Clinical outcome for laparoscopic cholecystectomy in extremely elderly patients

PURPOSE: Extremely elderly patients who present with complicated gallstone disease are less likely to undergo definitive treatment. The use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in older patients is complicated by comorbid conditions that are concomitant with advanced age and may increase postoperative complications and the frequency of conversion to open surgery. We aimed to evaluate the results of LC in patients (older than 80 years). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 302 patients who underwent LC for acute cholecystitis between January 2011 and December 2013. Total patients were divided into three groups: group 1 patients were younger than 65 years, group 2 patients were between 65 and 79 years, and group 3 patients were older than 80 years. Patient characteristics were compared between the different groups. RESULTS: The conversion rate was significantly higher in group 3 compared to that in the other groups. Hematoma in gallbladder fossa and intraoperative bleeding were higher in group 3, the difference was not significant. Wound infection was not different between the three groups. Operating time and postoperative hospital stay were significantly higher in group 3 compared to those in the other groups. There was no reported bile leakage and operative mortality. Preoperative percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were performed more frequently in group 3 than in the other groups. CONCLUSION: LC is safe and feasible. It should be the gold-standard approach for extremely elderly patients with acute cholecystitis.

Anesthetic Management of Complete Tracheal Transection using Percutaneous Cardiopulmonary Support System : A case report / 대한마취과학회지

Patients with complete tracheal transection present a considerable challenge to the anesthesiologist. A 38 year-old woman with complete tracheal transection above the aortic arch level due to blunt trauma was taken to the operating room for an attempt at tracheal repair. Anesthetic management was focused on the maintenance of the airway and adequate ventilation. Primary repair of the trachea was carried out under ventilation support via percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system. Until the disrupted trachea was exposed on the surgical field, ventilation was performed using a laryngeal mask. We discuss the anesthetic management strategies and the alternative mode of ventilation.

Transgastric Gastroscopic Intra-abdominal Exploration in a Female Dog Model: NOTES (Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery)

PURPOSE: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a new surgical option using endoscopic advancement to the peritoneal cavity through the stomach, colon, vagina, or urinary bladder without an abdominal wall scar (incision). The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of transgastric gastroscopic intra-abdominal exploration with gastric incision and closure before the NOTES would be done. METHODS: Under general anesthesia of a female dog, one-channel gastroscope was advanced to the stomach and the lumen was irrigated with anti-bacterial solution. The anterior wall of the antrum was incised by about 1 cm with a needle knife; then, the gastroscope was advanced into the peritoneal cavity. An exploration of the entire intra-abdominal cavity was performed. RESULTS: We were able to evaluate the stomach, the greater omentum, the diaphragm, the peritoneum, the urinary bladder, the bowel, the spleen, the liver, the gallbladder, the uterine horn, the uterine body, and the vagina, but could not evaluate the ovary, the kidney, and the pancreas. The observation of the abdominal cavity was followed by the gastric wall closure with a 135o endoclip. The dog was recovered after confirmation of secure closure of the incision site. CONCLUSIONS: Transgastric incision, closure, and abdominal exploration are feasible without an abdominal wall scar, and the NOTES can be one option for future abdominal operations in humans and needs to be further investigated.

The Measurement of Cardiac Troponin T(cTnT) and Troponin I(cTnI) in Maintenance Dialysis Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Despite of the high prevalence of cardiac disease, diagnosing and predicting myocardiac infarction in maintenance dialysis patients may be difficult. The availability of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and cardiac troponin I(cTnI) offered promise for improving the accuracy of myocardial injuries in the ESRD patients. We hypothesized that cardiac troponin T and I might be useful markers of myocardial injury for patients with dialysis. METHODS: We examined several clinical parameters to identify factors that determine cTnT and cTnI in dialysis patients. The study included 63 patients who had been on dialysis without evidence of myocardial damage for minimum 3 months. Patients were assessed using demographic, cardiac and atherogenic indices including CPK, CK-MB, CK index, LDH, homocysteine, total cholesterol, triglyceride and serum albumin level. All patients were undertaken EKG and echocardiography. Serum levels of cTnT and cTnI were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay(ECL) and chemilumino immunoassay(CLIA) method. We estimated the correlation between cTnT and cTnI with several parameters by using Pearson correlation, linear correlation and Chi- square analysis. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows : The positivity of serum cTnT was higher in HD patients than CAPD(32% vs. 18%). But there was no significance statistically. Serum cTnI was elevated(>or=0.1 ng/mL) in only one HD patient. Serum cTnT inversely correlated with serum albumin levels (p or=0.1 ng/mL) in only one diabetic patient. We could not find the significant correlation between serum cTnT and cTnI with age, sex, dialysis mode, duration of dialysis, serum CPK, CK-MB, CK index, LDH, homocysteine, total cholesterol and triglyceride. CONCLUSION: Because cTnT revealed significant correlation with serum albumin and underlying diabetes mellitus. So we speculated that cTnT possibly might be a helpful marker as a predictor of myocardial event and mortality in maintenance dialysis patients. But we can not exclude false positivity of cTnT. And we are currently working to define that cTnI might be more specific marker of myocardial damage than cTnT and the development of cardiac event in cTnT-positive patients.

A case of colonic adhesion caused by appendiceal origin pseudomyxoma peritonei / 대한내과학회지

Mucocele of the appendix is an uncommon disorder, usually found incidentally during ultrasonography or radiographic studies. It occurs predominantly in the sixth or seventh decades,and has a distinct female predominance. Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a rare condition resulting from a ruptured mucin-producing lesion of the appendix or ovary. It is not easily diagnosed clinically before operation and only histopathologic finding provides the correct final diagnosis. Treatment should consist of evacuation of the mucinous ascites and removal of the mucocele. Reoperations for correction of intestinal obstruction may be needed. The role of chemotherapy is uncertain, and external radiation is probably of no value. We experienced a case of colonic adhesion caused by pseudomyxoma peritonei that originated from the vermiform appendix. This patient was 75 year old female who had suffered from lower abdominal pain associated with constipation and tenesmus for 5 days. We performed ileocecal resection and ileocecal anastomosis. We report this case with brief review of the literature.