[Immunologic functions after laparoscopic cholecystectomy]. / Funzioni immunitarie dopo colecistectomia laparoscopica.

Trauma and surgical procedures can induce immune depression, related to the prevalent impairment of cell-mediated immunity, which may predispose to infections. The early recovery following laparoscopic cholecystectomy without infectious complications seems to be related to a lesser degree of surgical trauma and to only minimal impairment of immune functions. The present study was conducted in 20 patients with symptomatic gallstone disease, all undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Blood samples taken before operation and at 3 and 6 days postoperatively were tested for lymphocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD57+), blood chemistry parameters (IgG, IgA, IgM, CH-50, C3, C4) and haemochrome. A group of 10 normal volunteers, matched for age and sex, were also examined twice at an interval of 48 h. Student's "t"-test was used for statistical comparisons. The findings showed only minimal changes in immune functions after operation (slight increase in CD57+ cells, and very slight decreases in IgM and C4 factor) and a slow reduction of serum haemoglobin levels as compared with preoperative values. All parameters returned to baseline levels within 6 days of the operation. This study demonstrates that laparoscopic cholecystectomy does not significantly affect immune functions, suggesting that immunity is preserved in the postoperative period.

Biliary tract papillomatosis.

Papillomatosis of the biliary tract is characterised by multicentric papillary lesions of intra and extrahepatic biliary epithelium. It's a rare benign neoplasm of the biliary tract that causes obstructive jaundice with a high rate of malignant transformation. We described a case of papillomatosis of the biliary tract in a woman of 75-years-old, who came to our observation with jaundice, pruritus and fever. The surgical treatment consisted of cholecystectomy, choledochotomy and positioning a definitive T-Tube. We described our experience and the evolution of this disease.

[NMR cholangiography in the diagnostic algorithm of candidates to video laparocholecystectomy]. / La colangio RMN nell'algoritmo diagnostico dei candidati a videolaparocolecistectomia.

BACKGROUND: High resolution magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a non invasive imaging modality for depicting the pancreatobiliary tree. It can demonstrate dilation, stenosis and intraductal filling defects of both the biliary and the pancreatic duct. The imaging quality of high resolution MRCP is excellent. MRCP appears to be more effective and less invasive than endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to evaluate many pancreatic and biliary diseases as choledocholithiasis, malignant obstruction, incomplete or failed ERCP, postsurgical alterations of the biliary tract (as biliary-enteric anastomoses), sclerosing cholangitis, chronic pancreatitis, and congenital anomalies of the biliary and pancreatic duct. METHODS: MRCP was performed in 21 non selected patients with suspected choledocholithiasis and demonstrated the presence of stones in the biliary tract in 5 of them. In these 5 patients sequential endoscopic-laparoscopic treatment was performed and confirmed in all cases the presence of stones in the biliary tree. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (VLC) and transcystic cholangiography was attempted in the restant 16 patients. RESULTS: Laparoscopic transcystic cholangiography confirmed in all cases the response of MRCP. CONCLUSIONS: MRCP has the potential to replace ERCP in the management of patients candidate to VLC with suspected choledocholithiasis.

T-cell activity in HLA-associated autoimmune diseases.

BACKGROUND: The existence of T-helper-1 (Th1) and T-helper-2 (Th2) subsets has been implicated in the regulation of several immune responses, and alterations in the Th1/Th2 balance have been involved in autoimmunity. The present study investigates the relative influence of Th1 and Th2 patterns in autoimmune responses in patients with HLA-associated autoimmune diseases. METHODS: This study concerns 849 patients of both sexes, suffering from several autoimmune diseases. Tissue typing for HLA antigens of Class I (A, B, C) and Class II (DR, DQ) was carried out in all patients by conventional serologic methods, comparing results with frequencies detected in a normal population. Many immunological tests were also done. In particular, lymphocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD3-HLA-DR+, NK cells, sIg + B cells) were detected with monoclonal antibodies by a fluorescent cytometer. The changes in frequencies of T cell subsets were used to calculate the possible incidence of two effector phenotypes (TE-1; TE-2). RESULTS: The results of the immunogenetic analysis confirmed the significant HLA-associations in several diseases. The essential T-cell changes were also exposed, thus defining the incidence of T-cell phenotypes (TE-1 = 56.3%; TE-2 = 34.8%). This finding suggested a major impact of cell-mediated immunity, as compared with that of antibody-mediated immunity. CONCLUSIONS: The anomalies of Th1/Th2 balance can impact autoimmune disease, and in many cases a Th2 response can prevent Th1-mediated autoimmunity, which is the most evident phenomenon in several HLA-associated diseases.

Cytotoxic effector function in HLA-associated autoimmune diseases.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms by which cytotoxic-T-lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells recognize and kill target cells are the subject of intense research. Previous observations in patients with HLA-associated autoimmune diseases show a major impact of cell-mediated immunity as compared to antibody-mediated immunity. This study analyzes the possible co-operation of NK cells in the autoimmune process, comparing their increase to that of cytotoxic-T-lymphocytes. METHODS: This research examines the incidence of CD8+ T cells and NK cells increases in 1065 patients with various autoimmune diseases. Tissue typing for HLA antigens was carried out in all patients by conventional serologic methods. Lymphocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD3-HLA-DR+, NK cells, sIg+ B cells) were detected with monoclonal antibodies by a fluorescent cytometer. Results were statistically compared to normal control values by the Student's "t"-test. RESULTS: The analysis of results shows the incidence of CTLs and NK cell increases in patients with different autoimmune syndromes. In some diseases (uveitis, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological autoimmune disorders) raised frequencies of NK cell increase are most evident. These results suggest some possible relationships between CTLs and NK cells in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune process. CONCLUSIONS: The present results show that CTLs and NK cells are implicated in immune dysregulation, which characterizes the complex pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.

Immunogenetics of inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the association of HLA antigens to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is reminiscent of the simultaneous or subsequent presence of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) found in these patients, showing also the concomitant association of other autoimmune conditions. The aim of this study is to confirm the autoimmune origin of IBD and the immunogenetic basis of the disease. METHODS: The study concerns 18 consecutive patients of both sexes, aged 20 to 62 years, sharing the clinical criteria of IBD indicated by previous authors. Tissue typing for HLA antigens of Class I (A; B; C); and Class II (DR; DQ) was carried out by conventional serologic methods, comparing alleles frequencies with those of normal controls random selected by the chi-square test. The main immune functions and other laboratory tests were also done in all patients, to define the concomitant autoimmune condition. RESULTS: Immunogenetic analysis shows the significant increase in two HLA antigens: HLA-DR2 (50.0% vs 25.5% of controls); HLA-DR7 (44.4% vs 21.1% of controls). In particular, the association of HLA-DR7 to IBD is reminiscent of that found in a personal series of 54 patients with primary celiac disease (55.5% vs 21.1% of controls). The findings on immune functions show the high frequency of anomalies of cell-mediated immunity (62.5%) and humoral immunity (88.8%), associated with decrease in complement and increase in immune-complexes. These alterations were always correlated with the presence of HLA-DR2 and/or HLA-DR7. CONCLUSIONS: This study on immunogenetics of ibd does not separate UC and CD on genetic grounds, thus suggesting that common HLA Class II genes may predispose to an altered regulation of immunologic mechanisms in these disorders.

An unusual complication resulting from surgical treatment of periampullary tumours.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: The authors describe the rising of four postoperative pancreatic pseudocysts in a series of 20 patients treated for periampullary tumours by pancreaticoduodenectomy (PDT), with the closure of pancreatic stump, between 1989-1996. The operation was always performed by the pylorus-preserving technique according to Traverso-Longmire. RESULTS: In four patients (20%) 3, 4, 4, and 8 months after PDT with closure of the pancreatic stump, the authors observed the development of pseudocysts (PPC) in the pancreatic remnant. All these patients previously had a pancreatic fistula. Three symptomatic patients underwent surgical drainage of the pseudocyst in a jejunal loop (2) or in the stomach (1); in the asymptomatic patient, the clinical feature and the size of the cyst allowed for conservative treatment. In 2 cases PPC was the consequence of a pancreatic fistula evolved in acute pancreatitis of the stump. The PPC drained by cystogastrostomy appeared 4 months after the closure of the pancreatic fistula: the pancreatic stump was completely substituted by a cyst presenting a communication with the pancreatic duct. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that PPC is a rare complication of the pancreatic resection that results from acute or chronic pancreatitis; sometimes pathogenesis is due to a cyst resulting from the pancreatic duct occlusion by phlogistic tissue as a consequence of the surgical suture.

The surgical treatment of vascular and gastrointestinal implications in Behçet disease. Report of four cases.

This study reports 4 cases of Behçet Syndrome which came under our observation and were surgically treated for vascular or gastrointestinal manifestations. These cases included 3 males and 1 female, mean age 26.5 years, of which 2 were treated with implantation of prosthesis for aneurysm of the abdominal aorta with recurrence of Behçet vasculitis and prosthesis substitution three years later in one case, 1 with total colectomy for ulcerous rectocolitis, while the last case (female) required excision and plastic reconstruction, for a perforated duodenal ulcer. Immediate and long-term results of the surgical treatment of the gastrointestinal and vascular manifestations and/or complications were satisfactory, whereas the long-term results of the medical treatment of the basic disease were unsuccessful in 50% of cases. BS is a rare affliction, whose pathogenesis is still poorly defined and in which the results of medical treatment cannot be regarded as satisfactory to date. Surgical treatment of its vascular and gastrointestinal manifestations and complications, on the other hand, was effective in our experience.

[Selective use of intra-operative cholangiography in gallstone surgery]. / L'impiego selettivo della colangiografia intraoperatoria nella chirurgia della calcolosi biliare.

The authors report their experience of the use of intraoperative cholangiography in 350 operations for biliary stones. The cholangiography was performed on all 52 patients with preoperative diagnosis of stones in CBD. In the 298 patients with gallbladder stones intraoperative colangiography was performed in 32 times, on the basis of previous jaundice, pancreatitis, microlithiasis, enlarged cystic duct or choledochus, and suspected palpatory reports of hepatic duodenal ligament. Intraoperative colangiography showed stones in all the patients of the first group and in 8 (25%) of the second. No patients reported disturbances attributable to residual stone with an average follow-up of 6 months.