Long-Term Outcomes of Self-Expandable Metallic Stents as a Bridge to Surgery for Obstructive and Symptomatic Primary Tumors of Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: A Propensity-Score Analysis.

Background: Self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) was introduced for the treatment of obstructive colorectal cancer (CRC) a few decades ago. However, its long-term outcomes remain controversial, especially for stage IV CRC. The aim of this study was to clarify the outcomes of SEMS as a "bridge to surgery" (BTS) for obstructive and symptomatic primary tumors in stage IV CRC by one-to-one propensity-score matching. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center from January 2007 to December 2017. Patients with obstructive and symptomatic primary tumors of stage IV CRC underwent primary resection (PR) or placement of a SEMS as a BTS. They were divided into SEMS and PR groups, and their short- and long-term outcomes were compared. Results: In total, 52 patients were reviewed (SEMS group, 21; PR group, 31). Sixteen patients in both groups were matched using propensity scores. Patients in the SEMS group more frequently underwent laparoscopic surgery than those in the PR group (75% versus 19%, P = .004). The two groups showed no significant differences in perioperative and pathological outcomes. The 5-year overall survival was not significantly different between groups (29% versus 20%, P = .53). Conclusions: As a BTS, the use of SEMS for obstructive and symptomatic primary tumors in CRC stage IV can be a comparable option to PR in terms of short- and long-term outcomes, and would be less invasive with respect to surgical procedures.

How do magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography findings predict conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis to bailout procedures?

BACKGROUND: Acute cholecystitis is one of the most prevalent surgical abdominal conditions. The Tokyo Guidelines describe the management of acute cholecystitis and recommend bailout procedures for "difficult" cholecystitis cases. This study aimed to identify risk factors for conversion from laparoscopic cholecystectomy to bailout procedures in patients with acute cholecystitis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center between January 2017 and December 2021. Patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis were enrolled and classified into bailout and non-bailout groups. The patients' characteristics and perioperative data were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: In total, 161 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis were reviewed. Fourteen were excluded because of a lack of preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography; thus, 147 patients were enrolled (bailout group, 21; non-bailout group, 126). Age (74 vs 67 years old; P = .048), days from onset to surgery (3 vs 2 days; P = .02), or defect of cystic duct in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (57% vs 29%; P = .02) were significantly associated with conversion to bailout procedures. In the logistic regression analysis, a defect of the cystic duct in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was an independent predictor for bailout procedures (odds ratio, 2.793; P = .04). CONCLUSION: In this study, defect of the cystic duct in the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography can predict conversion to bailout procedures. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography finding of the cystic duct as a predictor of surgical difficulty in patients with acute cholecystitis.

A Rare Case of Severe Post-operative Pyoderma Gangrenosum After Surgery for Perforated Diverticulitis at the Sigmoid Colon.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a nonbacterial ulcerating skin condition. It is typically associated with other systemic disorders. However, approximately 20%-30% of cases are idiopathic. Post-operative PG (PPG) is a rare type of PG with a rapidly expanding cutaneous ulcer at a surgical site and is often misdiagnosed as a wound infection. The difficulty in diagnosis can lead to unnecessary surgical interventions and delay in the treatment of PG. Herein, we present the case of a 68-year-old patient with severe PPG with no underlying diseases. He underwent an emergency laparotomy (Hartmann's procedure) for perforated diverticulitis. After the operation, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) developed and the skin around the incisional wound, stoma, injection venous lines, and electrocardiogram monitoring pads gradually became erythematous. Skin biopsy and the absence of a source of infection confirmed the diagnosis of PG. Drug therapy for PG with steroids, and tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors improved SIRS and the patient recovered.

Anatomical challenge: a rare coexistence of caecal cancer and isolated duodenal malrotation.

Intestinal malrotation is a congenital anomaly, treated mostly during childhood. A small number of cases are incidentally found in adulthood, during operation for other abdominal diseases, such as colon cancer.Here, we present a case of caecal cancer with isolated duodenal malrotation, a subtype of intestinal malrotation, discovered incidentally during the operation for the cancer. Although the anatomical abnormality made the operation more complicated, laparoscopic resection was safely performed with oncologically adequate lymphadenectomy, owing to intraoperative confirmation of anatomy and careful dissection.

A Rare Case of the Coexistence of Pancreaticobiliary Maljunction and Gastrointestinal Tumor in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a congenital condition characterized by "café au lait" spots and subcutaneous fibromas. There are various combined diseases, such as malignant tumors in the abdominal organs or brain tumors. Here, we present a case of a 35-year-old patient with a rare combination of NF1 with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM). At the first visit, her main symptom was right upper abdominal pain. Radiological investigations revealed a common bile duct stone, submucosal tumor in the duodenum, PBM, and abnormal findings in the intrahepatic bile ducts. After the common bile duct stone was removed by endoscopic intervention, the patient underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, resection of the duodenal submucosal tumor, and liver biopsy. Pathological examination revealed chronic cholecystitis, GIST of the duodenum, and chronic inflammation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. This is the first case report of the rare coexistence of GIST and PBM in a patient with NF1.

Re-pancreaticojejunostomy for Necrosis of the Roux-en-Y Limb Tip 14 Years After Partington-Rochelle Procedure.

Longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy for chronic pancreatitis, the Partington-Rochelle (PR) procedure, is a good option to control pain caused by dilation of the main pancreatic duct. However, long-term complications related to anastomosis are still unclear. Here, we present a case of a 78-year-old patient with sudden necrosis of the Roux-en-Y limb tip in a PR procedure performed 14 years ago. During emergent laparotomy, we resected the necrotic limb and re-anastomosed the remaining Roux-en-Y limb to the main pancreatic duct. Postoperatively, we managed the inflammation caused by the pancreatic fistula and successfully saved the patient by long-term drainage. Although the cause of necrosis is still unclear, mild kinking and stenosis of the Roux-en-Y limb might be associated with this situation.

Multicenter analysis of transanal tube placement for prevention of anastomotic leak after low anterior resection.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leak (AL) is a serious complication of low anterior resection (LAR). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of transanal tube placement for prevention of AL. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled 328 consecutive patients who underwent LAR for rectal cancer at participating hospitals from 2009 to 2014. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding factors. RESULTS: A transanal tube was placed in 205 patients (TA group) and not placed in 123 patients (non-TA group). Symptomatic AL occurred in 36 cases (11%), with significantly higher incidence of symptomatic AL in the non-TA group than in the TA group (15% vs 8.3%, odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-4.06). After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate analysis revealed that placement of a transanal tube could decrease the incidence of symptomatic AL (adjusted OR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15-0.91). There was no significant difference in postoperative morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, or local recurrence rate between the two groups. Local recurrence rate tended to be higher in patients with symptomatic AL (3/36) than in those without it (10/292). CONCLUSIONS: Transanal tube placement is effective for decreasing the incidence of symptomatic AL after LAR.

The role of gut-derived bacterial toxins and free radicals in alcohol-induced liver injury.

Previous research from this laboratory using a continuous enteral ethanol (EtOH) administration model demonstrated that Kupffer cells are pivotal in the development of EtOH-induced liver injury. When Kupffer cells were destroyed using gadolinium chloride (GdCl3 ) or the gut was sterilized with polymyxin B and neomycin, early inflammation due to EtOH was blocked. Anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibody markedly decreased EtOH-induced liver injury and increased TNF-mRNA. These findings led to the hypothesis that EtOH-induced liver injury involves increases in circulating endotoxin leading to activation of Kupffer cells. Pimonidazole, a nitro-imidazole marker, was used to detect hypoxia in downstream pericentral regions of the lobule. Following one large dose of EtOH or chronic enteral EtOH for 1 month, pimonidazole binding was increased significantly in pericentral regions of the liver lobule, which was diminished with GdCl3 . Enteral EtOH increased free radical generation detected with electron spin resonance (ESR). These radical species had coupling constants matching α-hydroxyethyl radical and were shown conclusively to arise from EtOH based on a doubling of the ESR lines when 13 C-EtOH was given. α-Hydroxyethyl radical production was also blocked by the destruction of Kupffer cells with GdCl3 . It is known that females develop more severe EtOH-induced liver injury more rapidly and with less EtOH than males. Female rats on the enteral protocol exhibited more rapid injury and more widespread fatty changes over a larger portion of the liver lobule than males. Plasma endotoxin, ICAM-1, free radical adducts, infiltrating neutrophils and transcription factor NFκB were approximately two-fold greater in livers from females than males after 4 weeks of enteral EtOH treatment. Furthermore, oestrogen treatment increased the sensitivity of Kupffer cells to endotoxin. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Kupffer cells participate in important gender differences in liver injury caused by ethanol.