Acetic acid sclerotherapy for treatment of biliary leak from an isolated right posterior sectoral duct after cholecystectomy

Bile duct injury is one of the most serious complications of both laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy. Isolated bile duct injury can occur from the misidentification of aberrant right hepatic ducts, and it is troublesome because the early diagnosis is easy to miss and the definite treatment is controversial. We report a case of an isolated right posterior sectoral duct injury following cholecystectomy managed successfully with acetic acid sclerotherapy combined with coil embolization for a fistula tract.

Double common bile duct with an ectopic drainage into the stomach

Double common bile duct (DCBD) is a rare congenital anomaly among biliary anomalies. The anomaly has an important clinical implication because of its association with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBDU) and upper gastrointestinal cancers. In addition, if one of the two common bile ducts is mistaken for the cystic duct during surgery, bile duct injury is likely to occur. Treatment depends on the coexistence of concomitant cancer and APBDU. A 54-year-old male diagnosed of gastric cancer was referred for surgery. During surgery, we incidentally detected bile leak from the tubular structure around the hepatoduodenal ligament. We performed intraoperative cholangiogram by cannulizing into the tubular structure, and confirmed the tubular duct as the accessory bile duct with an ectopic drainage into the stomach, which was connected to the proximal common bile duct. In this study, we report a rare case of DCBD with an ectopic drainage into the stomach and review the literature.

Primary hepatic tuberculosis mimicking intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: report of two cases

Hepatic tuberculosis (TB) is usually associated with pulmonary or miliary TB, but primary hepatic TB is very uncommon even in countries with high prevalence of TB. The clinical manifestation of primary hepatic TB is atypical and imaging modalities are unhelpful for differential diagnosis of the liver mass. Image-guided needle biopsy is the best diagnostic method for primary hepatic TB. In the cases presented here, we did not perform liver biopsy because we believed the liver masses were cholangiocarcinoma, but primary hepatic TB was ultimately confirmed by postoperative pathology. Here we report two cases of patients who were diagnosed with primary hepatic TB mimicking mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Synchronous Hepatocellular Carcinoma and B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Chronic Hepatitis C Patient / 대한소화기학회지

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the main viral causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with lymphoproliferative disorder such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). However, there are only few case reports on concomitantly induced NHL and HCC by HCV. Herein, we report a case of synchronous NHL and HCC in a patient with chronic hepatitis C which was unexpectedly diagnosed during liver transplantation surgery. This case suggests that although intrahepatic lymph node enlargements are often considered as reactive or metastatic lymphadenopathy in chronic hepatitis C patients with HCC, NHL should also be considered as a differential diagnosis.

The Effect of Porcine Cancellous Bone for Bone Regeneration and Application of Platelet-rich Fibrin in Rabbit Calvarial Defect

0.05).CONCLUSION: The PRF-mixed group showed more bone formation than the porcine cancellousbonegroup (TS-GBB), butthere was a no significant difference. The PRF may not lead to enhanced bone healing when grafted with the porcine cancellous bone.

Does Calcineurin Inhibitor Plus Mycophenolate Mofetil Combination Therapy Decrease the Risk of Late Acute Rejection after Liver Transplantation? / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: With advances in immunosuppression, graft and patient survival rates have increased significantly, but acute cellular rejection remains an important problem following liver transplantation (LT), and late acute rejection (LAR) occurs in a small percentage of recipients. Some risk factors for LAR have been identified, yet the cause of LAR has not been completely investigated. The efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) administered in combination with calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) for reduction of LAR has been demonstrated. METHODS: Between January 2006 and August 2007, adult LT recipients (n=309) were enrolled in this study. Biopsy-proven acute rejection that occurred >6 months after LT was defined as LAR. The immunosuppression regimens, CNI or CNI plus MMF, were used continuously for at least 6 months after LT. The mean follow-up period was 34.8 months (range, 25~46 months). RESULTS: LAR occurred in 17 cases (5.5%). The incidence of LAR in the CNI (n=138) or CNI plus MMF groups (n=171) was 8.6% (n=12) and 2.9% (n=5), respectively (P=0.015). Multivariate Cox regression confirmed that CNI plus MMF versus CNI therapy is associated with a decreased risk of LAR (relative risk, 0.33; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of LAR in the CNI plus MMF group was significantly lower than the CNI group. Thus, continuous use of CNI plus MMF may represent a better immunosuppression regimen to decrease the rate of LAR in LT recipients.

Outcome of Hepatic Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma within the Milan Criteria in Child-Pugh Class A Patients

PURPOSE: Hepatic resection and liver transplantation are considered a curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria. In this study, we examine the outcome of hepatic resection for HCC within the Milan criteria, and determine the effectiveness of hepatic resection as the primary treatment for HCC within the Milan criteria in Child-Pugh class A. METHODS: 110 patients underwent curative surgical resection for HCC in Child-Pugh class A between August 1991 and June 2008. Fifty-six patients met Milan criteria (Group M) and the remaining 54 did not (Group N). RESULTS: Overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 92.6%, 72.5% and 54.6% versus 70.4%, 43.1%, and 28.7% in Group M and Group N, respectively (P=0.0043). The corresponding disease-free survival rates were 81.5%, 69.7%, and 38.2% versus 46.0%, 32.9%, and 26.9% in Group M and Group N (P=0.0012). HCC recurred in 25 patients in Group M (44.6%) and 35 patients in Group N (64.8%)(P=0.034). Outcomes of hepatic resection in Group M were significantly better compared to Group N. CONCLUSION: Hepatic resection can achieve a comparable 5-year overall survival & disease-free survival to that reported for liver transplantation. Hepatic resection should be considered as the standard therapy for HCC within the Milan criteria in Child-Pugh class A patients.

Analysis of Prognostic Factors Affecting Survival in Patients with Gallbladder Cancer

PURPOSE: Recent findings indicate that after cholecystectomy for early gallbladder cancer (GBC), outcomes are generally satisfactory. But outcomes for advanced GBC are dismal, even with recent advances in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate surgical outcomes and prognostic factors affecting survival after surgical resection in patients with GBC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 133 patients with GBC who underwent surgical resection between January 2000 and December 2008. Their clinical condition, surgical treatment, and pathologic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 133 patients with GBC, curative resection was achieved in 95 (71.4%). The 5-year survival rate in patients who underwent curative resection (52.6%) was much better than in those who underwent palliative resection (0.0%, p<0.000). Univariate analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with patient survival: preoperative jaundice, pain at presentation, incidental GBC, serum total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels, curability, lymph node (LN) dissection, size, site, macroscopic type of tumor, histologic differentiation, the depth of tumor invasion (T stage), LN metastasis, TNM stage and microscopic perineural invasion. Multivariate analysis revealed that the following were independent, favorable prognostic factors: curative resection, no LN metastasis, low TNM stage, non-papillary macroscopic type, and low ALP levels. CONCLUSION: Complete tumor resection and no LN metastasis are important prognostic factors for GBC. Favorable survival outcomes can be achieved when curative resection is done in early stage GBC and when operative procedures are planned with the consideration of the survival benefit of surgery in advanced GBC.

Comparison of the Risk Factors for Arterial Stiffness between Extremity Muscular and Abdominal Elastic Arteries

PURPOSE: Muscular artery differs from elastic artery in physical properties and constituents of the arterial wall. To investigate the difference between muscular and elastic arteries, we measured the pulse wave velocities (PWVs) in lower extremity muscular arteries (femoral ankle PWV, faPWV) and abdominal elastic arteries (brachial femoral PWV, bfPWV), and searched for the relationships between the PWVs of muscular, elastic arteries and the risk factors of arteriosclerosis. METHODS: 184 normal volunteers were enrolled in the study. Among them, the ratios of male/female, smoker/non-smoker, and hypertension/normal were 81/103, 66/118, and 63/121, respectively. Using volume plethysmography, faPWV and bfPWV were measured. The risk factors of arteriosclerosis in this study were age, gender, smoking, hypertension, body mass index, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, triglyceride, hemoglobin A1C, and white blood cell. RESULTS: The PWVs of lower extremity muscular arteries (faPWVs) were significantly faster than those of abdominal elastic arteries (bfPWVs) (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) Multiple regression analysis revealed that the independent risk factors of the PWV were age (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) and gender (right, P=0.008; left, p=0.014) in abdominal elastic arteries. However, in lower extremity muscular arteries, hypertension (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) as well as age (right, P<0.001; left, P<0.001) and gender (right, P=0.009; left, P=0.001) were other significant independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: The PWVs of lower extremity muscular arteries were significantly faster than those of abdominal elastic arteries. The significance of hypertension in faPWV suggests that hypertension is an important risk factor in inducing arterial stiffness, especially in lower extremity muscular arteries.

The Experience of Non-surgical Treatment for Infantile Hepatic Hemangioendothelioma

PURPOSE: Hepatic hemangioendothelioma (HET) is a rare benign vascular tumor in infants. The clinical manifestations are variable from asymptomatic to life-threatening heart failure or Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KM SD). We report our non-surgical treatment experience for infantile HET. METHODS: We analyzed 15 infants (5 males, 10 females) of HET retrospectively, from January 1989 to December 2007. RESULTS: All except 2 were full-term babies and median birth weight was 3,140 g. The median age at diagnosis was 15 days of life (0~157 days). Three of 5 patients diagnosed prenatally presented heart failure symptoms and the remaining 2 showed KM SD. Among 6 neonates, 3 showed cyanosis due to congestive heart failure. Nine patients showed multiple nodules at both liver lobes. Three asymptomatic patients were followed with radiologic examinations, thus HETs regressed spontaneously in two and decreased in one. Four cases that showed hepatomegaly or increase in size of subcutaneous hemangioma, were treated with prednisolone. All patients improved from tumor related symptoms and tumor size decreased. Four patients (2 patients of heart failure, 1 with rapid progressive hepatomegaly and 1 with congenital heart disease) received interferon-alpha. Among them, 3 showed regression of tumor and the remaining 1 showed decrease of tumor size. Two patients who suffered from severe heart failure received prednisolone and interferon-alpha, and then recovered. In the 2 patients with KM SD, we tried hepatic artery embolization with medical treatment. One survived but the other is not followed after failure of embolization. CONCLUSION: We experienced that many patients who had clinical symptoms associated with HET very early in their life treated with an aggressive nonsurgical treatment in symptomatic patients showed favorable outcome.

Clinical Application of Hepatic Resection Using Glissonean Pedicle Transection Method and Hanging Maneuver

PURPOSE: The liver hanging maneuver (LHM) is a useful technique enabling a safe anterior approach, which is one of the most important innovations in the field of major hepatic resections. This study was conducted to review tumors' profiles after applying this procedure and to evaluate the usefulness of LHM and Glissonean pedicle transaction method (GPTM). METHODS: Medical records of 64 patients who underwent hepatic resection using LHM and GPTM at the Asan Medical Center were reviewed. The classic LHM was conducted according to the Belghiti method. RESULTS: Among 64 patients, 46 patients had hepatocellular carcinoma; 7, intrahpatic cholangiocarcinoma; 4, hilar cholangiocarcinoma; 4, metastatic liver cancer; 3, benign liver tumor. Mean tumor size was 10.6 cm (3~22). Mean liver parenchymal transection time was 20 min (15~30). Right side hepatectomy was performed in 44 patients; left side hepatectomy with or without caudate lobe was performed in 19 patients. Twenty patients (31.3%) required blood transfusion during surgery. There was no in-hospital mortality or major complications. Minor complications developed in 6 patients (9.37%). CONCLUSION: GPTM and LHM are a safe and useful surgical application of various anatomical resections for huge liver tumor and an effective procedure during left hepatectomy with or without caudate lobe.

Percutaneous Removal of Spilled Gallstones after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Gallbladder perforation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) with spillage of bile and gallstones occurs frequently, but clinical sequelae caused by dropped gallstones are uncommon. We present a case of subhepatic and right-back abscess formation due to spilled gallstones occurring two years after LC, which were successfully removed using a percutaneous method as a minimally invasive technique. The patient firstly visited a primary care physician with right-back mass that was increasing in size and becoming symptomatic, then underwent incision and drainage. He was referred to our hospital and the subhepatic and right-back inflammatory mass containing spilled gallstones was revealed by computed tomography. Under fluoroscopic control, a percutaneous drainage catheter was placed within the abscess and pus was aspirated. The spilled gallstones were successfully retrieved with basket forceps, thereafter. The patient was discharged without significant complications on the 9th day after the percutaneous stone removal.

Effect of Splenic Artery Interruption on Complete Blood Count Profiles in Living Donor Liver Transplant Recipients

PURPOSE: Splenectomy during living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhotic recipient was performed by a Tokyo group to enhance the patient's tolerability to post-operative anti-viral treatment by improving complete blood count (CBC) profiles. At our institution, interruption of the splenic artery (SPA) by ligation or embolization in lieu of splenectomy, has been performed in LDLT to modulate portal blood flow in small-for-size graft LDLT or to prevent rupture of SPA aneurysms in recipients. We aimed to determine if interruption of the SPA can serve as an alternative management to splenectomy in LDLT recipients based on our data. METHODS: Patients were classified into the splenic artery ligation group (SAL; n=26) and splenic artery embolization group (SAE; n=19), respectively. Among the recipients without SPA interruption, age-, gender-, and severity of cirrhosis-matched 25 recipients were selected as a control group. Post-operative CBC profiles and spleen size were reviewed retrospectively and compared between the groups. RESULTS: After SAL, platelet and neutrophil counts were significantly increased at 3 and 6 months, and at 1 week and 1 month, respectively (p<0.05). After SAE, platelet and neutrophil counts were significantly increased at 3 and 6 months, and at 1 week and 3 months, respectively. There were no significant complications related to interruption of the SPA. CONCLUSION: Interruption of the SPA may have a role in improving neutrophil and platelet counts in LDLT recipients with severe pancytopenia or in whom antiviral treatment for HCV in anticipated.

Effect of Splenic Artery Interruption on Complete Blood Count Profiles in Living Donor Liver Transplant Recipients

PURPOSE: Splenectomy during living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhotic recipient was performed by a Tokyo group to enhance the patient's tolerability to post-operative anti-viral treatment by improving complete blood count (CBC) profiles. At our institution, interruption of the splenic artery (SPA) by ligation or embolization in lieu of splenectomy, has been performed in LDLT to modulate portal blood flow in small-for-size graft LDLT or to prevent rupture of SPA aneurysms in recipients. We aimed to determine if interruption of the SPA can serve as an alternative management to splenectomy in LDLT recipients based on our data. METHODS: Patients were classified into the splenic artery ligation group (SAL; n=26) and splenic artery embolization group (SAE; n=19), respectively. Among the recipients without SPA interruption, age-, gender-, and severity of cirrhosis-matched 25 recipients were selected as a control group. Post-operative CBC profiles and spleen size were reviewed retrospectively and compared between the groups. RESULTS: After SAL, platelet and neutrophil counts were significantly increased at 3 and 6 months, and at 1 week and 1 month, respectively (p<0.05). After SAE, platelet and neutrophil counts were significantly increased at 3 and 6 months, and at 1 week and 3 months, respectively. There were no significant complications related to interruption of the SPA. CONCLUSION: Interruption of the SPA may have a role in improving neutrophil and platelet counts in LDLT recipients with severe pancytopenia or in whom antiviral treatment for HCV in anticipated.

Effectiveness of Plasmapheresis as a Liver Support for Graft Dysfunction Following Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: Severe graft dysfunction has been occasionally encountered following adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This study intended to assess the effectiveness of plasmapheresis (PP) as a liver supportive measure in LDLT recipients showing severe graft dysfunction. METHODS: During 1 year of 2007, 276 adult LDLTs were performed in our institution. Of them 27 underwent PP therapy as a liver support. RESULTS: Seventeen underwent PP during the first month following LDLT and another 10 underwent PP after that period. The underlying causes of such liver support were acute and chronic rejections, ischemic damage, viral hepatitis recurrence and unknown causes. A total of 329 sessions of PP were performed for these 27 patients, indicating 12.2+/-9.9 times per patient for 28.1+/-32.2 days. Concurrent hemodiafiltration was done in 66.7%. Serum total bilirubin level was significantly reduced following PP therapy: 23.2+/-6.5 mg/dL before PP and 14.4+/-5.6 mg/dL at 1 week after completion of PP (P<0.001). Other biochemical parameters did not significantly affected by PP. Overall 1-year patient survival rate was 63.0%. Six-month graft survival rate after completion of PP was 82.6% in 17 patients undergoing PP during the first posttransplant month and 30% in 10 patients undergoing PP after 1 month (P= 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study implicate that PP has a beneficial effect on the recovery of liver graft function, especially during the early posttransplant period. We suggest to perform active application of PP therapy for liver recipients showing severe graft dysfunction of total bilirubin greater than 15~20 mg/dL.

Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis: A Retrospective Analysis of 36 Cases

PURPOSE: Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon, benign destructive and chronic inflammatory disease which is characterized by a marked proliferative fibrosis within the gallbladder wall. XGC occasionally involves adjacent organs and mimicking an advanced gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). The purpose of this study was to review the clinical manifestations, radiologic and pathologic findings of XGC and to investigate an appropriate treatment plan for patients with XGC. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 36 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of XGC operated between January 2003 and June 2008. RESULTS: The most frequent clinical symptom was biliary colic (88.8%). Radiologic studies revealed cholelithiasis in 30 patients (83.3%), thickening of gallbladder wall in 24 patients (66.6%), suspicious cancer in 11 patients (30.5%) and Mirizzi syndrome in 3 patients (8.3%). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was planned in 18 patients but converted to open surgery in 9 patients. Open cholecystectomy was planned and performed in 13 patients including 8 cases of T-tube choledocholithotomy and 1 case of excision of a cholecystoduodenal fistula. Extended cholecystectomy was performed on 3 patients. GBC was suspected before operation in 11 patients. Of these, frozen-section biopsy was performed in 6 and found to be malignant in 1 patient. One patient who had no operative suspicion of malignancy turned out to have GBC at final histology. CONCLUSION: XGC is difficult to diagnose either preoperatively or intraoperatively and definite diagnosis can be obtained by pathologic examination only. If there is an intraoperative suspicion of GBC, frozen-section biopsy will help to decide the appropriate mode of operation.

Continuous Peritransplant Assessment of Consciousness using Bispectral Index Monitoring for Patients with Fulminant Hepatic Failure

PURPOSE: Deterioration of consciousness is the most critical problem in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Electroencephalography (EEG) is a standard procedure to determine the brain activity in unconscious patients. The bispectral (BIS) index derived from EEG was primarily developed to monitor the depth of unconsciousness. METHODS: A prospective study was performed to assess the clinical utility of peritransplant BIS monitoring in 11 fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) patients who were undergoing emergency living donor liver transplantation (LT) with using a right liver graft. All the patients recovered their consciousness after LT. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the BIS index values and the derived GCS score (r2=0.634, p <0.001). Timing of eye opening to voice command matched the BIS index value of 64+/-9.5, which was after 14+/-9.4 hours passing BIS index of 50. All the patients with endotracheal intubation during the early posttransplant period showed progressive increase of their BIS index, which appeared slightly earlier and more evident than the rise of derived GCS scores. CONCLUSION: BIS monitoring is a noninvasive, simple and easy-to-interpret method and it also appears to be a useful to assess and predict the recovery of a patient's consciousness level after LT. Therefore, we concluded that BIS monitoring can be an indispensable component of the peritransplant intensive care for patients with FHF and who require emergency LT.

Living Donor Exchange Program for Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation: Preliminary Experience at the Asan Medical Center, Korea / 대한이식학회지

PURPOSE: When performing donor screening for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for an adult patient with end- stage liver disease, ABO blood group incompatibility is the most common cause of donor exclusion. To cope with this problem without performing ABO-incompatible LDLT, living donor exchange program has been maintained at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea since September 2003. Here we introduce the clinical experience of 6 cases of adult LDLT allocated by living donor exchange program. METHODS: From February, 1997 to December 2006. 1208 cases of adult LDLT were performed in our institution. Among them, there were 6 cases allocating through donor exchange program to avoid ABO blood group mismatching. Three sets of 2 donor-recipient combination pairs were made after direct one-to-one donor-recipient matching. RESULTS: Two sets of donor exchange LDLT were performed on elective surgery basis, but one in emergency situation. Two living donors and 2 recipients underwent LDLT operations at the same time at the same institution. All 6 living donors recovered well. All of the 6 recipients are doing well to date although 1 recipient had undergone prolonged intensive care for surgical complications. There was no emotional or psychological conflict related to donor exchange program. CONCLUSION: This is the world-first report on donor exchange adult LDLT. Although this is a preliminary report with only 3 sets, donor exchange program for adult LDLT appears to be a feasible modality to promote LDLT. We believe it can be applicable to a wider population of LDLT after widespread consensus formation.

The Effect of Combination Intraluminal Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Unresectable Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of combination intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on patient survival and stent patency after metallic biliary stent placement in patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 29 patients with unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma who presented between January 2002 and December 2006. Fifteen patients were treated with metallic stents alone (RT (-) group), and 14 patients were treated with ILBT and EBRT after metallic stent placement (RT (+) group). ILBT was performed using a 192Ir source at a dose of 15 Gy in 3 fractions. The EBRT dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions. RESULTS: The 1- and 3-year patient survival rates in the RT (+) group were 51.9% and 8.7%, respectively, and those in the RT (-) group were 46.7% and 38.9%, respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the survival rates between the two groups (p=0.38). The 1- and 2-year stent patency rates for the RT (+) group were numerically higher than those in the RT (-) group (74.0%, 74.0%, respectively vs. 59.9%, 39.9%, respectively), but not to a statistically significant degree (p=0.11). The median stent patency was 10 months in the RT (+) group and 8 months in the RT (-) group. All of the stents obstructed at 31 months in the RT (+) group and at 26 months in the RT (-) group. Four patients showed minor complications, including gastrointestinal discomfort and dermatitis after radiation therapy, but all of them responded well to conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: Although combined ILBT and EBRT for unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma was safely carried out after biliary stent insertion with minor complications, it did not have a significant role in improving the survival and stent patency rates.

Clinical Significance of Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Level at Diagnosis of Liver Metastases in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE: In numerous clinical trials to stratify prognosis of patients with liver metastases (LM) from colorectal cancer (CRC), the clinical value of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels at diagnosis of LM has not been fully investigated in these group. The aim of this study is to explore the relation of CEA to characteristics of LM and to analyze prognostic value of this widely used tool. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 143 LM patients who were performed surgical intervention or non-surgical intervention. The cohort was divided into two groups; normal CEA group (NCEAG, or =5 ng/ml, n=102). We examined correlation between serum CEA at diagnosis of LM and other clinicopathologic factors and performed univariate and multivariate analyses to determine the clinical impact of this marker on survival. RESULTS: Compared to ECEAG, the characteristics of LM of NCEAG was associated with unilobar distribution of LM (P=0.003), less metastases (P<0.001), less rate of synchronocity (P=0.008) and more surgical intervention of hepatic deposits (P<0.001). The 5-year survival rate for NCEAG was better than ECEAG (P=0.031). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of lymphatic duct invasion, no performance of chemotherapy, bilobar distribution of LM, and treatment of non-surgical intervention had a significant effect on survival. CEA elevation was identified as independently associated with bilobar distribution and non-surgical intervention of LM. CONCLUSIONS: Although CEA level is not a independent prognostic factor in this study, the clinical characteristics identified in this study and correlation to non surgical intervention of LM may help better patient selection in the management of CRC LM patients.