Sural nerve grafting for long defects of the femoral nerve after resection of a retroperitoneal tumour.

Most injuries to the femoral nerve are iatrogenic in origin and occur during resection of large retroperitoneal tumours. When the defect is considerable a nerve graft is mandatory to avoid tension across the suture line. We describe two cases of iatrogenic femoral nerve injury which recovered well after reconstruction with long sural nerve grafts. The probable reasons for success were that we performed the grafting soon after the injury, the patients were not too old, the nerve repairs were reinforced with fibrin glue and electrical stimulation of the quadriceps was administered to prevent muscle atrophy. Good functional results may be obtained if these conditions are satisfied even if the length of a nerve graft is more than 10 cm.

Submucosal injection, for endoscopic mucosal resection, of photocrosslinkable chitosan hydrogel in DMEM/F12 medium.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: We studied the ability of a photocrosslinkable chitosan in DMEM/F12 medium to maintain submucosal thickness and to reduce bleeding after mucosal resection. We also investigated the behavior of chitosan hydrogels with regard to wound healing. METHODS: The gastric submucosal layer of heparinized rats was injected with the photocrosslinkable chitosan in medium (which was then irradiated with ultraviolet light to form a hydrogel), or with sodium hyaluronate, or hypertonic saline, and three investigations were done, using three different sets of rats. The first and second were measurement of the thickness of the layer, and of the amount of bleeding induced by mucosal resection, respectively. Thirdly, the effects of the chitosan hydrogel on wound healing were examined histologically. RESULTS: Gastric submucosal layers of chitosan hydrogel-treated animals remained significantly thicker than those of other groups for at least 6 h after injection. The total amount of bleeding 20 min after mechanical mucosal resection was 170.0 +/- 20.0 mg, 678.3 +/- 226.3 mg, and 1020.0 +/- 104.1 mg in the chitosan hydrogel, sodium hyaluronate, and hypertonic saline groups, respectively. Histological study revealed that the focus of bleeding was surrounded by chitosan hydrogel and that almost all the hydrogel was biodegraded within 4 weeks. Furthermore, a discernible, but not statistically significant effect of the chitosan hydrogel on wound healing was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The chitosan hydrogel produced mucosal elevation after submucosal injection with ultraviolet irradiation, and it significantly reduced bleeding after mucosal resection. Our newly developed chitosan hydrogel in medium might be a promising submucosal agent for endoscopic mucosal resection.

Reduction rate of lymph node metastasis as a significant prognostic factor in esophageal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy.

Tumor regression is used widely as a measure of tumor response following radiation therapy or chemoradiation therapy (CRT). In cases of esophageal cancer, a different pattern of tumor shrinkage is often observed between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs). Regression of MLNs surrounded by normal tissue may be a more direct measure of the response to CRT than regression of a primary tumor as exfoliative mechanical clearance does not participate in shrinkage of MLNs. In this study we evaluated the significance of the reduction rate (RR) of MLNs as a prognostic factor in esophageal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT. Forty-two patients with marked MLNs were selected from 93 patients with esophageal carcinoma who had received neoadjuvant CRT. The RRs of the primary tumor and the MLNs were calculated from computed tomography scans. In 20 patients, surgical resection was carried out following CRT. Univariate analysis was used to determine which of the following variables were related to survival: size of the primary tumor and MLNs; RRs of both lesions; degree of lymph node (LN) metastasis; clinical stage; and surgical resection. Multivariate analysis was then performed to assess the prognostic relevance of each variable. The primary tumor was larger than the MLNs in 69% of patients before CRT and in 40% of patients after CRT. In 79% of the patients, the RR of the primary tumor was greater than the RR of the MLNs. The results of the univariate analyses showed that a high RR of the MLNs and surgical resection after CRT were associated with significantly improved survival. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the RR of MLNs had the strongest influence on survival. The RR of LN metastasis should be evaluated as an important prognostic predictor in patients with marked LN metastasis of esophageal cancer treated with CRT.

Frequent methylation-associated silencing of a candidate tumor-suppressor, CRABP1, in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma.

Epigenetic alterations and the resulting inactivation of tumor suppressor genes often contribute to the development of various cancers. To identify novel candidates that may be silenced by aberrant methylation in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC), we analysed ESCC cell lines by a recently developed method known as bacterial artificial chromosome array-based methylated CpG island amplification (BAMCA), and selected candidates through BAMCA-assisted strategy. In the course of this program, we identified frequent CpG methylation-dependent silencing of the gene encoding cellular retinoic acid binding protein 1 (CRABP1) in our panel of ESCC cell lines. Expression of CRABP1 mRNA was restored in gene-silenced ESCC cells after treatment with 5-aza 2'-deoxycytidine. The DNA methylation status of the CRABP1 CpG island with clear promoter activity correlated inversely with expression of this gene. CpG methylation of CRABP1 was frequently observed in primary ESCC tissues as well. Restoration of CRABP1 expression in ESCC cells lacking the protein reduced cell growth by inducing arrest at G(0)-G(1), whereas knockdown of the gene in cells expressing CRABP1 promoted cell growth. Among 113 primary ESCC tumors, the absence of immunoreactive CRABP1 was significantly associated with de-differentiation of cancer cells and with distant lymph-node metastases in the patients. These results indicate that CRABP1 appears to have a tumor-suppressor function in esophageal epithelium, and its epigenetic silencing may play a pivotal role during esophageal carcinogenesis. Its expression status in biopsies or resected tumors might serve as an index for identifying ESCC patients for whom combined therapeutic modalities would be recommended.

Radial displacement of the medial meniscus in varus osteoarthritis of the knee.

The macroscopic and histologic findings for 31 medial menisci and medial tibial plateaus obtained during total knee arthroplasty were examined to clarify the etiology and progression of varus osteoarthritis. Medial menisci were preserved fairly well in cases of severe osteoarthritis in which the medial joint space had already disappeared. The anterior segment was preserved in 26 (84%) menisci and the posterior segment was preserved in 11 (35%). The medial meniscus may have been preserved because of its radial displacement. Exposure of subchondral bone of the medial tibial plateau occurred in all 31 knees. The exposure of subchondral bone was centered in the anterior, middle, and posterior in nine, 10, and 12 medial tibial plateaus, respectively. There was a mechanical inconsistency between the pattern of preservation of the medial menisci and the location of exposure of subchondral bone on the medial tibial plateaus. The inconsistency reflects that the segment of the medial meniscus on which the excessive load was considered to exist was preserved fairly well. The authors' hypothesis for explaining this inconsistency is that radial displacement of the medial meniscus precedes narrowing of the medial joint space during progression of varus osteoarthritis, so that the displaced meniscus is saved from severe degeneration or attrition.

Long-term survival after gastric cancer and liver and paraaortic lymph node metastases: report of a case.

We report the case of a 46-year-old man in whom successful resection of carcinoma of the stomach with liver and paraaortic lymph node metastases was carried out. The carcinoma was removed completely with combined resection of the lower esophagus, total stomach, distal pancreas, spleen, two metastatic liver nodes, and groups 1 and 2 and abdominal paraaortic lymph nodes. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered postoperatively. The patient is currently well with a grade 1 performance status and no signs of recurrence 12 years after his operation. This experience suggests that even the presence of metastatic paraaortic lymph nodes and liver metastases is not necessarily a contraindication to surgery when the carcinoma can be resected curatively and safely.

Beneficial effects of immediate enteral nutrition after esophageal cancer surgery.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of immediate enteral nutrition (EN) on nutritional status, immunological competence, and the suppression of excessive inflammatory responses in patients following esophageal cancer surgery. Twenty-four patients who underwent the same elective operation for thoracic esophageal carcinoma were randomized into an immediate enteral nutrition (IEN) group who received EN from postoperative day (POD) 1 and a parenteral nutrition (PAN) group. Both groups received comparable volumes and calories on the same POD. Laboratory studies were carried out preoperatively and on PODs 1-7. Other nutritional and immunological assessments were repeated on PODs 1 and 7. Plasma concentrations of nitrate and nitrite were also measured. All of the patients in the IEN group tolerated enteral feeding well. There were no significant differences in the results of nutritional assessments, lymphocyte function, or plasma nitrate and nitrite levels between the two groups. The IEN group showed a significantly earlier recovery of the total lymphocyte count. The serum levels of total bilirubin and C-reactive protein were significantly attenuated in the IEN group. These results indicate that immediate EN may have beneficial effects on immunological competence and the suppression of excessive inflammatory responses in patients following esophagectomy. Patients undergoing radical esophageal surgery who are subjected to severe surgical stress might benefit the most from early EN.

Assessment of articular cartilage of the lateral tibial plateau in varus osteoarthritis of the knee.

This study describes the soft X-ray examinations of 24 lateral tibial plateaus obtained during total knee arthroplasty for varus osteoarthritis. The average thickness of the articular cartilage was 3.5 min and ranged from 2.1 to 5.0. We considered that 21 out of the 24 lateral tibial plateaus had well preserved articular cartilage. Within the well preserved articular cartilage, bony protuberances of various sizes were found in five cases. All lateral tibial plateaus except one showed osteophyte formation. We considered that 12 of the 24 lateral tibial plateaus had large osteophytes. Ten of these 12 lateral tibial plateaus had well preserved articular cartilage. Large osteophyte formation may not necessarily be a contra-indication of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Cases with a bony protuberance may not be suitable for HTO or UKA, because the overlying articular cartilage is thin and inadequate for supporting load.

[Myxoid leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus].

A 34-year-old male patient with epigastralgia was found to have an esophageal submucosal tumor based on an endoscopic evaluation 6 years previously. Because an unusual appearance composed of a heterogeneous solid area and a cyst area on the endoscopic ultrasonogram and the increased size of the tumor on esophagograms over the past 3 years were suggestive of a malignant character, an operation was thus indicated. The tumor, which measured 3.5 x 2.5 x 2.0 cm in size, was enucleated using videoassisted thoracic surgery and was diagnosed to be a very rare myxoid leiomyosarcoma with a thorough pathologic examination. To our knowledge, this is only the second case of esophageal myxoid leiomyosarcoma reported in the literature. We thus consider this case, which demonstrated an unique appearance on an endoscopic ultrasonogram, to possibly be beneficial to the overall diagnostic analysis of esophageal submucosal tumors.

Simultaneous resection of gastric carcinoma and splenectomy in a patient with polycythemia vera: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a 57-year-old man who underwent resection of gastric carcinoma after being treated for polycythemia vera (PV) for 16 months. He was admitted with gastrointestinal bleeding; barium meal roentogenogram and endoscopic examination subsequently revealed a Borrmann type II carcinoma in the cardia of the stomach with extension into the lower esophagus. Thus, a lower esophagogastrectomy, distal pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and lymph node dissection were performed. Although an insufficiency of the esophagojejunal anastomosis occurred, the patient suffered no hematologic complications in the setting of careful myelosuppressive and antiplatelet coagulation therapy. He is currently doing well 5 years after his operation, with grade 1 performance status and no signs of recurrence or any hematologic complications.

Pedunculated esophageal leiomyosarcoma: a case report.

We report a case of esophageal leiomyosarcoma that possibly arose from the muscularis mucosae, thereby showing a particularly unusual appearance. A large polypoid intraluminal lesion in the distal esophagus was found on an endoscopic examination of a 68-year-old man with a 3-month history of dysphagia. Although the histological examination of biopsy specimens clearly revealed leiomyosarcoma, the absence of an exophytic component on computed tomography (CT) scan caused us to suspect that the tumor was carcinosarcoma. The tumor was resected by a subtotal esophagectomy. Microscopic evaluation revealed no involvement in the layer of the muscularis propria and no component of carcinoma. Clinical features of the pedunculated esophageal leiomyosarcoma shown in this case and three additional cases previously reported in the literature are reviewed.

Successful combined resection of carcinoma of the esophagus and adrenal metastasis: report of a case.

We report herein the case of a 56-year-old man who underwent successful combined resection of carcinoma of the esophagus and an adrenal metastasis. The patient presented with carcinoma of the thoracic esophagus, and an adrenal tumor was incidentally detected by computed tomography(CT). Complete removal of the carcinoma was accomplished along with a combined resection of the thoracic esophagus and left adrenal gland. Surgery was followed by the administration of anticancer chemotherapeutic agents. He is currently doing well with a grade 1 performance status and no signs of recurrence 22 months after his operation. To our knowledge, no previous report of the successful simultaneous resection of esophageal carcinoma and an adrenal metastasis has been documented in the literature.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus: report of a case and review of the Japanese literature.

We report herein the case of a 79-year-old man with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the esophagus. The tumor had a polypoid appearance and was covered by thin esophageal mucosa. As the biopsy specimens suggested a diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, the patient underwent subtotal esophagectomy with reconstruction of the gastric tube via the posterior mediastinum. Histologically, the carcinoma contained basaloid cells, cribriform foci, and a certain amount of eosinophilic hyaline substance. Some of the basaloid cells were stained immunohistochemically for keratin, muscle actin, and S-100 protein, a pattern which was identical to the pattern of immunoreactivity of the myoepithelium. We reviewed 36 other cases of ACC of the esophagus reported in Japan, with special reference to the criteria for histological diagnosis.

PCNA immunostaining combined with AgNOR staining in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to identify patients with a poor prognosis.

Immunostaining of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) provides important information about cell kinetics and is easily performed on routinely obtained formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded materials. We report herein the results of a retrospective study on PCNA staining in esophageal cancer undertaken to determine its significance. As this study indicated that immunoreactivity was preserved in specimens fixed within 24h, only 31 specimens from surgical patients were available for this investigation. The mean PCNA index of the patients without invasion to the adventitia (35.7 +/- 17.9) was significantly lower than that of those with invasion to the adventitia or neighboring structures (49.7 +/- 14.5), while the PCNA index did not correlate with other clinicopathologic parameters such as histologic type, lymph node metastases, or prognosis. However, when an analysis of PCNA staining was combined with an analysis of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) staining, a correlation with prognosis was found. In fact, seven patients with a high PCNA index (> or = 44) and AgNOR count (> or = 6) had a significantly poorer prognosis than the remaining 22 (P = 0.0014), and six of these seven patients died within 2 years. These results indicate that this combined evaluation may be useful for the identification of patients with a poor prognosis among those undergoing surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

[Mitomycin-C-sensitive carcinoid tumor of the gallbladder: report of a case].

A case of carcinoid tumor of the gallbladder, which was sensitive to mitomycin-C is reported. A 49-year-old male was admitted to our hospital with a 2-month history of epigastralgia. He underwent right extended lobectomy of the liver, pancreaticoduodenectomy and lymph node dissection. Histology revealed a carcinoid tumor of the gallbladder with invasion of the liver and lymph node metastasis. About 2 months after the operation, right supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was detected and CT scan revealed abdominal paraaortic lymph node metastasis. The patient was given cis-platinum, but the right supraclavicular lymph node metastasis increased in size and number. After administration of mitomycin-C, the paraaortic lymph node metastasis disappeared. Carcinoid tumor obtained from the right supraclavicular lesion was inoculated into BALB/c nude mice, and sensitivity to anticancer drugs was assayed. This carcinoid tumor was sensitive to mitomycin-C but not to cisplatinum, adriamycin, or nimustine.

[A case of resected metastatic adrenal carcinoma from gastric cancer].

A case of a metastatic adrenal carcinoma is presented. A 67-year-old female underwent total gastrectomy for an adenocarcinoma of the stomach before 52 months. A mass was indicated at the left supra-renal region by computed tomography. The mass was successfully resected by an upper abdominal para-aortic lymph node dissection. Histologically, the mass was confirmed as a metastatic adrenal carcinoma with a lymph node metastasis from the gastric cancer. Metastatic adrenal carcinomas and local lymph node dissections for treating metastatic carcinomas are discussed.

[Lipid metabolism after operation for esophageal cancer].

In order to clarify the abnormal lipid metabolism after resection of esophageal cancer, we measured serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride phospholipid, free fatty acid, lipoprotein and apoprotein in 38 patients with esophageal cancer before and up to 4 weeks after operation. Patients were divided into three groups; group A consisted of 26 patients whose postoperative course was uneventful, group B, 12 patients who suffered from post-operative complications and group C, 15 control patients who underwent gastrectomy for cancer of the stomach. The conclusions were; 1) After operation, remarkable decrease was observed in many lipids and proteins which were synthesized mainly in the liver. This was more prominent in groups A and B than in group C. There was no difference between group A and B up to 2 weeks, however, after that recovery was slow in group B. 2) This decrease in serum lipids and proteins may be explained by the postoperative liver dysfunction which mimics acute hepatitis, and by abnormal increase in their consumption. 3) In group B, preoperative serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and albumin had been significantly lower than those in group A, and cholinesterase, apoAI and apoAII had also tended to be lower.