Preoperative endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage increases postoperative complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy compared to endoscopic nasobiliary drainage.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative biliary drainage prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) by percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) or endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) is performed to improve liver functions, including immunity and coagulation that affect postoperative recovery in patients with jaundice. EBD can be performed through endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage (ERBD) or endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD). There is no clear consensus about which drainage is more suitable for preoperative EBD. The purpose of this study was to compare the postoperative outcomes of ENBD and ERBD performed prior to PD. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of 3 hospitals: Chuncheon, Kangdong and Kangnam Sacred Heart hospitals. From January 2007 to April 2019, PD was performed in 230 patients, among whom, 88 patients had undergone preoperative EBD. These 88 patients were divided into two groups according to the method of preoperative biliary drainage: ENBD versus ERBD. We compared clinical data and postoperative complications after PD between ENBD and ERBD. RESULTS: The overall complication rates in the ENBD group were significantly lower than in the ERBD group (26.1% vs. 57.1%, P=0.003). Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rates (11.1% vs. 38.1%, P=0.003) and postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) rates (2.2% vs. 14.3%, P=0.036) in the ENBD group were also lower than in the ERBD group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides further evidence that patients undergoing ERBD before PD are more likely to suffer POPFs and PPHs. This suggests that ENBD should be preferred in order to minimize the risk of POPFs and PPHs in patients with biliary obstruction prior to undergoing PD.

Long-term surgical outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing laparoscopic vs. open liver resection: A retrospective and propensity score-matched study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There is limited availability of well-designed comparative studies using propensity score matching with a sufficient sample size to compare laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) vs. open liver resection (OLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to compare the feasibility and safety of LLR and OLR in patients with HCC. METHODS: We enrolled 168 patients who underwent elective LLR (n = 58) or OLR (n = 110) for HCC in two tertiary medical centers between November 2009 and December 2018. Patients who underwent LLR were propensity score-matched to patients who underwent OLR in a 1:1 ratio. Perioperative and postoperative outcomes and disease-free and overall survival rates were prospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 116 patients analyzed, 58 each belonged to the LLR and OLR groups. We performed 85 segmentectomies or sectionectomies, 19 left-lateral-sectionectomies, 9 left-hemihepatectomies, and 3 right-hemihepatectomies. There was no significant difference in age, sex, Child-Pugh class, original liver disease, preoperative alpha-fetoprotein, tumor size, tumor location, overall morbidity, and operative time. There was a significant difference in the length of postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (LLR vs OLR; 8 vs 10 days, p = 0.003). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates in the LLR and OLR groups were 96.6%, 92.8%, and 73.3% and 93.1%, 88.8%, and 76.1%, respectively (p = 0.642). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival rates in the LLR and OLR groups were 84.4%, 64.0%, and 60.2% and 93.1%, 67.4%, and 63.9%, respectively (p = 0.391). CONCLUSION: LLR for HCC can be performed safely with acceptable short-term and long-term outcomes compared with OLR.

Propensity score-matched analysis of internal stent vs external stent for pancreatojejunostomy during pancreaticoduodenectomy: Japanese-Korean cooperative project.

BACKGROUND: Several studies comparing internal and external stents have been conducted with the aim of reducing pancreatic fistula after PD. There is still no consensus, however, on the appropriate use of pancreatic stents for prevention of pancreatic fistula. This multicenter large cohort study aims to evaluate whether internal or external pancreatic stents are more effective in reduction of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: We reviewed 3149 patients (internal stent n = 1,311, external stent n = 1838) who underwent PD at 20 institutions in Japan and Korea between 2007 and 2013. Propensity score matched analysis was used to minimize bias from nonrandomized treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was the incidence of clinically relevant pancreatic fistula. This study was registered on the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000032402). RESULTS: After propensity score matched analysis, clinically relevant pancreatic fistula occurred in more patients in the external stents group (280 patients, 28.7%) than in patients in the internal stents group (126 patients, 12.9%) (OR 2.713 [95% CI, 2.139-3.455]; P < 0.001). In subset analysis of a high-risk group with soft pancreas and no dilatation of the pancreatic duct, clinically relevant pancreatic fistula occurred in 90 patients (18.8%) in internal stents group and 183 patients (35.4%) in external stents group. External stents were significantly associated with increased risk for clinically relevant pancreatic fistula (OR 2.366 [95% CI, 1.753-3.209]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Propensity score matched analysis showed that, regarding clinically relevant pancreatic fistula after PD, internal stents are safer than external stents for pancreaticojejunostomy.

Single Orifice Outflow Reconstruction in Various Tributaries of the Right Liver Graft Using Commercialized Polyethylene Terephthalate Y-graft: A technical Simplification of Venous Reconstruction in 3 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic vein reconstruction is very important in living donor liver transplantation to prevent outflow obstruction and maintain the graft function. In right liver grafts, reconstruction of the tributary of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) or inferior hepatic vein (IHV) is mandatory, and several options are recommended. Recently, it has been reported that a single, wide orifice is an important perquisite for adequate outflow in liver transplantation. This can be achieved by various venoplasty techniques in back table procedures using the recipient's saphenous vein, a cryopreserved vascular graft, or a synthetic vascular graft. METHODS: Due to the insufficiency of an actual graft, we used a simple back table technique with the polyethylene terephthalate Y-graft in 3 cases of right liver grafting between October 2015 and September 2019 in Gil Medical Center. We used both arms of the Y-graft for anastomosis of the 2 largest branches of both tributaries. The main trunk of the Y-graft was then joined to the right hepatic vein (RHV). We analyzed these patients' outcomes retrospectively and the study was approved by institutional review board in Gachon University Gil Medical Center. This study strictly complies with the Helsinki Congress and the Istanbul Declaration regarding donor source and informed consent was obtained from all patients. RESULTS: All 3 patients had good tributary patency and allograft function at discharge. The patency of the graft was maintained over a period ranging from 2 months to 2 years, without any anticoagulant administration. Regardless of the tributary patency, all patients survived with good outflow of the grafts. CONCLUSIONS: Although we had little prior experience in synthetic venous grafts, these cases indicate some interesting findings, with a simple and intuitive procedure. We believe our technique is a practical method for manipulating various venous tributaries in a right liver graft.

Clinical significance and characteristics of left-sided gallbladder: case series study of 10 patients.

PURPOSE: The aims of this case series study were to review the 10 patients who were diagnosed with left-sided gallbladder and analyze their anatomic variations in the bile duct, portal vein, and hepatic vessels. METHODS: In this case series study, 10 patients with left-sided gallbladder were retrospectively analyzed at 2 tertiary referral centers between April 2004 and May 2019. RESULTS: Mean age was 61.1 years; there were 7 women and 3 men. Ten patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis or symptomatic gallbladder stone. The mean operation time was 77.2 minutes. Three ports were used in laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 3.5 days, and there were no cases of surgery-related morbidity. Two patients had type 1 bile duct and 3 had type 3 bile duct (2 type 3B and 1 type 3A). The right posterior portal vein as the first branch of the main portal vein was observed in all patients. Segment IV branches of the left portal vein crossing over to the segment VIII territory were observed in 7 of the 10 patients. CONCLUSION: Although left-sided gallbladder is a very rare disease, it is possible to diagnose it preoperatively and perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy safely by adjusting port position. The common important features of left-sided gallbladder include distribution of the left portal vein crossing over to the right side of the liver and increased size of the left portal vein. These variations may have important clinical implications in the management of hepatic resection including donor hepatectomy.

Clinical validation of scoring systems of postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy: applicability to Eastern cohorts?

BACKGROUND: Although several prediction models for the occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) exist, all were established using Western cohorts. Large-scale external validation studies in Eastern cohorts that consider demographic variables including lower body mass index (BMI) are scarce. The purpose of this study was to externally validate POPF prediction models using nationwide large-scale Korean cohorts. METHODS: Nine tertiary university hospitals in the Republic of Korea participated. Patients' preoperative characteristics, intraoperative factors, and pathologic findings were evaluated. POPF grades were determined according to the 2016 International Study Group on Pancreatic Surgery definition. Three POPF risk models (Callery, Roberts, and Mungroop) were selected for external validation. RESULTS: A total of 1,898 PD patients were enrolled. A non-pancreatic disease diagnosis [hazard ratio (HR), 1.856; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.223-2.817; P=0.004), higher preoperative BMI (HR, 1.069; 95% CI, 1.019-1.121; P=0.006), and soft pancreatic texture (HR, 1.859; 95% CI, 1.264-2.735; P=0.002) were independent risk factors for clinically relevant POPF (CR-POPF). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values were 0.61, 0.64, and 0.63 on the Callery, Roberts, and Mungroop models, respectively; all were lower than those published in each external validation study. CONCLUSIONS: Western POPF prediction models performed less well when applied to Korean cohorts. Thus, a large-scale Eastern-specific and externally validated POPF prediction model is needed.

Analyzing the Factors Associated With Nocturia in Older People in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The risk factors of nocturia in older adults remain unclear. We aimed to investigate factors associated with nocturia using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. METHODS: Among 40,790 participants, 4,698 participants aged ≥65 years were included from the NHANES dataset between 2005 and 2012. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratio (OR) for nocturia. A subgroup analysis was conducted based on sex and underlying diseases. RESULTS: In the multivariate logistic regression model, obesity (OR, 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.68), hypertension (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.52), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.11-1.45) were significantly associated with nocturia. These factors were associated with nocturia regardless of sex. In a subgroup of participants with hypertension, obesity (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.25-1.67) and DM (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.45) were associated with nocturia. In the additional analysis on patients with DM, nocturia was associated with obesity (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06-1.67) and duration of DM (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that hypertension, DM, and obesity were significantly associated with the prevalence of nocturia in older adult patients regardless of sex. In particular, obesity was associated with nocturia in every subgroup analysis.

Complicated infective endocarditis: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis is associated with not only cardiac complications but also neurologic, renal, musculoskeletal, and systemic complications related to the infection, such as embolization, metastatic infection, and mycotic aneurysm. CASE PRESENTATION: We report three cases (the first patient is Chinese and the other two are Koreans) of complicated infective endocarditis; two of the cases were associated with a mycotic aneurysm, and one case was associated with a splenic abscess. One case of a patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis was complicated by intracerebral hemorrhage caused by mycotic aneurysm rupture. A second case of a patient with right-sided valve endocarditis associated with a central catheter was complicated by an abdominal aortic mycotic aneurysm. The third patient had a splenic infarction and abscess associated with infected cardiac thrombi. CONCLUSIONS: Complicated infective endocarditis is rare and is associated with cardiac, neurologic, renal, musculoskeletal, and systemic complications related to infection, such as embolization, metastatic infection, and mycotic aneurysm. Infective endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus is more frequently associated with complications. Because the mortality rate increases when complications develop, aggressive antibiotic therapy and surgery, combined with specific treatments for the complications, are necessary.

Low incidence of KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations in adenocarcinomas of the ampulla of Vater and their prognostic value.

Ampullary adenocarcinomas (A-ACs) are rare malignancies with considerable importance because of their high curable resection rate and improved survival rate among periampullary cancers. The RAS-RAF-MAPK pathway is involved in the development of A-ACs and is a potential therapeutic target. However, molecular profiles of A-ACs and their prognostic impact are poorly understood. Peptide nucleic acid-mediated polymerase chain reaction clamping and Mutyper were used to detect KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations in 62 paraffinized samples of A-ACs. Of 62 A-ACs, 30.6% had KRAS mutations, but no BRAF mutations and low frequency (1.6%) of PIK3CA mutation were detected. KRAS mutation was correlated with poor tumor differentiation and was a predictor of shorter recurrence-free survival period in overall A-ACs, whereas the prognosis according to the histologic subtypes was not affected by KRAS mutation. Lymph node metastasis was an independent prognostic factor of poor overall survival. Intestinal- and pancreatobiliary-type A-ACs had similar prognosis. Intestinal- and pancreatobiliary-type A-ACs had different prognostic factors; tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis strongly predicted overall survival and recurrence-free survival in pancreatobiliary-type tumors, respectively, whereas no independent prognostic factors were demonstrated for intestinal-type tumors. Low incidence of KRAS mutations and their strong prognostic value in A-ACs may suggest the potential of survival benefit depending on the epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapy. Much lower frequencies of BRAF and PIK3CA mutations may suggest that they do not play a major role in the tumorigenesis of A-ACs. Different therapeutic protocols should be considered for treating pancreatobiliary- and intestinal-type A-ACs.

Diagnostic value of PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To determine the cutoff values and to compare the diagnostic role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A total of 1255 patients with CHB, including 157 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 879 with non-cirrhotic CHB and 219 with cirrhosis without HCC, were retrospectively enrolled. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves of PIVKA-II, AFP and their combination were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff values for PIVKA-II and AFP were 40 mAU/mL and 10 ng/mL, respectively, for the differentiation of HCC from nonmalignant CHB. The sensitivity and specificity were 73.9% and 89.7%, respectively, for PIVKA-II and 67.5% and 90.3% for AFP, respectively. The AUROC curves of both PIVKA-II and AFP were not significantly different (0.854 vs 0.853, P = 0.965) for the differentiation of HCC from nonmalignant CHB, whereas the AUROC of PIVKA-II was significantly better than that of AFP in patients with cirrhosis (0.870 vs 0.812, P = 0.042). When PIVKA-II and AFP were combined, the diagnostic power improved significantly compared to either AFP or PIVKA-II alone for the differentiation of HCC from nonmalignant CHB (P < 0.05), especially when cirrhosis was present (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum PIVKA-II might be a better tumor marker than AFP, and its combination with AFP may enhance the early detection of HCC in patients with CHB.

Simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation: lessons learned from the initial experience of a single center in Korea.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report the results of simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantations and describe the lessons learned from the early experiences of a single center. METHODS: Between January 2002 and June 2013, a total of 8 patients underwent SPK transplantation. Clinical and radiologic data were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Seven patients were diagnosed with type I diabetes mellitus and one patient became insulin-dependent after undergoing a total pancreatectomy because of trauma. Pancreas exocrine drainage was performed by enteric drainage in 4 patients and bladder drainage in 4 patients. Three patients required conversion from initial bladder drainage to enteric drainage due to urinary symptoms and duodenal leakage. Four patients required a relaparotomy due to hemorrhage, ureteral stricture, duodenal leakage, and venous thrombosis. There was no kidney graft loss, and 2 patients had pancreas graft loss because of venous thrombosis and new onset of type II diabetes mellitus. With a median follow-up of 76 months (range, 2-147 months), the death-censored graft survival rates for the pancreas were 85.7% at 1, 3, and 5 years and 42.9% at 10 years. The patient survival rate was 87.5% at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years. CONCLUSION: The long-term grafts and patient survival in the current series are comparable to previous studies. A successful pancreas transplant program can be established in a single small-volume institute. A meticulous surgical technique and early anticoagulation therapy are required for further improvement in the outcomes.

Low frequency of KRAS mutation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas in Korean patients and its prognostic value.

OBJECTIVES: Low prevalence and prognostic relevance of KRAS mutations in Korean pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) need to be validated with sensitive detection method. METHODS: Peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) clamping was used to precisely detect KRAS mutation in 72 paraffinized tumor samples and was validated by pancreatic cell lines to compare the efficiency of direct sequencing. RESULTS: The PNA-mediated PCR clamping detected mutant allele proportions of as low as 0.5% against a background of wild-type DNA and was 20-fold more sensitive than direct sequencing through the validation of pancreatic cell lines. Peptide nucleic acid-mediated PCR clamping detected KRAS mutations in 47.2% of 72 PDACs. Low tumor cellularity and low PCR amplification efficiency led to be undetected or failed by direct sequencing in pancreatic paraffinized samples.KRAS mutations were an independent worse prognostic factor predicting a reduced progression-free survival rate in the postoperative chemotherapy group. CONCLUSIONS: Peptide nucleic acid clamp real-time PCR was a sensitive method for detecting KRAS status in paraffinized PDAC samples. We identified a low KRAS mutation rate among the Korean PDAC patients using PNA clamp real-time PCR, potentially implicating epidemiological characteristics. The low KRAS mutation rate and its prognostic role may suggest the further survival benefit in Korean PDAC patients.

Laparoscopic treatment for post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome.

The remnant cystic duct or gallbladder neck calculus may rarely result in post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome. Various managements have been proposed for the treatment of post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome. Some previous cases of post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome have been managed with open cholecystectomy and endoscopically. We report a case of a laparoscopic stone removal of post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome that developed 7 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. To our knowledge, this is the first case of laparoscopic management of post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome. The mechanism, diagnosis and treatment of post-cholecystectomy Mirizzi syndrome are discussed.

Prognostic significance of computed tomography defined ascites in advanced gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic features and prognosis in patients with computed tomography (CT) findings of ascites, with a focus on the correlation with peritoneal carcinomatosis. METHODS: This study included a total of 157 patients who underwent surgery for advanced gastric cancer from 2003 to 2008 at the Department of Surgery, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea, which were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Fourteen patients (8.9%) presented ascites on their CT scan. Among them, 10 patients had peritoneal carcinomatosis, and showed significant difference with CT ascites positive group in the incidence of peritoneal carcinomatosis. The presence of CT ascites was significantly correlated with pathologic T stage, tumor size, histologic type, CT T and N stages, CT peritoneal nodularity and curability of surgery, statistically. The prognosis of CT ascites positive group was much poorer in the total advanced gastric cancer patients (P < 0.001), as well as in patients with pathologic T4 (P = 0.002). Also in patients without peritoneal carcinomatosis, CT ascites positive subgroup tended to have a worse prognosis than CT ascites negative subgroup (P = 0.086). Tumor size, CT T and N stages and the presence of CT peritoneal nodularity and ascites influenced the prognosis significantly; among which, if a tumor size larger than 5 cm, CT T4 stage and the presence of CT ascites were identified as independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The presence of ascites was closely associated with peritoneal metastasis, and was the most significant independent prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer in the present study.

Relationship between the risk of bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and the types of preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatiocography (MRCP).

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Bile duct injury is one of the potential severe complications that can occur during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which can be cause by anatomic variations in the confluence of the bile duct. Recently magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatiocography (MRCP) has become a helpful tool to detect bile duct variation on a preoperative basis and to prevent bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as well other hepatic surgeries. This study aimed to clarify the types of bile duct on MRCP and to search for a method of avoiding injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Between January 2009 and December 2010, 277 patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with preoperative MRCP in our institution. On a retrospective basis, the bile ducts were categorized into 5 types according to the Couinaud classification system. RESULTS: The proportion of types was revealed type A (70.4%), type B (8.7%), type C (19.5%), type D (0.7%), type E (0%), and type F (0.7%), respectively. Bile duct injury occurred in 4 cases (1.4%) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In particular, the possibility of aberrant extrahepatic confluence (Type C and F) represented the highest risk of duct injury (OR=11.89 [CI: 1.21-116.53]). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative evaluation of the bile duct anatomy is important to avoid injury of duct during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Specific types of bile duct variation should be considered as a high risk group for bile duct injury.

Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage changes emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy to an elective operation in patients with acute cholecystitis.

Many surgeons have found it difficult to decide whether to apply percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) in patients with acute cholecystitis that is not responsive to initial medical management (IMMx), because the indications of PTGBD are ambiguous. The aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriate treatment for acute cholecystitis that is not responsive to IMMx. Specifically, we focused on differences in surgical outcomes between elective and emergency laparoscopic surgeries. Between March 2006 and February 2009, 738 patients with acute cholecystitis who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) at our institution were retrospectively studied. We divided them into 3 groups. Group I included 494 patients who underwent elective LC without pre-operative PTGBD, group II included 97 patients who intended to undergo elective LC after preoperative PTGBD, and group III included 147 patients who underwent emergency LC without preoperative PTGBD. We compared age, sex, symptom duration, body temperature, leukocyte counts, and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class on admission as clinical characteristics. We compared the time interval from symptom development and admission to surgery, operative time, the conversion rate to open surgery, postoperative complications, the total length of stay, and the postoperative length of stay as perioperative surgical outcomes. For patients with ASA 2 and 3, the conversion rate to open surgery in group II was significantly less than that in group III (P<.05, P<.01, respectively). We recommend PTGBD as the first choice for acute cholecystitis in patients who show no improvement after IMMx, to allow the patient to undergo an elective LC rather than emergency surgery for patients with ASA 2 and 3.

Cavo-caval intervention stent insertion after deceased-donor liver transplantation using side-to-side piggyback technique: report of a case.

Liver transplantation with preservation of the recipient vena cava (piggyback technique) has been performed as an alternative to the conventional method. Outflow disturbance or obstruction of the vena cava in the early period after liver transplantation is associated with high morbidity and mortality. We used side-to-side cavo-caval anastomosis (modified piggyback technique) in a deceased-donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for venous outflow reconstruction. On postoperative day 9, the patient developed abdominal discomfort, and abnormal liver function showing serum total bilirubin of 6.2 mg/dl and serum AST/ALT of 297/597 IU/L. Doppler ultrasound showed mono-phasic wave forms of the hepatic vein. Computed tomography showed focal narrowing of 9.5 mm×12 mm in diameter at the cavo-caval anastomosis site. Liver biopsy was showed that there was no evidence of acute allograft rejection. Direct venogram showed stenosis of the cavo-caval anastomosis with a pressure gradient of 12 mmHg. An interventional stent was inserted in the stenotic site of the inferior vena cava, and the pressure gradient decreased to 2 mmHg. He was discharged from hospital on postoperative day 23 without any other complications. Herein we report a case of deceased-donor liver transplantation using the modified piggyback technique, who received an inferior vena cava stent due to stricture of the reconstructed orifice of the vena cava.

Totally laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy using ventral hilum exposure (VHE) for intrahepatic bile duct stone.

The unique technique of ventral hilum exposure (VHE) was reported that it had excellent surgical outcomes in patients with intrahepatic bile duct stone. The basis of this surgical technique is that all the openings of the 2nd-order bile duct branches are exposed fully. In this article, we describe laparoscopic hemihepatectomy from using the VHE method in a patient with intrahepatic bile duct stone. Our patient was a 70-year-old female who had been diagnosed with an intrahepatic duct stone 30 years prior. Multiple intrahepatic bile duct stones in the left lateral section of the liver were revealed by abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. The patient resumed her oral intake on postoperative day 6. The patient had hyperbilirubinemia (10.3 mg/100 mL) on postoperative day 10. However, her serum bilirubin level decreased to 2.7 mg/100 mL on postoperative day 28. She was discharged without any serious complications on postoperative day 31. Totally laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy, using the VHE method, can be one option of surgical procedure in the near future, although a larger series of cases should be necessary to prove the feasibility of laparoscopic VHE.

Combination of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and computed tomography for preoperative diagnosis of the Mirizzi syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of combined magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and computed tomography (CT) for preoperative diagnosis of Mirizzi syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients with surgically proven Mirizzi syndrome (n = 13) and cholecystitis without evidence for Mirizzi syndrome (n = 39) underwent both MRCP using single-shot turbo spin echo and 3-dimensional turbo spin echo sequences and CT. Two blinded observers independently and retrospectively reviewed the combination of MRCP and CT images and CT images alone. Diagnostic accuracy for a combined protocol and CT was evaluated. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the combination of MRCP and CT were 96.0%, 93.5%, 83.5%, 98.5%, and 94.0%, respectively. Corresponding values of CT were 42.0%, 98.5%, 93.0%, 83.5%, and 85.0%, respectively. The sensitivity, negative predictive value, and accuracy of combined protocol were significantly higher than those of CT alone (P = 0.000, 0.001, and 0.042, respectively). Interobserver agreement was better for combined images (kappa = 0.906) than for CT images alone (kappa = 0.812). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of MRCP and CT is useful for preoperative diagnosis of Mirizzi syndrome.