Spontaneous Rupture of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Young Patient with Fatal Outcome.

Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a potentially life-threatening complication. Diagnosis may be difficult, particularly in the absence of known liver cirrhosis or tumor. A 20-year-old male patient presented with progressive abdominal pain and shock. His past medical history was uneventful. Anemia, acute renal failure, and abnormal liver function test were demonstrated. Mild hepatomegaly, perihepatic and flank fluid, and multiple hypodense liver lesions suggestive of intrahepatic metastases or multifocal HCC were revealed by computed tomography. Two actively bleeding liver tumors and multiple tumors in a noncirrhotic liver were found. Hemostatic suture and perihepatic packing were performed. The patient remained in critical condition, with a fatal outcome 48 h later. Histopathologic analysis reported HCC and absence of cirrhotic changes. HCC spontaneous rupture incidence is reported between 2.3 and 26%. Median age is 65 years. No liver cirrhosis is found in one-third of patients, with a median age of 51 years. Sudden onset of abdominal pain and shock is observed in the majority of cases. An accurate preoperative diagnosis improves to 75% with ultrasound and computed tomography. Besides hemodynamic stabilization, there is no general agreement on the best treatment option. Transarterial embolization, surgical perihepatic packing, suture plication, and hepatic artery ligation are useful methods of hemostasis in unstable patients. Mortality has been reported from 16.5 to 100%. The histopathologic finding of HCC in a noncirrhotic liver represents a less frequent presentation. A case of spontaneous rupture of HCC carcinoma and a noncirrhotic liver in a young patient is herein reported.

Evaluation of the histologic changes in the fat-grafted facial skin: clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Fat grafting is increasingly common in plastic surgery procedures. The discovery of stem cells in fat tissue has given a new direction to the use of fat as a therapeutic tool for other patient conditions. Only one experimental study in rats shows dermal changes after application of lipofilling. For this reason, the authors conducted this study to evaluate skin changes in patients after application of the technique. This study aimed to observe histologic changes in the skin of patients undergoing fat grafting. METHODS: Fat grafting was performed in the preauricular region on one side of patients undergoing face-lifts at the Jalisco Reconstructive Surgery Institute, Guadalajara, Mexico. Preauricular skin was used in this procedure as a withdrawal study and control condition. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining was performed to assess dermal and epidermal thickness, vascularity, and collagen behavior. No inferential statistics were registered with the Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: The study investigated 16 patients to observe statistically significant differences in dermal thickness, the presence of immature collagen (neoformation), and arteries. No difference in epidermal thickness was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed a regenerative effect with fat grafting that included an increased thickness of the dermis, collagen neoformation, and the presence of increased vascularity in local skin subjected to treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Left hepatic lobe herniation through an incisional anterior abdominal wall hernia and right adrenal myelolipoma: a case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Herniation of the liver through an anterior abdominal wall hernia defect is rare. To the best of our knowledge, only three cases have been described in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old Mexican woman presented with a one-week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice to our Department of General Surgery. Her medical history included an open cholecystectomy from 20 years earlier and excessive weight. She presented with jaundice, abdominal distension with a midline surgical scar, right upper quadrant tenderness, and a large midline abdominal wall defect with dullness upon percussion and protrusion of a large, tender, and firm mass. The results of laboratory tests were suggestive of cholestasis. Ultrasound revealed choledocholithiasis. A computed tomography scan showed a protrusion of the left hepatic lobe through the anterior abdominal wall defect and a well-defined, soft tissue density lesion in the right adrenal topography. An endoscopic common bile duct stone extraction was unsuccessful. During surgery, the right adrenal tumor was resected first. The hernia was approached through a median supraumbilical incision; the totality of the left lobe was protruding through the abdominal wall defect, and once the lobe was reduced to its normal position, a common bile duct surgical exploration with multiple stone extraction was performed. Finally, the abdominal wall was reconstructed. Histopathology revealed an adrenal myelolipoma. Six months after the operation, our patient remains in good health. CONCLUSIONS: The case of liver herniation through an incisional anterior abdominal wall hernia in this report represents, to the best of our knowledge, the fourth such case reported in the literature. The rarity of this medical entity makes it almost impossible to specifically describe predisposing risk factors for liver herniation. Obesity, the right adrenal myelolipoma mass effect, and the previous abdominal surgery are likely to have contributed to incisional hernia formation.

Adult intussusception secondary to an ileum hamartoma.

Intussusception is a rare condition in the adult population. However, in contrast to its presentation in children, an identifiable etiology is found in the majority of cases. Clinical manifestations of adult intussusception are non-specific and patients may present with acute, intermittent or chronic symptoms, predominantly those of intestinal obstruction. A 27-year-old male patient with recurrent abdominal pain secondary to intussusception is herein reported. The clinical presentation and ultrasonographic findings led to the diagnosis. At laparotomy, an ileal hamartoma was found as the lead point of the intussusception. Surgical management and histopathologic studies are described. A recurrent intestinal obstruction and classic ultrasound findings may lead to the diagnosis of intussusception but surgical exploration remains essential. The principle of resection without reduction is well established.