery (470 +/- 108 pg/mL). CRP peaked at 210 +/- 19 mg/L (P <0.0001 versus preoperative) 48 hours after operation and was significantly elevated for the rest of the observation period. SAA was significantly increased 24 hours after surgery (249 +/- 45 mg/L) and peaked additional 48 hours later (456 +/- 86 mg/L). alpha(1)-Antitrypsin, although a positive acute-phase protein, decreased initially to 1.38 +/- 0.1 g/L (preoperative, 2.33 +/- 0.18 g/L; P <0.0001) and increased thereafter until day 12 (3.05 +/- 0.35 g/L, P = 0.11 versus preoperative). The same was true for alpha(2)-macroglobulin (preoperative, 2.2 +/- 0.16 g/L; intraoperative, 1.36 +/- 0.13 g/L; day 5, 2.8 +/- 0.4 g/L). Transferrin decreased already during surgery (1.6 +/- 0.1 g/L versus preoperative 2.8 +/- 0.17 g/L, P <0.0001) and remained on this level for 5 days. Correlation analysis revealed a relationship between endotoxemia and the ability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin (r = 0.67, P <0.0001) and also a relation between intraoperative endotoxemia on one hand and alpha(2)-macroglobulin (-0.53 > r > -0.6, P <0.05) as well as alpha(1)-antitrypsin (0.64 > r >0.55, P <0.05) on the other. CONCLUSION: Major abdominal surgery is associated with transient endotoxemia and a transient reduced endotoxin inactivation capacity of the plasma. Endotoxemia correlates with the endotoxin inactivation capacity. The surgical procedure causes substantial changes in plasma concentrations of acute-phase proteins. alpha(2)-Macroglobulin and alpha(1)-antitrypsin correlate moderately with endotoxemia.

Endotoxin and antiendotoxin antibodies in patients with acute pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the time course of endotoxaemia and antiendotoxin antibodies in patients with acute pancreatitis. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: University hospital, Germany. SUBJECTS: 25 patients with oedematous (n = 9) or necrotising (n = 16) pancreatitis, and 20 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Concentrations of endotoxin and immunoglobulins (classes G, M, and A) directed at two lipid A molecules, four lipopolysaccharides, and alpha-haemolysin of Staphylococcus aureus measurements in plasma during a 12 day period. RESULTS: There were no differences in the degree of endotoxaemia between patients with oedematous and necrotising pancreatitis on admission. However, from the day after admission and throughout the observation period patients with necrotising pancreatitis had significantly higher concentrations of endotoxin than those with oedematous pancreatitis. Concentrations of IgM specific for endotoxin peaked at day 4, and then decreased in patients with oedematous pancreatitis while remaining high for those with necrotising pancreatitis. There was only a slight increase in IgA specific for endotoxin, and IgG and immunoglobulins to gamma-haemolysin remained steady throughout the observation period. There was strong cross-reactivity (r > 0.7) between IgM specific for endotoxin (70%), but this was less with IgA (52%), and IgG (20%). CONCLUSIONS: Necrotising pancreatitis is accompanied by persistent endotoxaemia with an extended rise in antiendotoxin antibodies. Patients with oedematous pancreatitis have a transient endotoxaemia with a temporary increase of Ig specific for endotoxin. Endotoxin stimulates the synthesis of specific antibodies (IgM) despite general immunosuppression.

Association of endotoxemia and production of antibodies against endotoxins after multiple injuries.

BACKGROUND: Endotoxemia after injury has been a controversial issue. Endotoxins stimulate the innate and adaptive immune system. OBJECTIVE: To investigate endotoxemia and its effects on the production of antiendotoxin antibodies of cultured mononuclear cells of patients with multiple injuries. METHODS: Blood samples of 20 patients with multiple injuries were collected up to 12 days after trauma. The endotoxin concentration was measured in the plasma, and mononuclear cells were isolated and cultured. Specific antibodies against two lipopolysaccharides, one lipid A preparation, and alpha-hemolysin of Staphylococcus aureus were measured in the cell culture supernatant by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Endotoxemia peaked at admission of the patients, decreasing thereafter to almost normal values within 5 days. Isolated mononuclear cells synthesized antibodies against all tested antigens with a peak at or between day 5 and day 7. The increase was significant for immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgM specific to all endotoxins tested and for IgA specific to alpha-hemolysin. However, there were no significant changes of the concentrations of total IgM, IgA, and IgG. All specific IgG remained unaffected. CONCLUSION: Patients with multiple injuries initially have temporary endotoxemia. Endotoxin may be suggested as a stimulator of the synthesis of antiendotoxin antibodies, in particular of the IgA and IgM class in patients with multiple injuries.

Translocation of endotoxin and acute-phase proteins in malleolar fractures.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Translocation of endotoxins was demonstrated for multiple injury but not for minor trauma such as isolated malleolar fractures. Major trauma leads to substantial changes in the plasma concentration of acute-phase proteins. However, isolated malleolar fractures are minor trauma. The objective of this study was to elucidate the kinetics of endotoxemia and the ability of plasma to inactivate endotoxin of patients operated on malleolar fractures and to demonstrate the early time course of the acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein, transferrin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, haptoglobin, and interleukin-6 and to correlate them with the amount of endotoxemia. METHODS: Thirty patients with malleolar fractures were operated on within 6 hours after injury. Blood was collected immediately after admission and regularly up to 96 hours after surgery. RESULTS: Preoperative endotoxin plasma levels were increased compared with that of healthy individuals (0.05 +/- 0.017 vs. 0.02 EU/mL). Endotoxemia peaked 0.5 hours after the surgical procedure at 0.096 +/- 0.03 (p < 0.05 vs. healthy) and decreased to almost normal values after 24 hours. The ability of the plasma to inactivate endotoxin was significantly reduced after the surgical procedure compared with normal subjects (recovery, 0.17 +/- 0.028 EU/mL vs. 0.04 +/- 0.01 EU/mL; p < 0.05). Plasma interleukin-6 peaked 0.5 hours postoperatively (114 +/- 11 pg/mL, p < 0.05 vs. healthy), decreasing thereafter. C-Reactive protein peaked at 45 +/- 5 mg/mL (p < 0.05) 48 hours after injury. Transferrin decreased significantly postoperatively (2.41 +/- 0.12 mg/mL vs. pre-OP 2.65 +/- 0.1 mg/mL) and remained on this level for 96 hours. Both, alpha1-acid glycoprotein and haptoglobin increased postoperatively until day 4 (0.78 +/- 0.06 mg/mL to 1.15 +/- 0.08 mg/mL and 1.51 +/- 0.12 mg/mL to 3.24 +/- 0.22 mg/mL). There was no correlation between endotoxemia and the concentrations of the acute-phase proteins and interleukin-6. CONCLUSION: Surgery for malleolar fractures is associated with temporary endotoxemia and temporary reduced endotoxin inactivation capacity of the plasma. The injury and the surgical procedure leads to substantial changes in the plasma concentrations of acute-phase proteins. The relation between endotoxemia and acute-phase response is not dose dependent.