Prognostic Factors of Patients with Stercoral Perforation of the Colon / 대한소화기학회지

Background/Aims@#The incidence of stercoral perforation of the colon (SPC) is expected to rise, given the increased life expectancy and the aging population. On the other hand, the prognostic factors of mortality after surgery for SPC remain unclear. This study examined the prognostic factors of patients with SPC after surgery. @*Methods@#The medical records of 145 patients who underwent surgery for colonic perforation between April 2010 and May 2019 were reviewed retrospectively. In 145 patients, 22 patients who underwent SPC surgery were categorized into the following two groups according to in-hospital survival after surgery: alive (group A, n=15) and dead (group B, n=7). @*Results@#In all enrolled patients, the mean age was 75.7±9.0 years, with a female predominance (female patients, n=19, 86.4%). Sixteen patients (72.7%) had chronic constipation with medications, and five patients (22.7%) were bedridden. The rate of preoperative bedridden status was significantly higher in group B than group A (6.7% vs. 57.1%; p=0.021). Univariate analysis revealed immobility, a sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and lactate levels of more than 2.0 mmol/L to be factors associated with increased mortality rates in the postoperative period. Multivariate analysis revealed abnormal lactate levels to be the only factor related to mortality (hazard ratio 16.50, 95% CI 1.48-183.07, p=0.022). @*Conclusions@#Preoperative abnormal serum lactate levels may be a risk factor for mortality after surgery in patients with stercoral perforation. Further research will be needed to identify the postoperative prognostic SPC factors.

Spleen Preservation in Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy for Solid Pseudopapillary Neoplasm is Oncologically Safe

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) has been widely performed for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) involving the body or tail of the pancreas. However, it has not been established whether spleen preservation in LDP is oncologically safe for the treatment of SPN with malignant potential. In this study, we compared the short- and long-term outcomes between patients with SPN who underwent laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP) vs laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy (LDPS). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 46 patients with SPN who underwent LDP between January 2005 and November 2016. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to spleen preservation: the LSPDP group (n=32) and the LDPS group (n=14). Clinicopathologic characteristics and perioperative outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in pathologic variables, including tumor size, tumor location, node status, angiolymphatic invasion, or perineural invasion between groups. Median operating time was significantly longer in the LSPDP group vs the LDPS group (243 vs 172 minutes; p=0.006). Estimated intraoperative blood loss was also significantly greater in the LSPDP group (310 vs 167 ml; p=0.063). There were no significant differences in incidence of postoperative complications (≥ Clavien-Dindo class IIIa) or pancreatic fistula between groups. After a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 3S153 months), there was no recurrence or disease-specific mortality in either group. CONCLUSION: The results show that LSPDP is an oncologically safe procedure for SPN involving the body or tail of the pancreas.

Fatigue and weakness hinder patient social reintegration after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: With improvements in the survival of liver transplantation (LT) recipients, the focus is shifting to patient quality of life (QOL), and employment is an important factor in aiding the social reintegration of LT patients. This study aims to evaluate the current employment status of liver graft recipients and various factors that may hinder reemployment. METHODS: Fifty patients above age 18 who underwent either living or deceased donor LT at a single center from March 2009 to July 2016 were interviewed during their visit to the outpatient clinic. The internally developed questionnaire consisted of 10 items. The Karnofsky Performance Scale and EQ-5D were used to evaluate patient function and QOL. RESULTS: A total of 25 (50%) patients returned to work after transplantation (the working group), and 21 (84%) patients in the working group returned to work within the first year after transplantation. In the non-working group (n=25), 17 (68%) answered that their health was the reason for unemployment. Fatigue and weakness were the most frequent symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The data shows that as many as 50% of total patients returned to work after receiving LT. Fatigue and weakness were the most common complaints of the unemployed group, and resolving the causes of these symptoms may help to increase the employment rate.

Solo Reduced Port Laparoscopic Left Lateral Sectionectomy

Laparoscopic approach for left lateral sectionectomy became the standard procedure. With increasing demand for minimizing of the access ports and with the advancement in surgical technique, reduced port laparoscopic surgery is introducing itself to the fields of hepatic surgery. We report a case of solo reduced port laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy for a 25-year-old patient with a 1.7 cm sized tumor implant of growing teratoma syndrome. She underwent salpingo-oophorectomy and 3 cycles of chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin 2 prior to the operation. Her BMI was 18.3 kg/m². The total operation time was 85 minutes and estimated blood loss was scanty. The patient was discharged without a significant complication on postoperative day 5. In the video, we demonstrate the surgical procedure of the solo reduced port laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy using a laparoscopic scope holder.

Adult intussusceptions: preoperative predictive factors for malignant lead point

PURPOSE: Adult intussusception is uncommon, but an organic lesion is found to be the lead point in 75% to 90% of the cases. This study was designed to review our experience with adult intussusception and to determine if there are any preoperative predictive factors for a malignant lead point. METHODS: Thirty-three patients over 15 years of age were diagnosed with intussusceptions through operative finding over a period of 20 years. We reviewed the medical records of these patients retrospectively, and preoperative predictive factors of malignant lead points were analyzed. RESULTS: The preoperative diagnosis of intussusception had been made correctly in 86% of the cases, and computed tomography could find a lead point in 79%. A causative organic lesion was found in 29 patients (88%) pathologically; 16 cases (48%) were due to benign tumors, and 13 (39%) were due to malignant tumors. A malignant lead point was present in four of 21 enteric (20%) versus nine of 13 colonic intussusceptions (75%). The period from symptom appearance to hospital visit showed a more chronic nature in malignant neoplasm than in benign neoplasm (P = 0.006), and the location of causative organic lesion showed significant difference between benign and malignant groups (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Adult intussusceptions are commonly secondary to a pathologic lead point, and a computed tomography is an effective diagnostic tool for finding a lead point preoperatively. The chronic nature of the disease presentation and colonic location of the lead point may suggest a malignant neoplasm.

Gastrojejuno-colic fistula after gastrojejunostomy / 대한외과학회지

Gastrojejunocolic fistula is a rare condition after gastrojejunostomy. It is severe complications of gastrojejunostomy, which results an inadequate resection or incomplete vagotomy during peptic ulcer surgery. The symptoms are diarrhea, upper abdominal pain, bleeding, vomiting and weight loss. A 55-year-old man with chronic diarrhea and weight loss for 6 months visited Dankook University Hospital. The patient had received a truncal vagotomy and gastrojejunostomy for duodenal ulcer obstruction 15 years previously. The patient underwent gastroscopy and upper gastrointestinal series evaluations, which detected the gastrojejunocolic fistula. After improving of malnutrition, an exploratory laparotomy was undertaken, which revealed that the gastrojejunostomy site and the T-colon formed adhesion and fistula. En block resection of the distal stomach and T-colon included the gastrojejunocolic fistula, and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy was performed. Recovery was uneventful and the patient remained well at the follow-up. We report a gastrojejunocolic fistula, which is a rare case after gastrojejunostomy.