Training in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery during residency: past, present and future perspectives.

The paradigm introduced by William Halsted for surgical residency training has been considered the most appropriate educational system to acquire the knowledge and surgical skills required to become a competent general surgeon. Hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery is considered an important part of general surgery training because of its high prevalence and complexity. Nowadays, we are faced with a worldwide shortage of general surgeons candidates, restrictive working hours and less surgical exposure, situations that can undermine the objectives of training in HPB surgery during residency. Moreover, new generations of resident graduates are concerned about their lack of preparedness for independence. We cannot escape from this reality and therefore it justifies a reflection in our HPB surgical world community.

Patterns of care and treatment outcomes in older patients with biliary tract cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although biliary tract cancers (BTC) are common in older age-groups, treatment approaches and outcomes are understudied in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 913 patients diagnosed with BTC from January 1987 to July 2013 and treated at Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Toronto were analyzed. The differences in treatment patterns between older and younger patients were explored and the impact of age, patient and disease characteristics on survival outcomes was assessed. RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty one patients ≥ 70 years were identified. Older patients were more likely to receive best supportive care, 40% (n = 130), compared to younger patients 26% (n = 154); p < 0.0001. On multivariable analysis, factors associated with receipt of surgery included stage I/II disease (p < 0.0001) and ECOG PS < 2 (p < 0.0001). Older age was not associated with lack of surgical intervention. In comparison, older age was associated with non-receipt of palliative chemotherapy (p = 0.0007). Similar survival benefit from treatment was seen in older and younger patients. Of 626 patients that underwent either surgery or palliative chemotherapy (n = 188), the median survival was 21.1 months (95% CI 19.0-27.9) in patients >70 years of age, and 21.1 months in younger patients (n = 438) (95% CI 19.5-24.5). CONCLUSIONS: In this large retrospective analysis, older patients with BTC are less likely to undergo an intervention. However, active therapy when given is associated with similar survival benefits, irrespective of age.

Trends in incidence and management of cancer of the ampulla of Vater.

AIM: To provide trends in incidence, management and survival of cancer of the ampulla of Vater in a well-defined French population. METHODS: Data were obtained from the population-based digestive cancer registry of Burgundy over a 34-year period. Age-standardized incidence rates were computed using the world standard population. Average annual variations in incidence rates were estimated using a poisson regression. A univariate and multivariate relative survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: Age-standardized incidence rates were 0.46 and 0.30 per 100000 inhabitants for men and women, respectively. Incidence rate increased from 0.26 (1976-1984) to 0.58 (2003-2009) for men and remained stable for women. Resection for cure was performed in 48.3% of cases. This proportion was stable over the study period. Among cases with curative resection, pancreatico-duodenectomy was performed in 94.0% of cases and ampullectomy in 6.0% of cases. A total of 50.8% of cancers of the ampulla of Vater were diagnosed at an advanced stage. Their proportion remained stable throughout the study period. The overall 1- and 5-year relative survival rates were 60.2% and 27.7%, respectively. Relative survival did not vary over time. Treatment and stage at diagnosis were the most important determinants of survival. The 5-year relative survival rate was 41.5% after resection for cure, 9.5% after palliative surgery and 6.7% after symptomatic treatment. In multivariate analysis, only stage at diagnosis significantly influenced the risk of death. CONCLUSION: Cancer of the ampulla of Vater is still uncommon, but its incidence increased for men in Burgundy. Diagnosis is often made at an advanced stage, dramatically worsening the prognosis.

Advances in hepato-pancreato biliary surgery.

The Americas Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (AHPBA) Annual 2011 Meeting provided a forum for discussion of multidisciplinary advances surrounding six tracks including the liver, biliary system, liver transplantation, pancreas, imaging and biomedical engineering and general hepato-pancreato biliary (HPB) surgical disease. The meeting and postgraduate courses attracted the largest ever attendance and participation in the AHPBA annual meeting, including field leaders and participants from across North, Central and South America who interchanged clinical and scientific knowledge, and discussed advances in technology, care and outcomes for treatment of HPB diseases. The AHPBA Foundation, established in 2010, announced progress toward support of meritorious research in HPB disease and enrichment of educational programs. HPB fellowship graduates were recognized, marking successful establishment of the AHPBA as an important body guiding HPB education and training in the USA and the Americas.

Evolution in surgery: influence of minimally invasive approaches on the hepatobiliary surgeon.

BACKGROUND: Advances in technology and in medical knowledge underlie the constant change in paradigms for medical care. Those who understand, anticipate, and plan for these changes will have the greatest impact on future care of patients and education of the next generation of scholars. METHODS: Review of pertinent literature. RESULTS: In hepatobiliary surgery, rapid developments in laparoscopic surgery, image-guided interventions, and minimally invasive ablative therapies have combined to produce much improved care for patients with disease of the liver and biliary tract. Laparoscopic procedures of the gallbladder, bile duct, and liver have altered the morbidity of operations on these organs. Major changes in the treatment of liver abscess, gallstone disease, and liver tumors have resulted from recent changes in technology, highlighting the great opportunities the surgeon anticipating these changes may capitalize on to improve, not only patient care, but the field of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Active investigation and developments in education in these areas to improve the training of the next generation of surgeons undoubtedly will improve patient care.

Intraoperative cholangiography: past, present, and future.

The extrahepatic biliary tree was first visualized in 1918 when Reich injected bismuth and petrolatum and defined a biliary fistula, thus opening the field for further studies of the biliary tree. Mirizzi recorded the first series of intraoperative cholangiography in 1932 using static films. Later, the mobile C-arm image intensifier using a TV monitor was reported in a series by Berci and colleagues in 1978. They emphasized the importance of using routine cholangiography in all laparoscopic cholecystectomies. This procedure can be performed through the cystic duct or through the gallbladder with excellent visualization of the anatomy of the extrahepatic biliary tree, including the potential of finding bile duct stones, stricture, and tumor, as well as defining the function and anatomy of Oddi's sphincter. Numerous benefits of this technique can be observed, including early definition of a bile duct leak or injury. X-ray resolution will continue to improve as well as three-dimensional imaging, and intraoperative magnetic imaging cholangiopancreatography may be developed as the future intraoperative cholangiogram.

Technical complications are rising as common duct exploration is becoming rare.

BACKGROUND: Both hospital and surgeon volume influence outcomes. With introduction of new technologies, some procedures are now performed less frequently. ERCP has replaced the need for common duct exploration (CDE) in most cases of choledocholithiasis. We explored the secular trends and outcomes of CDE and how they have changed relative to introduction of ERCP. STUDY DESIGN: The National Hospital Discharge Survey database was analyzed for the years 1979 to 2001. Procedural frequency of ERCP and CDE was determined. Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices were used to characterize patients' disease burden for the years 1993 to 2001. Length of stay, mortality, and complication rates for each procedure were determined. RESULTS: At the beginning of the study period, an estimated 47,000 CDEs were performed annually. These declined to 7,700 per year as ERCP increased to 42,500 procedures per year at the end of the study period. CDE complication rates increased from 3.4% to 17.4% over the same period. Comorbidity analysis for the years 1993 to 2001 revealed that ERCP and CDE patients had equivalent disease burdens. Technical complication rates rose in parallel to the increased overall CDE complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: ERCP has replaced the need for most but not all CDE. With diminished CDE experience at a national level, the complication rate has markedly increased, at least in part from technical complications. Both choledocholithiasis treatment algorithms and clinical training paradigms need to account for the rarity of CDE and high complication rates associated with it, by incorporation of training modules in surgical residencies and advocating referral to centers having expertise in biliary tract operations from surgeons with little CDE experience.