ABSTRACT
A 65-year-old woman was referred to us for treatment of an aneurysm, found incidentally by abdominal ultrasonography. Angiography demonstrated a saccular aneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery and absence of blood flow from the celiac axis. The blood flow in the hepatic artery, splenic artery, and other arteries originating from the celiac axis was supplied by the superior mesenteric artery through one dilated and elongated pancreaticoduodenal artery and the gastroduodenal artery. The aneurysm was resected, and the inflow and outflow arteries were reconstructed with end-to-end anastomoses. Pathologic examination of the aneurysm sac showed diffuse intimal thickening with focal atheromas. We speculate that the increased blood flow compensating for the absence of blood flow from the celiac axis was an etiologic factor predisposing to the formation of this gastroduodenal artery aneurysm.
Subject(s)
Aneurysm/etiology , Celiac Artery/abnormalities , Duodenum/blood supply , Splanchnic Circulation , Stomach/blood supply , Aged , Anastomosis, Surgical , Aneurysm/pathology , Aneurysm/physiopathology , Aneurysm/surgery , Dilatation, Pathologic , Female , Humans , Mesenteric Artery, Superior/diagnostic imaging , RadiographyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The deleterious effect of blood transfusions on survival has been reported in patients with cancers of various organs. However, it remains unclear whether there is any adverse effect of blood transfusion when the patients are administered anticancer drugs after surgery for gastric cancers.METHODS: Data from patients with gastric resection for advanced gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed to determine the influence of perioperative blood transfusion on the survival rate. All patients were administered anticancer drugs (mitomycin C [MMC] and tegafur-uracil [UFT]). Sixty-nine (33%) of 208 patients received blood transfusion perioperatively, while 139 patients (67%) did not receive transfusion. Multivariate analysis of clinicopathologic prognostic factors, including blood transfusion, was performed. Lymphocyte subsets were measured to investigate the immunosuppressive effect of blood transfusion.RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate was 48.8% in the 69 transfused patients and 66.9% in the 139 non-transfused patients ( P < 0.01). Cox's multiple regression analysis showed that, when patients received anticancer drugs, perioperative blood transfusion was not a significant factor affecting survival after the gastric cancer surgery. However, the CD4/CD8 ratio at 3 months after the surgery was significantly lower in the transfused group than in the non-transfused group.CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion did not affect the survival of operated patients who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. However, the finding that the ratio of CD4/CD8 after surgery was significantly higher in the non-transfused group than in the transfused group supports the notion that transfusion causes broad-spectrum immunosuppression.
