Age is no longer a limit: two cases of hepatectomy in patients over 90 years old.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with poor prognosis. The age of patients affected by HCC is considered to be increasing, and several studies have reported significantly higher rates of morbidity and mortality after hepatectomy for HCC in elderly patients. However, other studies have reported that the short- and long-term outcomes of surgery for HCC in elderly patients are similar to those in younger patients. Whether the indications for hepatic resection in elderly patients resemble those in younger patients has thus been questioned. We describe two cases of patients over 90 years old who underwent major hepatectomy for HCC, representing the oldest patients in the world to have done so.

Successfully treated intra-abdominal abscess caused by fish bone with perforation of ascending colon: a case report.

Ingestion of a foreign body is not uncommon, but rarely results in perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common sites of perforation are reportedly the narrowest parts of the bowel, and perforation of the right side of the colon is rare. We report herein the case of a 69-year-old man who presented with an 8-week history of right upper abdominal pain. Laboratory data revealed inflammation at the first hospital visit. Computed tomography revealed a hypodense lesion containing a hyperdense foreign body in the abdomen. Intra-abdominal abscess caused by foreign body perforation was diagnosed. After administering antibiotics for 2 weeks, surgery was performed. Symptoms had resulted from perforation of the ascending colon by a fish bone.

Tubulopapillary adenoma of the gallbladder accompanied by bile duct tumor thrombus.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is recognized as a precancerous lesion; however, both its pathogenesis and progression remain unclear. We present here a case of IPNB arising from the gallbladder accompanied by bile duct tumor thrombus in a 79-year-old female. The resected specimen revealed a tubulopapillary adenoma with no malignant cells. This case suggests that even in the absence of malignant cells, these tumors can behave as malignant tumors requiring aggressive treatment. Even if no malignant cells are present, intraepithelial neoplasms occurring in the ampullopancreatobiliary tract can behave as malignant tumors.

Management considerations for purported spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an extraordinary phenomenon that occurs rarely. While more than 80 cases have been described, most have been established via radiological findings or examination of biopsy tissues rather than via pathological examination of a resected specimen. The present report describes a purported case of spontaneous regression of HCC as indicated by radiological examination. Subsequent immunostaining of surgically resected specimens revealed viable cancer cells, though only necrotic tissues were seen on hematoxylin and eosin staining. These data indicate that viable cancer cells may still be present even if imaging findings suggest spontaneous regression of HCC. Therefore, these patients should receive aggressive treatment similar to that used for patients with established HCC.

First report of hepatectomy without endotracheal general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Local anesthesia, including epidural anesthesia, has much merit over general anesthesia for the reduction of perioperative cardiac and respiratory complications. Liver operations commonly require general anesthesia. This is the first report of hepatectomy performed under epidural anesthesia with conscious sedation to avoid general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. STUDY DESIGN: We devised the following protocol for hepatectomy under epidural anesthesia with conscious sedation: the patient receives 10 mg diazepam orally 1 hour before surgery, followed by 10 mg diazepam and 15 mg pentazocine intravenously just before surgery. An epidural catheter is inserted via the thoracic vertebra 7 to 9 interspaces. Intraoperatively, the patient receives a bolus of 7 mL 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride every 40 minutes through the epidural catheter. We conducted 4 left hepatectomies, 1 left lateral sectorectomy, and 5 partial hepatectomies under this protocol. We assessed the efficacy and safety of hepatectomy under epidural anesthesia with conscious sedation in terms of mortality rate, surgical time, amount of bleeding, and central venous pressure during the procedure. RESULTS: Every patient was managed without endotracheal intubation and laryngeal masks. There was no perioperative mortality. Median intraoperative blood loss was 453.0 mL (range 144.0 to 1292.0 mL) and median surgical time was 273.0 minutes (range 137.0 to 440.0 minutes). Median total amount of 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride used was 52.0 mL (range 23.0 to 95.0 mL). Central venous pressure values were significantly lower during the Pringle maneuver than at preclamp. CONCLUSIONS: The traditional belief is that liver resection should be performed under general anesthesia. We report the world's first series of liver resections for malignant tumors performed under epidural anesthesia with conscious sedation to avoid general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation.