Proposed standards for reporting outcomes of treating biliary injuries.

BACKGROUND: There is no standard nor widely accepted way of reporting outcomes of treatment of biliary injuries. This hinders comparison of results among approaches and among centers. This paper presents a proposal to standardize terminology and reporting of results of treating biliary injuries. METHODS: The proposal was developed by an international group of surgeons, biliary endoscopists and interventional radiologists. The method is based on the concept of "patency" and is similar to the approach used to create reporting standards for arteriovenous hemodialysis access. RESULTS: The group considered definitions and gradings under the following headings: Definition of Patency, Definition of Index Treatment Periods, Grading of Severity of Biliary Injury, Grading of Patency, Metrics, Comparison of Surgical to Non Surgical Treatments and Presentation of Case Series. CONCLUSIONS: A standard procedure for reporting outcomes of treating biliary injuries has been produced. It is applicable to presenting results of treatment by surgery, endoscopy, and interventional radiology.

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver in adult patient: A report of two cases.

Primary sarcomas of the liver are unusual neoplasms developing in adults. They constitute a heterogeneous group of neoplasms including undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma. Patients usually present with an abdominal mass and abdominal pain. Case 1: A 53-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed an occupying mass in the right lobule and an intra-auricular multi-lobulated mass suggestive of a secondary deposit. Biopsy of the hepatic lesion revealed undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma. Despite radiotherapy and supportive measures, her overall status progressively worsened until cardiac arrest. Case 2: A 41-year-old woman presented with hepatomegaly. Abdominal imaging showed cystic lesions in the right hepatic lobule with multiple septae. The patient underwent extended right hepatectomy and a histopathological study reported high-grade undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma. Two years after surgery, a new cystic lesion in the surgical site was recorded and chemotherapy was scheduled. The lesion remained stable for three years when disease progression was observed and second-line chemotherapy was initiated. Although undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver has poor prognosis, early diagnosis is essential to increase the chances of survival. Currently, surgical resection and chemotherapy are the primary treatment modalities.

[Retrospective study between open vs. laparoscopic funduplication in gastroesophageal reflux disease]. / Estudio retrospectivo entre funduplicatura abierta vs. laparoscópica en enfermedad por reflujo gastroesofágico.

INTRODUCTION: Nissen funduplication is each time more frequently used for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment. Surgical technique has changed from open to laparoscopic. OBJECTIVE: To analyze in comparative form the results of open and laparoscopic Nissen procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a period of five years, Nissen funduplication was practiced to 144 patients with confirmed GERD (50 open and 94 laparoscopic). All the patients were follow-up in Outpatient Consultation of the hospital for a minimum period of a year, evaluating in comparative form results and complications of the intervention. Retrospective revision of the files was made. RESULTS: Surgical time average in open surgeries was of 2.6 hours, and laparoscopic 2.57 hours (p = ns). Splenectomy in a patient operated in open form was an only complication. Postoperating complications in four patients (5%) laparoscopic and in 10 (20%) open (p 0.002). Hospital stay in these last ones was of 7.6 days and in laparoscopic 4.7 days (p < 0.0001). A year after the intervention, 19 patients (38%) open surgeries presented suggestive symptoms of reflux or had proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Of these, in 5 (10%) recurrence of the GERD by some method was confirmed requiring reoperation two of them. In five peptic acid gastro/duodenal disease was confirmed and the rest had drugs without specific indication, demonstrating suitable morphology of the SEGD intervention. In the laparoscopic group, there were 26 symptomatic patients or who had PPIs a year after the intervention (27%). In seven (7%) reflux recurrence was confirmed, becoming necessary the reintervention in two. Another gastric/duodenal pathology in 13 was documented and six had drugs without specific indication. CONCLUSIONS: Nissen operation allows reflux control in 90% of the patients. Laparoscopic intervention requires a smaller hospital stay and is associated to less frequency of complications. The accomplishment of all technical steps of Nissen surgery, open or laparoscopic, is indispensable for good results.

Bile duct injuries related to misplacement of "T tubes".

INTRODUCTION: T tubes can be placed in the bile ducts either open or laparoscopically for several reasons such as: extraction of stones, biliary reconstruction after liver transplant and in end-to-end anastomosis in iatrogenic injuries. Inadequate placement of the T tube, long term stay and technical difficulties that can affect the outcome, can lead to an injury that usually requires a biliodigestive reconstruction. METHODS: In a 15-year period (1990-2005) a total of 343 patients have been referred to our university hospital for biliary reconstruction. Files of those patients in which the injury was due to misplacement of a T tube or associated with a long-term stay were reviewed. We evaluated the type of injury, technique used for the reconstruction, longterm staying of the T tubes (1-6 months), hospital in stay, long term outcomes as well as associated comorbidities. RESULTS: In 42 cases a biliary injury related to a T tube was identified (13%). All the injuries were classified as Strasberg E, with demonstration of a fistula (internal or external); 18 to the duodenum, 5 to the jejunum-ileum and 3 to the colon. A hepatojejunostomy was done to all patients; the duodenum and small gut fistulas were closed and in the 3 cases with colonic injury a right hemicolectomy was performed. The postoperative evolution was adequate without major complications but with a longer hospital stay. In 39 of the 42 patients (92%), good postoperative results were obtained. Only one case required a new surgery (22 months after the first one), due to recidivant cholangitis. CONCLUSION: Inadequate placement of the T tubes and long-term stay can produce complex biliary injuries with associated comorbidities such as fistulas to the adjacent viscera. Placement of T tubes need a careful surgical technique and their indication must be carefully assessed.

Derivaciones portosistémicas de bajo diámetro. Indicaciones y limitaciones / Low diameter porto-systemic shunts. Indications & limitations

Las derivaciones portosistémicas de bajo diámetro (DPBD) para el tratamiento de la hipertensión portal hemorrágica, han surgido como consecuencia del desarrollo de prótesis vasculares (PTFE), que permiten la utilización de diámetros pequeños (8 a 10 milímitros). Se presenta la experiencia en un período de seis años, en la Clínica de Hipertención Portal del INNSZ, en pacientes con buena función hepática (Child-Pugh A-B) y que fueron operados electivamente (N = 31). Edad promedio 47.5 (margen 17.71). Veintisiete pacientes cirróticos, uno con fibrosis portal y tres con hipertensión idiopática. Veintidos en clase A de Child y cinco en clase B. Mortalidad operatoria: 4 por ciento. Recurrencia de hemorragia: 14 por ciento. Encefalopatía posoperatoria en 14 de 27, correspondiendo a grado 1 en 10 casos, controlada con facilidad. En tres casos se encontró encefalopatía grado III - IV (11 por ciento). El estudio angiográfico posoperatorio demostró permeabilidad de la derivación en 81 por ciento de los casos y disminución de diámetro de la porta en 33 por ciento, así como dos obstrucciones (7 por ciento). En 77 por ciento de los casos hubo adecuada calidad de vida posoperatoria. Sobrevida Kaplan-Meier). 86 por ciento al año y 56 por ciento a cinco años. Estas operaciones son una buena alternativa para los pacientes candidatos a cirugía en los cuales no es posible realizar una derivación selectiva o devascularización con transección esofágica