Approximately one-half of patients with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma meeting Milan criteria did not receive local tumor destructive or curative surgery in the post-MELD exception era.

BACKGROUND: Since 2002, priority Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception status has been given to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who meet the Milan criteria. Since then, the number of liver transplantations performed in patients with HCC has increased, but to the authors' knowledge, few studies to date have examined the effect of MELD exception recommendations on therapy use and survival rates in a nationwide sample. The current study examines therapy use and long-term survival rates among patients with HCC tumors meeting the Milan criteria in the post-MELD exception era. METHODS: The current study is a retrospective cohort study of 2179 patients with localized HCC meeting the Milan criteria who were registered between 2004 and 2007 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. RESULTS: A total of 43% of patients did not receive any specific therapy. Overall, the 5-year relative survival rate for patients receiving only supportive care was dismal at 24% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 21%-27%), whereas that for patients undergoing liver transplantation was 77% (95% CI, 71%-82%). Long-term survival was found to be dependent on age, race/ethnicity, and type of therapy received. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, and type of therapy received demonstrated that, compared with white patients, black patients had significantly poorer survival outcomes (hazards ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.47 [P = .02]), whereas Asian/Pacific Islander patients had significantly better survival rates when compared with white patients (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.57-0.77 [P < .001]). CONCLUSIONS: Despite having localized disease that met transplantation criteria, nearly 50% of the large nationwide cohort of patients with HCC in the current study received only supportive care and had dismal 5-year relative survival rates, especially among black patients.

The Chronic Pancreatitis International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification Code 577.1 Is Inaccurate Compared With Criterion-Standard Clinical Diagnostic Scoring Systems.

OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological studies utilizing administrative databases use the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code (577.1) to identify patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). We hypothesized that coding of CP in these databases is inaccurate. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1343 consecutive patients having an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 577.1 between October 1, 2005, and November 1, 2008. We labeled patients as definite CP or non-CP, defined as fulfilling any of the 3 diagnostic criteria for definite CP: Mayo, Ammann's, and the Japanese Pancreas Society criteria. RESULTS: Six hundred fifty-eight subjects (49%) had definite CP. Definite CP among Mayo, Ammann's, and Japanese Pancreas Society criteria was similar (49.0, 42.1, and 43.8, respectively); 84.3% of the definite CP fulfilled all 3 criteria, 6.7% fulfilled 2, and 9.0% filled 1 criterion. Etiologies of definite CP were definite/suspected nonalcohol (57.8%) or alcohol (33.5%) and not reported (8.7%). In non-CP (n = 685), 93.7% had available imaging (5.7% had endoscopic ultrasonography ≥5 or Cambridge II-III scores), and 63.5% had symptoms suggestive of CP but did not fulfill other features for definite CP. The CP versus non-CP groups had similar mean ages but significantly more men and patients ever smoking and ever drinking alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Fifty-one percent of subjects coded as CP do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for definite CP. Relying solely on the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification code for CP in administrative databases may lead to erroneous epidemiological conclusions.

Calcific aortic valve and spontaneous embolic stroke: a review of literature.

Aortic valve calcification is common in the elderly and in patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve but unlike calcific mitral valve disease it is not a well recognized risk factor for stroke. Although autopsy studies have revealed evidence of systemic embolism in one-third of cases with calcific aortic valves, there is conflicting data from larger clinical studies examining the association between calcific aortic valve and stroke. There are only 8 reported cases of symptomatic stroke from spontaneous cerebral thromboembolism associated with calcific aortic valve in the literature. Computerized tomography (CT) angiography and CT without contrast are modalities of choice to diagnose calcific embolism, while MRI may be useful in delineating the extent of ischemia. Ideal management strategy, the role of antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulation or recommendations for valve replacements are poorly defined. We present a focused literature review on this topic.