Radical versus conservative surgical treatment of liver hydatid cysts: A paired comparison analysis.

BACKGROUND: The management of liver hydatid cysts (LHC) is complex and includes surgery, percutaneous drainage, chemotherapy and observation. Broadly, there are two types of surgical treatment for LHC - conservative surgery (CS) and radical surgery (RS). The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome of RS and CS. METHODS: Data from all patients with LHC treated in Sahloul Hospital, between January 2000 and December 2019, were retrieved. To minimize selection bias, paired comparison analysis (PCA) was performed. RESULTS: A total of 914 patients were included in this study. RS and CS were performed in 284 and 630 patients, respectively. After PCA, 206 patients were included in each group. The incidence of intraoperative bleeding was significantly higher in the RS group. The overall morbidity was significantly lower in the RS group. Thity-four patients developed recurrence with significantly higher recurrence in CS group. CONCLUSION: RS is associated with fewer postoperative complications and lower recurrence rate compared to CS. RS may be the preferred procedure for LHC if the expertise is available.

Antegrade double-J stent placement for the treatment of malignant obstructive uropathy: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Ureteral double- J stent is usually inserted by retrograde approach to treating obstructed upper urinary tract. The antegrade approach, can be suitable alternative in certain situations without general or spinal anesthesia. The present study demonstrates the indications, success rate, and complications of this approach in treatmenting malignant obstructive uropathy. METHODS: Data of consecutive patients with malignant obstructive uropathy who underwent antegrade ureteral stenting in the Department of Interventional Radiology at Sahloul hospital from January 2013 to February 2020 was retrieved and retrospectively analyzed. RESULT: A total of 188 attempts of antegrade ureteral stent insertion was performed during the study period (left side = 78, right side = 82, bilateral = 14). The mean age was 54 years (range: 9-91 years). The indication of the antegrade stenting was the failure of retrograde approach in 63 patients.The single-stage approach was performed 103 times. A percutaneous nephrostomy was placed for the average duration of 22.4 days (range: 2-60 days) for subsequent attempts. Only four patients required general anesthesia. Ureteral obstruction was caused by bladder cancer (n = 92), uterine cancer (n = 31), prostate cancer (n = 28), colorectal cancer (n = 15) and retroperitoneal tumor (n = 8). A protective nephrostomy was left in situ in 44 cases for 48 h. Clinical success was achieved in 96% of the cases. Two and three patients required hospitalization for perirenal abscess and hematuria, respectively. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study shows that antegrade ureteral stent insertion has a high success rate with minimal complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04649970. Registered december 2, 2020- Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04649970.

Surgical management of giant hepatic hemangioma: A 10-year single center experience.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic hemangiomas are the most typical benign mesenchymal lesions of the liver. Most of these lesions are asymptomatic. Giant hepatic hemangiomas (GHH) (>10 cm) are often symptomatic and require surgical intervention. This study aimed to describe the clinical findings, risk factors, diagnostic approach and management of GHH. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with GHH treated at our hospital from January 2008 to December 2018. The medical records of each patient were reviewed to obtain the clinical and surgical data. RESULTS: Twelve patients with GHH were treated during the study period. 9 were female and 3 were male. The mean age of diagnosis was 48,2 years. The most common presenting symptom was abdominal pain. Eight patients presented an abdominal mass. Indications for surgical resections were rupture (n = 2), Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (n = 1) and abdominal pain (n = 9). Right hepatectomy was done in four patients, left lobectomy in four patients, and enucleation in four patients. Embolization was performed in 4 patients, but due to the persistence of symptoms or bleeding, surgery was indicated. The mean operative time was 3.5 h, and median blood loss was 870 ml. The median hospital stay was 5.3 days. For four patients, we registered postoperative complications causing death in one case. All alive patients were asymptomatic at a median follow-up of 55 months. CONCLUSION: Despite limitations and alternative modalities, surgery remains the only effective curative treatment for GHH.

Incidental chronic lymphocytic leukemia diagnosed following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: A case report.

BACKGROUND: chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients have a high risk of occurrence of secondary cancers. This risk is three times higher for all cancers and eight times higher for skin cancer. The coexistence of CLL and adenocarcinoma of the prostate is rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a66-year-old man who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate carcinoma. The final histopathological diagnosis of Gleason 7 adenocarcinoma of the prostate with incidental Rai stage I chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was made. No further investigations or treatment was offered due to the age and low disease stage. At the last follow-up of 12 months, the patient is alive, without disease progression for both lymphoma and prostate, with a PSA value of 0.03 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: Early detection of lymphoma after radical prostatectomy will allow optimal management. The analysis of this link requires, therefore, additional investigations.

Paraplegia due to medullary compression caused by a large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary bladder: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine carcinomas of the urinary bladder are rare tumors, estimated at less than 1% of urinary bladder malignancies. They are mainly represented by small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, while large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is rarely reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 49-year-old man presenting paraplegia caused by a metastatic urinary bladder LCNEC, which was managed with palliative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) associated with MVAC chemotherapy, including methotrexate, vinblastine sulfate, doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin), and cisplatin. At the last follow-up of one year after his admission, there was a symptomatic improvement in the pain intensity. CONCLUSION: LCNEC of the bladder was first described in 1986, and, until now, less than 40 cases have been published in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of primary LCNEC of the urinary bladder presenting with paraplegia.

Diverticular disease of the small bowel: a rare cause of the duodenojejunal flexure obstruction (a case report).

The small bowel is the least common site for diverticula in the entire gastrointestinal tract. Chronic upper intestinal obstruction due to diverticula is very rare. We report a case of multiple small bowel diverticula causing mechanical obstruction of the duodenojejunal flexure.

[Left paraduodenal hernia: a rare cause of acute intestinal obstruction]. / Hernie para duodénale gauche: une cause rare d'occlusion intestinale aiguë.

Left paraduodenal hernia is a congenital internal hernia rarely complicated by acute intestinal occlusion and resulting, sometimes, in life-threatening loops ischemia. We report the case of a 28-year old man treated for occlusive syndrome. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) scan objectified acute upper intestinal obstruction; intraoperative exploration found jejunal loops incarcerated into left paraduodenal hernia. The neck was closed and the operative suites were simple. Left paraduodenal hernia is often diagnosed when patients have complications. Surgery is the treatment of choice, in particular laparoscopy.

Surgical clip migration following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A rare cause of acute cholangitis.

Clip migration following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a rare and late complication of LC. The first case of surgical clip migration after LC was reported in 1992, and since then less than 100 cases have been reported in the literature. We report the case of cholangitis secondary to a surgical clip migration in an 83 years old male patient, 8 years after LC. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen (CT) showed intra and extrahepatic ducts dilatation secondary to a hyperdense object located in the distal common bile duct (CBD). It was removed successfully from the CBD by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after sphincterotomy. At the last follow-up of one year after her admission, the patient is symptom-free with normal liver enzyme and abdominal CT. Surgical clip migration into CBD, should be included in the differential diagnosis while treating patients with the past surgical history of LC. Early diagnosis and treatment of this complication can avoid serious complications.

Ectopic pancreas: A rare cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding.

Ectopic pancreas (EP) is a rare entity characterized by the development of pancreatic tissue in areas other than the pancreas. We present the case of a 16-year-old female with a heterotopic pancreas in the jejunum revealed by occult gastrointestinal bleeding. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a 2 × 3 cm enhancing nodular jejunal mass suspicious of a neuroendocrine or gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Octreoscan was planned but the patient presented in the emergency department with fever and sudden onset severe abdominal pain. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy. On abdominal exploration, appendicular perforation was present for which appendectomy and peritoneal lavage were performed. The small jejunal lesion seen on CT was identified during surgery and segmental jejunal resection with end-to-end anastomosis was performed. The histopathological examination of the jejunal mass revealed the presence of pancreatic acini and ductal structures without islets of Langerhans in the submucosa of the small intestine covered by normal mucosa. At the last follow-up of eight months after surgery, the patient is symptom-free and the abdominal CT is normal. Preoperative diagnosis of EP requires high clinical suspicion and should be included in the differential diagnosis while treating patients with gastrointestinal bleeding or gastrointestinal mass on CT.

Osteoclastic giant cell tumor of the pancreas with synchronous jejunal gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report.

Osteoclastic giant cell tumor of the pancreas is a rare aggressive tumor, counting for 2-7% of all pancreatic cancers. Surgery is considered the most appropriate treatment. We report a case of a 84-year-old man with incidentally detected 11cm tumor in the pancreatic tail and another 6 cm tumor located in the jejunum on abdominal computed tomography. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy along with segmental resection of the tumor bearing part of the jejunum. On histological examination, osteoclast-like giant cells with some areas of metaplastic bone were observed which confirmed the diagnosis of osteoclastic tumor of the pancreas. The jejunal tumor was strongly c-kit positive on immunohistochemistry which confirmed the diagnosis of GIST. On the last follow up at 2 years after surgery, there is no evidence of recurrence or distant metastasis. Pancreatic OGCT has a better prognosis after resection than pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Its co-existence jejunal GIST, as seen in the index case, has not been reported in the English literature till date.

Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas: a report of 10 cases and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Solid pseudopapillary tumour of the pancreas (SPTP) is a rare pancreatic tumour characterized by a non-specific clinical presentations and vague radiologic features. The aim of this study is to identify these tumours from other pancreatic neoplasms because complete resection is curative in most cases and provides long-term survival. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients operated for SPTP between January 2000 and December 2018 was conducted. The collected data included age, gender, clinical findings, laboratory tests, radiological findings, anatomopathological examination, immunohistochemistry results, surgical treatment, mortality, morbidity and recurrence. RESULTS: Ten cases of SPTP have been diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2018 representing 5.1% of all pancreatic tumours operated during this period (male/female: 2/8; median age 41.2 years; range 19-78 years). The most common symptom was abdominal pain and physical examination was normal in four of 10 cases. The most common tumour localization was the tail of the pancreas. The main tumour size was 7.2 cm (range 2-15 cm). One patient had abdominal disseminated disease. Surgical interventions were distal pancreatectomy in five cases, enucleation in one case, cephalic duodeno-pancreatectomy in two cases, central pancreatectomy in one case and pancreatic biopsy in one case. Only one patient received adjuvant chemotherapy. During follow-up, one patient died after 12 months and another developed unique hepatic metastasis that was resected. CONCLUSION: Although it is delayed in diagnosis, the overall prognosis of these tumours remains good even with local recurrence and metastasis. Complete surgical resection is the treatment of choice even in cases of recurrence.

Isolated hepatic tuberculosis presenting as hydatid cyst.

Primary hepatic tuberculosis is a rare manifestation of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis even in highly endemic countries. The incidence of hepatic tuberculosis has increased in the recent years due to high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Radiological imaging is an important tool for making the diagnosis, but often the imaging findings are non-specific and may mimic other benign or malignant hepatic diseases. We report a case of 54-year-old woman who was detected to have hepatic mass on radiological imaging which was misdiagnosed as hydatid cyst. Intraoperatively, the characteristic features of hydatid cyst were absent. A partial resection of this cystic mass was performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed granulomatous inflammation consisting of histiocytes and Langhans-type giant cells surrounded by lymphocytes suggestive of hepatic tuberculosis. The patient was administered antitubercular therapy for 1 year. Repeat imaging on follow up showed disappearance of the hepatic lesion.

Appendicular endometriosis: A case report and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with appendicular endometriosis (AE) constitute <1% cases of all pelvic endometriosis cases. AE presents with pain in right iliac fossa and symptomatically mimics appendicitis and definitive diagnosis is possible only after histopathological examination of excised appendix. PRESENTATION OF CASE: In this case report, we present a rare case of appendicular endometriosis in a young woman suffering from pain in right iliac fossa and periumbilical region (on/off) for the past one year. She had a past history of infertility. Blood investigations were normal and CT scan of abdomen demonstrated findings suggestive of appendicitis. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was performed, which revealed 2 cm tumor-like mass (1.5 cm diameter) present at the tip of appendix involving the mesoappendix. There was no ascites, peritoneal or omental deposits or any signs of inflammation. Post-operative recovery was good. Dissected appendix specimen was sent for histopathological examination which confirmed endometriosis of appendix. DISCUSSION: Gastrointestinal endometriosis (GE) accounts for 3-37% of all endometriosis cases, whereas AE is present in only ∼3% of all GE cases and constitutes <1% of all the endometriosis cases. AE frequently involves tip and body of the appendix. The layers of appendix most commonly affected are muscular and seromuscular (∼2/3rd cases), followed by the serosa (∼1/3rd cases). CONCLUSION: Thus, appendicular endometriosis is a rare entity and should be included in differential diagnosis in young women presenting with pain in right iliac fossa and having history of infertility.

Factors predicting recurrence after curative resection for rectal cancer: a 16-year study.

BACKGROUND: The recurrence after curative surgery of the rectal adenocarcinoma is a serious complication, considered as a failure of the therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to identify the different prognostic factors affecting the recurrence of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients operated for adenocarcinoma of the rectum between January 2000 and December 2015 was conducted. The study of the recurrence rate and prognostic factors was performed through the Kaplan Meier survival curve and the Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: During the study period, 188 patients underwent curative surgery for rectal adenocarcinoma, among which 53 had a recurrence. The recurrence rate was 44.6% at 5 years. The multivariate analysis identified four parameters independently associated with the risk of recurrence after curative surgery: a distal margin ≤ 2 cm (HR = 6.8, 95% CI 2.7-16.6, 6), extracapsular invasion of lymph node metastasis (HR = 4.4, 95% CI 1.3-14), tumor stenosis (HR = 4.3, 95% CI 1.2-15.2), and parietal invasion (pT3/T4 disease) (HR = 3, 95% CI 1.1-9.4). CONCLUSION: The determination of the prognostic factors affecting the recurrence of rectal adenocarcinoma after curative surgery allows us to define the high-risk patients for recurrence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03899870 . Registered on 2 February 2019, retrospectively registered.

Gallbladder volvulus: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder volvulus (GV) is a rare disease with less than 400 cases reported in the English literature. The pre-operative diagnosis of GV is difficult as none of the imaging modalities are accurate. Once diagnosed, the mainstay of treatment is emergency surgical derotation and cholecystectomy. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 83-old lady presented with right upper quadrant pain and fever for 3 days. Abdominal imaging revealed the presence of a distended, floating gallbladder located outside its normal fossa with thickened non-enhancing wall and a twisted pedicle suggestive GV. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy because the laparoscopic approach was refused by the anesthetist due to the history of pulmonary emphysema. Intraoperatively, the gallbladder was found be gangrenous and rotated in anti-clockwise direction around the cystic pedicle. The gallbladder was de-rotated followed by cholecystectomy. DISCUSSION: GV is an uncommon cause for abdominal pain and occurs due to rotation of gall bladder on its mesentery along the axis of the cystic duct and the cystic artery. Pre-operative diagnosis continues to be a major challenge with only 4 cases reported in the literature diagnosed with pre-operative imaging. This case is one of the rare cases diagnosed with pre-operative imaging. It is often misdiagnosed as acute cholecystitis before surgery. However, critical constellation of presenting signs and symptoms along with radiological findings may guide the surgeon to accurate and timely diagnosis of GV before surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Although rare, it is important to consider GV as a differential diagnosis in an elderly patient with acute cholecystitis.

Idiopathic segmental infarction of the omentum mimicking acute appendicitis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Omentum is a well vascularized organ. Omentum infarction is uncommon. Most of the cases are secondary due to torsion, intra-abdominal infections and vascular thrombosis. Primary idiopathic segmental omental infarction is rare. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 26-year-old male presented with acute onset right iliac fossa pain mimicking acute appendicitis. On radiological imaging, early acute appendicitis was suspected. On diagnostic laparoscopy, appendix appeared normal and there was idiopathic infarction of a part of the greater omentum lying close to the cecum. Patient underwent laparoscopic appendectomy with excision of the diseased segment of the omentum and had uneventful recovery. CONCLUSION: Idiopathic omental infarction should be included in the differential diagnoses while treating patient with acute abdomen.

Spectrum of gastrointestinal lesions of neurofibromatosis type 1: a pictorial review.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common genetic disorders. Gastrointestinal manifestations of NF-1 are seldom thought of in routine clinical practice and might thus be significantly under-recognised. Their heterogeneous spectrum ranges from localised microscopic proliferative lesions to grossly recognizable mass-forming neurofibromas, neuroendocrine and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST). The aim of this study is discussing the imaging evaluation and characterisation of the abdomen lesions in patients with NF1. TEACHING POINTS: • Neurofibromatosis type (NF-1) is one of the most common single gene disorders. • Every organ system can be involved and intra-abdominal manifestations are underestimated. • The NF1 abdominal manifestations comprehend five categories of tumours. • Neurogenic tumours including with neurofibromas are the most common type. • Early diagnosis of abdominal manifestations of NF-1 based on imaging patterns is necessary for appropriate treatment to avoid serious organic complications related to tumour mass.