Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy in Post Liver Transplant Patient

The risk of malignancy after transplantation is higher than that of general population. Laparoscopic surgery has become a standard treatment of gastric cancer. However, there are no case reports evaluating totally laparoscopic gastrectomy in patients with previous liver transplantation. Herein we report our experience with a liver transplant recipient who underwent totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) for gastric cancer. A 63 year-old man underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for cryptogenic liver cirrhosis. 8 years later, gastric cancer was diagnosed during the follow-up. Endoscopic submucosal dissection was performed and additional surgical resection was needed. TLDG and D1+ lymph node dissection was performed, and the patient was discharged on the 8th post-operative day without any complications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of de novo gastric cancer treated with TLDG after OLT. This suggests that TLDG is a feasible for patients after OLT.

Optimal Level of Tacrolimus to Minimize Nephrotoxicity in Liver Transplantation / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin inhibitor-induced nephrotoxicity is the main cause of renal dysfunction after liver transplantation (LT). The aims of this study were to investigate the changes in kidney function after LT and to determine the optimal tacrolimus level in order to minimize nephrotoxicity at various time points after LT. METHODS: We enrolled 37 LT recipients with a preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > or =60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and all received immunosuppression including tacrolimus. Renal function was assessed by eGFR. eGFR and tacrolimus level were estimated at 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after LT. Multivariate regression analysis was applied for determination of mean tacrolimus level minimizing the decrease in eGFR at those time periods. Age, sex, presence of diabetes or hypertension, and use of Simulect were the covariates. RESULTS: Mean eGFR showed a decrease from 88 to 58 mL/min/1.73 m2 by 3 months after LT. Thereafter, eGFR remained stationary until 1 year. By multivariate regression analysis, mean tacrolimus level minimizing the decrease in eGFR could be obtained. Decrease of eGFR was lower in 12 patients with a mean tacrolimus level below 7.96 ng/mL compared to 25 patients with a mean tacrolimus level above 7.96 ng/mL (0.29 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 23.38 mL/min/1.73 m2; P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Kidney function had declined by three months after LT. However, thereafter, it was stationary until 1 year. Renal dysfunction could be decelerated by optimizing tacrolimus level at various time points.

Analysis of gallbladder polypoid lesion size as an indication of the risk of gallbladder cancer

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Recent advances in ultrasonography have contributed to the early detection of gallbladder cancer. We attempted to predict the progression of the disease by comparing the sizes of polypoid lesions, and we suggest that the size of the lesion would be a useful guideline to determine an appropriate primary surgical approach for polypoid lesions of the gallbladder. METHODS: We have retrospectively analyzed 253 patients that, during the operation period from January 2009 to December 2011, had had ultrasonographically detected gallbladder polypoid lesions, and who underwent cholecystectomy at Ulsan university hospital. We have analyzed the demographic data of the patients, the preoperative size of polypoid lesions, and pathologic findings. RESULTS: Of a total of 253 patients, 235 patients had benign lesions, and 18 patients had malignant lesions. Among the malignant polyp patients, 11 had pT1 cancer, 6 had pT2 cancer, and 1 had pT3 cancer. The average size of polypoid lesions was 9.1+/-3.1 mm and that of malignant lesions was 28.2+/-16.4 mm. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the benign and malignant groups shows that 14.5 mm is the optimal point of prediction of the malignancy. Of a total of 18 patients of GB cancer, 11 had pT1 and the average size of their polypoid lesions was 20.5+/-5.8 mm 7 had pT2 with a size of 39.1+/-20.7 mm. ROC curve analysis of the pT1 and pT2 groups shows that 27 mm would be the optimal point to predict T2 and above cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of an early cancer, curative treatment can be achieved through a simple and minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We attempted to predict early cancer occurrence among polypoid lesions of the gallbladder using the simplest standard, size. Although there are some limitations, size can be a simple and easy way to evaluate polypoid lesions of the gallbladder.

Performance Evaluation of Immunoassay Detection of HBsAg Mutants and Their Clinical Significance in the High Risk Groups

BACKGROUND: False negative results have been reported in the immunodetection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) because of the existence of the various mutants of the virus, causing most suppliers to try to develop superior reagents by using highly sensitive and specific monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of 3 newly developed reagents by major manufacturers by adopting automated methods with increased sensitivity and specificity in the detection and discrimination of native and recombinant mutant antigens. METHODS: We analyzed samples confirmed positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), high-risk samples from chronic hepatitis patients treated with antiviral agents, and samples from patients who had undergone liver transplantation and were treated with high-dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) by using reagents and systems newly developed by Abbott Laboratories (USA), Roche Diagnostics (Germany), and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (USA). Recombinant sample panels from these manufacturers with low and high concentrations were also analyzed for comparing the 3 reagents. RESULTS: There were no discrepant results among the various selected patient groups; however, for the recombinant mutant panels, all of the 3 reagents showed highly positive detection rates for their corresponding mutant panels, but showed relatively discrepant mutant detection rates when cross-tested with the other mutant panels. Detection rates of the HBsAg mutant panels were higher at a higher concentration of the mutant samples, but were lower for the same mutant receptor sites at a lower concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The 3 major detection methods seem to recognize the major native mutants commonly encountered in clinical practice. However, in the case of recombinant mutants, we believe that our data are not to be interpreted as a reference standard for any reagent, because the results can only be validated for the reagents' corresponding mutant panels; such results tend to be mutually exclusive, and the enough concentration of mutants was required to be adjusted for a comparative analysis.

A Case of Rapunzel Syndrome / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Rapunzel syndrome refers to a very rare condition in which swallowed hair forms a gastric trichobezoar that has a long tail extending into the small bowel. We describe a case of Rapunzel syndrome in an 8-year-old girl who presented with abdominal mass, epigastric pain and vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a markedly dilated stomach filled with coarse heterogeneous materials. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a huge hairy ball with a tail extending through the pylorus. We performed a surgical laparotomy and successfully removed a huge trichobezoar with a long tail extending into the middle portion of jejunum. Psychiatric consultation with review showed her past history of trichotillomania and trichophagia 4 years ago. But her parents denied further psychiatric therapy and she was lost to the follow-up. Rapunzel syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis in children with chronic abdominal pain and trichophagia.

Performance Evaluation of 3 Kinds of HBsAg Qualitative Assays and 2 Kinds of Quantitative Assays

BACKGROUND: Currently used techniques for quantitation of HBsAg often yield discordant results; therefore, development of quantitation techniques that can detect HBsAg with high accuracy has become very important. Recent advances have led to the development of several HBsAg detection systems. Here, we evaluated the performance of 3 newly developed detection systems, which can detect HBsAg both qualitatively and quantitavely, and determined the concordance among their results. METHODS: Four hundred and thirty two samples assigned to 4 groups-patient group, dilution group, weakly reactive group, and linearity group- were subjected to qualitative and quantitative detection of HBsAg by using the 3 systems developed by 3 major manufacturers; Abbott Architect, Roche E170 and Siemens Centaur XP. RESULTS: The results for the qualitative analyses were closely concordant among the three systems (98.3%) for all 432 samples. In 123 samples that were determined as HBsAg-negative, E170 (76%) distributed frequently at the upper half level (0.5-1.0) of negative reference range, compared with Architect (11%) and Centaur XP (22%). In particular, in 65 samples that were diluted from the strongly positive samples to obtain weakly positive samples, the average index values obtained using Architect (3.6 S/CO), E170 (4.2 COI) and Centaur XP (11.4 index value) differed significantly (P<0.0001). In the antiviral treatment group and the post-liver transplantation group, no inconsistency was observed among the results of the qualitative and quantitative assays. In the 18-fold serially diluted samples, no linearity was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the possibility of false-positive detection in the HBsAg-negative samples, regular management of equipment and appropriate selection of reagents are very important. In weakly positive samples, quantitative assay has not to be replaced for qualitative assay. Therefore, the qualitative assays should be used for screening the samples, whereas the quantitative assays should be used for monitoring the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) load in the samples determined as HBsAg-positive. The qualitative index value should not be interpreted as a quantitative measure of HBV load.

Comparison of Laparoscopic and Open Distal Pancreatectomy with Focus on the Development of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula / 대한내시경복강경외과학회지

PURPOSE: To assess the technical feasibility of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) focusing on the development of postoperative complications including pancreatic fistula (POPF). METHODS: From March 2001 to April 2010, 57 patients underwent a distal pancreatectomy. The patients were divided into two groups, LDP group (L group, n=15) and open distal pancreatectomy group (O group, n=42). The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical variables and postoperative outcomes of these 2 groups were compared retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients with a malignancy constituted 7% of the L group and 31% of the O group (p=0.084). The tumor size was significantly larger in the O group (2.6 vs. 5.3 cm). The body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in the L group (24.9 vs. 22.9 kg/m2). One case of a pancreas pseudocyst in the L group was converted to open surgery due to intraoperative bleeding. The L group showed significantly less intraoperative bleeding, earlier start of solid meals and shorter hospital stay. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications and POPF between the 2 groups. POPF of ISGPF grade B developed in 0 and 2 patients in the L group and O group, respectively. One intestinal obstruction and 1 fluid collection that required intervention was encountered in the O group. One patient with adenocarcinoma who underwent LDP was alive 25 months after surgery without recurrence. CONCLUSION: LDP provides the advantages of minimal access surgery with a comparable rate of POPF to ODP. LDP is considered suitable for benign and borderline-malignant pancreatic lesions.

Acute Appendicitis Associated with Aspergillosis in a Leukemia Patient: A Case Report

Herein we describe a rare case of acute appendicitis associated with localized aspergillosis in an 8-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. During chemotherapy, the patient complained of mild abdominal pain in the peri-umbilical area and displayed an increased C-reactive protein level. Abdominal ultrasonography disclosed appendicitis and consequently an appendectomy was done. Histologically, acute appendicitis and Aspergillus hyphae were identified in the lumen and necrotic mucosa. However, there was no evidence of systemic aspergillosis. While aspergillosis is a common fungal infection in immunocompromised patients treated with chemotherapy, acute appendicitis associated with localized aspergillosis without systemic infection is a very rare occurrence.

Liver Resection Versus Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma within Milan Criteria: An Intention-to-treat Analysis

PURPOSE: Postoperative as well as intention-to-treat outcomes of deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria were compared to outcomes for patients who underwent liver resection. The goal was to select the optimal therapeutic option for these patients. METHODS: Among 1363 patients diagnosed with HCC between Jan 2001 and Sep 2008, 57 underwent liver resection for HCC within the Milan criteria (LRX group) and 47 registered for DDLT (WAIT group). Thirteen patients underwent DDLT (LTX group), including 2 salvage DDLT for recurrent HCC after resection. The outcomes for the LRX group were compared with those for the LTX and WAIT groups. RESULTS: Child class B or C patients accounted for 5% in the LRX group and 81% in the WAIT group (p=0.000). Among 47 registrants in the WAIT group, 11 underwent DDLT after a mean waiting time of 282 days (LTX group). Tweleve patients were dropped from the waitlist due to death or disease progression after a mean time of 317 days after registration. There was 1 operative death in the LTX group 14 days after DDLT due to primary graft nonfunction. The 3-year overall and disease-free survival rates were comparable between the LRX and LTX groups. On the other hand, the LRX group showed a significantly better intention-to-treat outcome than the WAIT group. The 3-year survival rates were 80.4% for the LRX group and 52.0% for the WAIT group (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: For HCC patients within the Milan criteria, liver resection should be considered as their primary option of treatment in Korea, where the DDLT rate is below 6%.

A Case of Ruptured Ovarian Cyst in a Newborn

Ovarian cysts are the most common cystic abdominal masses in female newborns. It is believed to be derived from an overstimulation of the ovarian follicles by maternal, placental, and fetal hormones. Although most ovarian cysts resolve spontaneously, surgical management is mandatory for life-threatening, complicated cases, including torsion, intracystic hemorrhage, and rupture of the cyst. Rupture of ovarian cysts is thought to be exceedingly rare, but can lead to severe hemorrhagic ascites or peritonitis. We managed a case of a ruptured ovarian cyst in a female newborn who presented with mild abdominal distension and two episodes of gross hematuria. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a right ovarian cyst with torsion and rupture. She was successfully treated with a right salpingo-oophorectomy with no sequelae.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Infection Caused by Citrobacter freundii

Citrobacter freundii is frequently isolated in antimicrobial-resistant nosocomial infections. Many strains of Citrobacter freundii are capable of producing an inducible broad-spectrum beta-lactamase. We report a case of an abdominal aortic aneurysm infected with Citrobacter freundii. A 55-year-old woman presented with acute lower back pain. Contrast enhanced computed tomography revealed a saccular aneurysm of the infrarenal abdominal aorta, with impending rupture. She underwent emergency surgery, during which a segment of aneurysmal aorta and infected tissue were completely removed and an in situ graft was placed for vascular reconstruction. The anastomotic site and inserted graft were wrapped with greater omentum. Citrobacter freundii was isolated by tissue culture from the resected aneurysmal wall.

An Ampulla of Vater Carcinoid Tumor that Presented with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding / 대한소화기내시경학회지

A Carcinoid tumor of the ampulla of Vater is extremely rare, accounting for less than 0.3% of all gastrointestinal carcinoids. Most reported cases have arisen from the gallbladder. An ampullary carcinoid most commonly presents with jaundice or upper abdominal discomfort, and bleeding from the tumor is exceedingly rare. A diagnosis is most frequently made postoperatively due to submucosal spread of the tumor. As the metastatic potential cannot be predicted by tumor size, a Whipple pancreaticoduodenectomy rather than local excision is considered the treatment of choice. We herein report a case of a primary carcinoid tumor located at the ampulla of Vater that presented as gastrointestinal bleeding; the tumor was diagnosed by an endoscopic biopsy after a papillary sphinterotomy.

Hemobilia from Pancreatic Arteriovenous Malformation: Successful Treatment with Transportal Coil Embolization of Draining Veins / 대한소화기학회지

Pancreatic arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are extremely rare diseases frequently complicated by gastrointestinal hemorrhage. While surgical resection of affected lesion is preferred for the treatment of pancreatic AVM, angiographic intervention can be used as an alternative treatment, especially in surgically high-risk patients. We experienced a patient with pancreatic AVM manifested by hemobilia and biliary sepsis. Superior mesenteric and common hepatic arteriography showed pancreaticoduodenal AVM composed of nidus supplied by numerous fine feeding arteries and of draining veins encircling the common bile duct (CBD). Hemobilia was controlled by transportal coil embolization of draining veins of AVM around the CBD. Herein, we report this case with the review of literatures.

A Case of Telangiectatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia of the Liver in a Newborn

Telangiectatic focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) denotes atypical lesions considered as variants of FNH. FNH of the liver is characterized by stellate central scars with dysplastic vessels and hyperplastic nodules. It is the second most common benign hepatic tumor following hemangioma. However, telangiectatic FNH is extremely rare in the perinatal period and only three cases were reported in the literature. We recently experienced a case of telangiectatic FNH in a newborn. This lesion was detected on the prenatal ultrasonographic examination performed at the 36th weeks of gestation, and confirmed by the right lobectomy after birth. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.

Duodenal Duplicated Cyst Manifested by Acute Pancreatitis and Obstructive Jaundice in an Elderly Man

A duodenal duplication cyst is an uncommon congenital anomaly that is usually encountered during infancy or in early childhood. Duodenal duplication cysts generally appear on the first or second portion of the duodenum and may cause duodenal obstruction, hemorrhage or pancreatitis. Here, we report a case of a duodenal duplication cyst on the second and third portion of the duodenum in an old aged man with obstructive jaundice and acute pancreatitis, which was treated successfully by a surgical excision.

Appendiceal Mucocele

PURPOSE: An appendiceal mucocele refers to an abnormal dilatation of the appendiceal lumen by mucus. It is a rare clinical entity with a reported prevalence rate of 0.2~0.3% of all appendectomies. The purpose of our study was to identify the clinical characteristics of and the proper surgical management for appendiceal mucoceles. METHODS: The hospital records of 24 eligible patients were reviewed. We analyzed demographic data, and pathological and clinical data. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in size (P<0.009) between simple mucoceles (mean, 1.95 cm) and cystadenomas (mean, 3.6 cm). While ultrasonography was the most commonly used test to establish the diagnosis (14 patients), computed tomography and colonoscopy also provided fundamental information in 5 and 2 patients, respectively. An appendectomy was performed in most cases (20 cases, 83%). A cecectomy was performed in 3 cases, and an ileocecal resection was performed in only one case. Among the cases requiring a cecectomy, a laparoscopic cecectomy was performed in one case. A synchronous tumor was present in 5 cases. Three patients had gastric cancer, 1 patient had gallbladder cancer, the other one had endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that appendiceal mucoceles most frequently present as acute appendicitis and that preoperative diagnosis is difficult to make. All mucoceles should probably be removed to eliminate the chance of progression to malignancy. Also of note was the elevated incidence of associated neoplasms, especially gastrointestinal carcinomas. Some recommend surveillance colonoscopy in patients with a diagnosis of an appendiceal mucocele. We had three cases accompanied by gastric malignancy. Therefore, we suggest that surveillance gastrofiberscopy may be indicated.

A Case of Simultaneous Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis and Carcinoma of the Gallbladder

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare inflammatory disease of the gallbladder. Not only does XGC occasionally present as a mass formation with adjacent organ invasion like a malignant neoplasm, it can also infrequently be associated with gallbladder cancer. In the situation, it is difficult to make a differential diagnosis between the diseases. Here, we describe a case of a simultaneous XGC and a carcinoma of the gallbladder in a 61-year-old woman. To the best of our knowledge, there are only a small number of reports on this combination of diseases.

Expression of a Novel 90 kDa Heat Shock Protein in Colorectal Tumor

PURPOSE: When cells are subjected to a wide variety of stressful stimuli, they respond by increasing the synthesis of specific stress proteins. Stresses include heat shock, nutrient deprivation, oxygen radicals, toxic metal and viral infection. Major stress proteins are Hsp 27, Hsp 60, Hsp 70 (9), Hsp 90 (3) and Hsp 100 (1). Previously a novel 90 kDa stress protein has been reported to be induced in fish cells by virus infection. The novel 90 kDa stress protein is different from well-known major stress protein in size, antigenicity, cellular localization. The novel 90 kDa stress protein was found to be present in various kinds of cells including human cells and its expression was increased in human carcinomas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression of the novel 90 kDa stress protein in human colonic mucosa of normal tissue, adenoma and adenocarcinoma using immunohistochemical method. METHODS: 85 colon tissues were screened for the expression of the novel 90 kDa stress protein; 85 normal colonic mucosa, 20 colonic adenoma and 65 colonic adenocarcinoma. The tissues were stained with monoclonal antibody against the novel 90 kDa stress protein. In scoring system, tissue sections with immunostained area above 10 % were decided to be positive and, among the positive, the tissue sections were divided into three score, 1, 2, and 3, based on the staining intensity and positive area proportion. The tissue sections with immunostained area below 10% were decided to be negative and grouped into 0 score. Correlation of immunohistochemical expression was analysed by using SPSS version 10.0 statistically. RESULTS: The expression of the 90 kDa stress protein was significantly different among normal colonic mucosa, colonic adenoma, and colonic adenocarcinoma and the percentage of positive samples were 14.1%, 80.5%, and 95.4% respectively. This result suggests that the expression level of the novel 90 kDa stress protein was extremely low in normal tissue but increased significantly in adenocarcinomatous tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of the novel 90 kDa stress protein was increased significantly with transformation of the normal colon tissue to malignancy. This suggests the possibility that this novel 90 kDa stress protein play some role in cancerous transformation of colon tissue.

A Case of Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by Cytomegalovirus Infection

The human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a member of the herpes virus family, can cause a lifelong infection with episodes of endogenous reactivation. Almost the entire adult Korean population has been infected with CMV; they have serum CMV antibodies of IgG class. Reactivation is clinically silent in immunocompetent individuals. Symptomatic illness, such as pneumonitis, retinitis, hepatitis or gastroenteritis, is usually confined to immunocompromized patients. The colon, stomach and esophagus are the organs frequently infected with CMV in these patients. A CMV infection may also complicate an inflammatory bowel disease. CMV enteritis involving the small bowel, which makes up less than 10% of the CMV gastroenteritis cases, usually presents with diarrhea, bleeding and perforation, but rarely evokes obstruction. The authors experienced a case of CMV enteritis of the terminal ileum, presenting as an intestinal obstruction, which developed in an immunocompetent individual with no underlying disease. This appears to be a world first.

Gemcitabine Therapy in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

BACKGROUND: Advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer is an extremely aggressive disease. The 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is only less than 5%. Current therapeutic options for patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease are limited. This analysis is a retrospective evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine regimen as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Seventeen chemotherapy-na ve patients with advanced or recurred pancreatic cancer were consecutively treated. Gemcitabine was diluted in normal saline and administered intravenously over 1 hour. Gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 was administered once weekly for 3 out of every 4 weeks. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 55 years (range 44~82 years). Based on RECIST criteria, there were 5 cases of stable disease (45%) and 6 cases of progressive disease (55%) among the 11 assessable patients. The median survival time was 189 days (range, 84 to 409 days), the 1 year survival rate was 18% in all 17 patients. Grade 3~4 toxic side effect was leucopenia only (29%) and was easily managed without infection. CONCLUSION: Gemcitabine is well tolerated, but has no objective response in advanced pancreatic cancer.