Coconut leaf midrib skewer as a cause for small bowel obstruction and perforation: A case report.

Foreign body ingestion is an infrequent cause of small bowel obstruction and, rarely, perforation. It is a common occurrence among pediatric patients, mentally impaired and the edentulous elderly population majority of which will pass through the gastrointestinal tract uneventfully. The likelihood of complications such as perforation, bleeding or fistula formation increases markedly particularly for sharp, stiff, and elongated objects (i.e. toothpicks, meat bones, pins, and razor blades). Diagnosis can be difficult as frequently patients are incognizant of the nature and time of ingestion. Imaging is commonly non-specific as well. We present an unusual case of a 65-year-old male who had an ileal perforation secondary to a coconut leaf midrib skewer initially presenting as small bowel obstruction. Intraoperatively, adhesions were seen in the ileum with note of the foreign body perforating two bowel loops that was not identified in preoperative imaging. This case highlights the importance of considering atypical causes of small bowel obstruction even in the background of previous surgery. Finally, early recognition, accurate diagnosis, and timely intervention are essential to improve patient outcomes and decrease mortality in such cases.

Diagnostic Validity of Point-of-Care Breast Ultrasound for Females with Palpable Breast Masses.

INTRODUCTION: With breast cancer as one of the frequent causes of cancer mortality today, the importance of ultrasound in its early detection has been apparent. It has been a valuable addition to the surgeon's diagnostic skills, contributing a vital role in clinical practice. We set out to determine the accuracy and value of breast ultrasound for primary imaging in women presenting with a clinically palpable mass in our outpatient clinic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of a point-of-care breast ultrasound among patients who consulted at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Breast Care Clinic for a palpable breast mass without prior histopathologic diagnosis. The overall diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were determined. Sonographic features were also identified, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of malignancy. RESULTS: Eighty patients were reviewed and compared with their histopathology results. The overall accuracy of a surgeon-performed breast ultrasound was 86.2%, sensitivity of 91.4%, specificity of 82.2%, PPV of 80% and NPV of 92.5%. Indistinct borders, posterior enhancement, unilateral shadowing, heterogeneous echo pattern and deeper than wide anterior-posterior ratio are sonographic features associated with malignancy. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a point-of-care ultrasound for a palpable breast mass is reliable with a relatively good accuracy rate. Performing breast ultrasound in the clinic will help the surgeon evaluate the extent of disease preoperatively and be guided as to the optimal surgical management for the patient.

Metastasizing ameloblastoma of the breast: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Ameloblastomas are slow growing and locally aggressive odontogenic tumors with a high propensity for recurrence. It frequently arises in the mandible and has been reported to metastasize commonly in the lungs. An updated World Health Organization classification re-categorized metastasizing ameloblastomas under benign tumors. Other rare metastatic sites include the skull, maxilla, kidney, and liver. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 53-year-old female with a gradually enlarging right breast mass for 2 years. She previously underwent right hemimandibulectomy with clavicular bone grafting 15 years ago for a primary ameloblastoma. Preoperative imaging showed a resectable, heterogenous right breast mass with a biopsy revealing spindle cell neoplasm. She subsequently underwent radical mastectomy with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap as a reconstructive procedure. Histopathologic findings were consistent with a metastasizing ameloblastoma. The patient remains disease-free as of most recent follow-up. DISCUSSION: There are several proposed mechanisms for metastasizing ameloblastomas. Based on the history and location of the tumor, we surmised that tumor seeding from the first surgery done 15 years ago may explain this rare occurrence. Preoperative imaging and biopsy determine resectability and surgical approach. Radical surgery is frequently performed which largely depends on the site of the tumor. Complete primary resection with adequate margins remains to be the treatment of choice to prevent recurrence or metastasis. The role of adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy are still to be established. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the value of history-taking and having a high-index of suspicion for metastasis several years after primary resection of ameloblastomas.

Outcomes of Kidney Transplants Under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's Z Benefit Package at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital from 2015 to 2021.

End-stage renal disease is one of the most burdensome diseases, particularly in developing countries such as the Philippines, with dialysis and kidney transplant commonly being a source of out-of-pocket expenditure among patients. To address the burgeoning health inequity, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) launched in 2012 its Z Benefit Package for kidney transplantation providing a substantial amount to subsidize the transplant with the aim of increasing financial risk protection of its members, especially the marginalized sector. The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital is a government hospital that was one of the contracted hospitals to provide this benefit package since 2015. Herein we report our initial experience with 29 primary, low immunologic risk, living donor kidney transplants. Recipients mostly had chronic glomerulonephritis with a median discharge creatinine of 1.04 mg/dL. One, 3-, and 5-year graft survival was 100%, 96%, and 85%, respectively, with a median graft survival of 65 months. Donors were mostly male with a median discharge creatinine of 1.0 mg/dL. One, 3-, and 5-year patient survival was 100%, 91%, and 81%, respectively. Complications were mostly urinary tract infections. In conclusion, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Z Benefit Package for transplant seems to be achieving its goals of providing quality care particularly for the poor with catastrophic diseases such as end-stage renal disease. Optimal patient selection and management are essential in attaining excellent graft and patient outcomes. Furthermore, it is hoped that with this program, there will be increased awareness of the at-risk population, transplanting them preemptively, ensuring a better overall survival.

Secondary disseminated intraperitoneal hydatid cyst: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Hydatidosis is an uncommon zoonotic infection in the Philippines with only a few reported cases. It frequently presents as benign liver cysts with variable symptoms often related to mass effect. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 49-year-old male with a significant travel history from East and Central Asia, surgically treated twice as a benign liver cyst and now presenting with recurrent multiple intraabdominal cysts. He subsequently underwent surgical excision of multiple hydatid cysts with prolonged albendazole treatment. The patient presently remains disease-free as of most recent follow-up. DISCUSSION: The disease is caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus and transmission happens when humans acting as intermediate host ingest food contaminated with the parasite eggs, resulting to the liver being the most common location. Frequently, it manifests and is treated as incidental hepatic cysts for the disease is characterized to have a long asymptomatic period. Symptoms are variable and may range from having abdominal pain, increasing abdominal girth, vomiting, fever or myalgia. Ultrasound or CT scan reveals single or multiple cysts however, biopsy of the cyst wall with demonstration of the larval form (protoscoleces) is diagnostic. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the value of history-taking and having a high-index of suspicion particularly for rare cases.

Primary bilateral inguinal endometriosis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis is a chronic benign recurrent gynecologic disease commonly affecting 10% of women worldwide wherein endometrial glands implant and mature outside the uterine cavity causing symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, or abdominal pain. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we describe a case of a 40-year-old female with primary bilateral inguinal endometriosis presenting with catamenial pain for which surgical excision was performed providing definitive treatment. The patient has been asymptomatic with no recurrence at 6 months of follow-up. DISCUSSION: Most cases of endometriosis occur within the pelvis however, extra-pelvic sites have been reported which include previous surgical scars, bladder, diaphragm, or inguinal area. It is usually classified as primary or secondary but can also be based on location. Oftentimes, these patients can present as a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians and treatment requires surgery and/or medications such as oral contraceptives or hormonal agents. Common diagnoses include hernia, lipoma, lymphadenopathy, or even malignancy. CONCLUSION: We would like to highlight the atypical presentation, pathogenesis, and management of endometriosis in this rare site.

Hepatectomy as a Salvage procedure for blunt abdominal trauma: A case report.

The liver is the organ most commonly injured in blunt abdominal trauma. Significant changes in the management of liver trauma have occurred over the last four decades with non-operative management being the first-line of treatment. Although hepatic resection for trauma is an accepted and established option for definitive treatment, it is rarely performed because of the associated morbidity and mortality, at least historically. Herein we describe a case of a 24-year old male who had blunt abdominal injury for which a right hepatectomy was eventually performed after an initial attempt at damage control surgery. We would like to highlight that early decision by a dedicated team of surgeons coupled with the necessary support from ancillary services as well as coordination between trauma surgeons led to a successful outcome in this case. This case presents an opportunity to revisit the role of hepatic resection in the management of complex liver injuries.

Prioritizing the vulnerable over the susceptible for COVID-19 vaccination.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a health crisis with widespread social and economic adverse effects. To address the fallout, vaccine development has been pursued in record time. Several vaccines have already been deployed in countries worldwide, but as the supply is limited, these have been provided selectively. Various allocation schemes, premised on ensuring an equitable distribution, have prioritized the elderly, given their apparent susceptibility. For the Philippines and possibly other countries with extremely limited supplies, the elderly need not always be given primary preference. The level of available supplies can be so low that the immediate focus of allocation should be on mitigating both infection and transmission. The proposed alternative vaccine allocation framework gives priority to groups rendered more vulnerable, such as those who are unable to avoid prolonged exposure to possibly infected people because of medical necessity or occupational conditions. Vulnerable groups include healthcare and other essential workers as well as patients requiring continued healthcare services. The proposed allocation scheme is meant to be complementary to concurrent public health measures, which have to be maintained though made less restrictive as the pandemic is brought under control.

Wide Excision of a Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma with En Bloc Ureterectomy and Renal Salvage by Autotransplantation.

Liposarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm composed of adipose tissue with varying degrees of atypia. These tumors grow slowly and may reach an enormous size particularly if located in the retroperitoneum. We report a 40-year-old male with a 6-month history of gradual abdominal enlargement. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen showed a huge retroperitoneal mass with characteristic features consistent with liposarcoma. On laparotomy, the mass was noted to be encasing the right ureter for which a wide excision with en bloc ureterectomy and subsequent renal autotransplantation for organ preservation was done. Post-operative course was uneventful with excellent outcome after 6 months of follow-up. Final histopathologic diagnosis was low-grade, well differentiated liposarcoma, which has favorable prognosis following radical surgery. This was the first report of such a case in the Philippines.

Complete Chain of the First Global Kidney Exchange Transplant and 3-yr Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Global Kidney Exchange (GKE) offers an opportunity to expand living renal transplantation internationally to patients without financial means. These international pairs are entered into a US kidney exchange program that provides long-term financial support in an effort to identify opportunities for suitable exchanges for both these international pairs and US citizens. OBJECTIVE: While the promise of GKE is significant, it has been met with ethical criticism since its inception in 2015. This paper aims to demonstrate the selection process and provide >3 yr of follow-up on the first GKE donor and recipient from the Philippines. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The first GKE transplant occurred with a young Filipino husband and wife who were immunologically compatible, but lacked the financial means to continue hemodialysis or undergo a kidney transplant in their home country. The pair was enrolled in the Alliance for Paired Donation matching system, several alternative kidney exchanges were identified, and the pair subsequently underwent renal transplantation and donation in the USA financed by philanthropy. The resulting nonsimultaneous extended altruistic chain provided transplantation for the Filipino husband and 11 US patients. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Filipino donor and recipient were followed by transplant professionals in both the Philippines and the USA. Follow-up data were maintained as required by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network in the USA. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The Filipino donor has normal blood pressure and renal function, and the Filipino recipient is doing well 3.5 yr after their donation and transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: While criticisms of GKE highlight concerns for possible exploitation of financially disadvantaged groups, these results demonstrate that these concerns did not come to fruition, and the outcome experienced by the GKE donor and recipient (and other US participants) was successful. PATIENT SUMMARY: The first Filipino Global Kidney Exchange (GKE) donor-recipient pair continues to be followed by both US and Filipino transplant centers. Both are in good health, support the GKE program, and advocate for its expansion.

Negative impact of prolonged cold storage time before machine perfusion preservation in donation after circulatory death kidney transplantation.

Kidney grafts are often preserved initially in static cold storage (CS) and subsequently on hypothermic machine perfusion (MP). However, the impact of CS/MP time on transplant outcome remains unclear. We evaluated the effect of prolonged CS/MP time in a single-center retrospective cohort of 59 donation after circulatory death (DCD) and 177 matched donation after brain death (DBD) kidney-alone transplant recipients. With mean overall CS/MP times of 6.0 h/30.0 h, overall incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) was higher in DCD transplants (30.5%) than DBD transplants (7.3%, P < 0.0001). In logistic regression, DCD recipient (P < 0.0001), longer CS time (P = 0.0002), male recipient (P = 0.02), and longer MP time (P = 0.08) were associated with higher DGF incidence. In evaluating the joint effects of donor type (DBD vs. DCD), CS time (<6 vs. ≥6 h), and MP time (<36 vs. ≥36 h) on DGF incidence, one clearly sees an unfavorable effect of MP time ≥36 h (P = 0.003) across each donor type and CS time stratum, whereas the unfavorable effect of CS time ≥6 h (P = 0.01) is primarily seen among DCD recipients. Prolonged cold ischemia time had no unfavorable effect on renal function or graft survival at 12mo post-transplant. Long CS/MP time detrimentally affects early DCD/DBD kidney transplant outcome when grafts were mainly preserved by MP; prolonged CS time before MP has a particularly negative impact in DCD kidney transplantation.

Everolimus with low-dose tacrolimus in simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation.

The efficacy and safety of everolimus (EVR) in simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation (SPKT) is unclear. We retrospectively evaluated 25 consecutive SPKT recipients at our center from November 2011 to March 2013. All patients received dual induction (Thymoglobulin/basiliximab) and low-dose tacrolimus plus corticosteroids. Nine patients who received EVR were compared with 14 patients who received enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS); two patients who received sirolimus were excluded from the analysis. With a median follow-up of 14 months, the pancreas graft survival rate was 100% in both groups, and the kidney graft survival rate was 100% and 93% in EVR and EC-MPS patients, respectively. One EC-MPS patient lost her kidney graft from proteinuric kidney disease. Another EC-MPS patient received treatment for clinically diagnosed pancreas and kidney graft rejection. No rejection was observed in EVR patients. Serum creatinine and HbA1c levels were similar between the groups. There was no significant difference of surgical or medical complications. In conclusion, EVR seems to provide comparable short-term outcome to EC-MPS when combined with low-dose tacrolimus/steroids and dual induction therapy. A larger study with a longer follow-up is required to further assess this combination.

Lack of clinical association and effect of peripheral WBC counts on immune cell function test in kidney transplant recipients with T-cell depleting induction and steroid-sparing maintenance therapy.

The Cylex ImmuKnow assay measures the amount of stimulated ATP production by CD4+ T-cells, and has been used clinically, trying to predict rejection and infection episodes. However, predictive values of this assay after induction therapy with steroid-sparing maintenance protocols are unclear. In this single-center cohort study, we analyzed renal transplant recipients who received T-cell depleting+/-anti-IL2 receptor antibodies and tacrolimus/mycophenolate maintenance without steroids. A total of 4224 ImmuKnow levels in 306 patients were available for analysis. ImmuKnow levels (Mean ± SE) changed over time after induction therapy with a paradoxical initial increase: 419 ± 23, 461 ± 32, 519 ± 14, 411 ± 10, 344 ± 6, and 405 ± 3 for pre-transplant, 0-1 wk, 1 wk-1 mo, 1-3 mos, 3 mos-1 yr, and thereafter. This change was parallel to the evolution of peripheral WBC counts and ImmuKnow levels had weak but significant correlation with WBC counts (R(2)=0.264, P<0.0001). The levels for biopsy-proven rejection (389 ± 56) and borderline/clinical rejection (254 ± 41) were not significantly higher than the levels of quiescent patients. The levels for opportunistic infection (349 ± 48) and other infections (345 ± 27) were not significantly lower than the levels of quiescent patients. The longitudinal changes in ImmuKnow levels were not predictive of rejection or infection. In conclusion, ImmuKnow levels can vary after T-cell depleting induction therapies at various time points, even without significant clinical events. Since ImmuKnow levels seem to be affected by WBC counts, ImmuKnow results need to be interpreted with caution. The effects of leukocytosis or leukopenia caused by immunosuppressive medication on the ImmuKnow assay need further investigation.

Portal vein arterialization using an accessory right hepatic artery in liver transplantation.

Portal vein thrombosis remains to be a challenging issue during liver transplantation even with the acquisition of innovative surgical techniques and years of experience. Most frequently, an initial eversion thromboendovenectomy is performed and depending on the extent of thrombosis and intraoperative findings, further revascularization options include venous jump grafts, portocaval hemitransposition, renoportal anastomosis or portal vein arterialization. Reports on these surgical approaches are limited although with acceptable outcomes. We present a 64-year-old patient with hepatitis C cirrhosis who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation with portal vein arterialization using an accessory right hepatic artery. Liver graft function has remained stable four years after transplant with notable aneurysmal dilatation of the portal vein.

Aneurysmectomy with partial nephrectomy on a living donor renal allograft: a case report.

Vascular anomalies among living kidney donors are seldom encountered and their presence offers a complex opportunity for every transplant surgeon. Furthermore, there has been an increasing trend with the use of marginal or kidneys with pathology to address the shortage of organs. We report a rare case of a kidney allograft with a saccular aneurysm and renal cortical cysts for which an excision with primary repair and partial nephrectomy were done, respectively. The recipient was a 45-year-old female with lupus nephritis and significant comorbidities who had excellent recovery and outcome. With good surgical techniques, these types of grafts continue to provide acceptable outcome but safety of the donor should be of utmost importance.