Perineal colostomy prolapse: a novel application of mesh sacral pexy.

Full thickness colonic prolapse following pseudocontinent perineal colostomy has not been previously reported. Possible contributing factors include a large skin aperture at the site of the perineal stoma, the absence of anal sphincters and mesorectal attachments and the presence of a perineal hernia. A novel application of sacral pexy combined with perineal hernia repair using two prosthetic meshes is described.

How to deal with hepatic artery injury during pancreaticoduodenectomy. A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Operative injury to the hepatic artery is a serious complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy and guidelines to manage this complication are lacking. METHODS: A systematic search performed in PubMed database identified eleven studies overall including 20 patients having sustained injury to the hepatic artery during pancreaticoduodenectomy (n=18) or total pancreatectomy (n=2). One further unpublished personal observation following pancreaticoduodenectomy was also included. RESULTS: Sixteen of 21 patients (76%) experienced serious complications including liver necrosis/abscess (n=14), acute liver failure (n=3), and biliary anastomotic dehiscence (n=6). Eleven patients (52%) were reoperated and 5 patients died (24%). Arterial injury was recognized and repaired immediately in five patients, four recovering uneventfully and one dying from acute liver failure (20%). In contrast delayed or conservative treatment in 16 patients was associated with serious early morbidity in 15 patients (94%), leading to death in 4 patients and late biliary complications in four others. CONCLUSIONS: Accidental interruption of arterial flow to the liver during pancreaticoduodenectomy often results in serious short and long-term consequences. Immediate restoration of arterial flow is indicated whenever technically feasible and may prevent early life-threatening complications as well as late biliary stenosis.

Alveolar echinococcosis in a Belgian urban dweller.

Human alveolar echinococcosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by larvae of the tapeworm E. multilocularis that colonizes the intestines of foxes. The disease predominantly affects the liver and mimics slow growing liver cancer. With a mere 13 reports coming mostly from southern rural regions Belgium has so far been spared from the disease. However alveolar echinococcosis appears to be slowly spreading to non-endemic European countries like Belgium and to urban centres. We report the first autochthonous case involving a patient having lived exclusively in downtown Brussels. Heightened awareness by the medical community is necessary to detect this lethal disease at an early curable stage. In patients with an undetermined focal liver lesion--especially if calcified--and no firm evidence of malignancy, serological screening should be performed to exclude alveolar echinococcosis.

Liver tuberculosis mistaken for malignancy. The role of needle biopsy.

Despite advances in imaging techniques rare or atypical liver lesions still pose a diagnostic challenge. In many centres percutaneous fine needle aspiration cytology or biopsy is routinely performed in order to obtain a definitive diagnosis. However because of the risk of tumour seeding along the needle tract this attitude may jeopardize the patient's chances for cure in case of malignancy. The role of percutaneous liver biopsy is reappraised in the light of an observation in which major hepatectomy was performed for suspected neoplasia only to discover at pathology that the lesion was a benign tuberculosis pseudotumour.

Tuberculosis diagnosed after major hepatectomy for suspected malignancy.

A patient with a history of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy 2 1/2 years previously for Dukes C colonic adenocarcinoma was diagnosed with a focal liver lesion on follow-up examinations. Ultrasound and computed tomography scan revealed a 3.8 cm soft tissue mass. Positron emission tomography scan showed intense uptake, corroborating the diagnosis of a colonic liver metastasis. Major hepatectomy was performed but pathology revealed that the lesion was in fact a benign tuberculosis pseudo-tumour. In developed countries liver tuberculosis remains extremely rare, particularly the macronodular form. The diagnosis is often made only after hepatectomy for suspected malignancy. The increasing use of potent anticancer chemotherapy may favour the reactivation of quiescent tuberculosis, posing a difficult differential diagnosis with liver metastases.

Annular duodenal stricture due to Brunner's gland hyperplasia.

A patient with obstructive Brunner's gland hyperplasia presenting as an annular duodenal stricture is reported. Surgical biopsy was required to obtain a tissue specific diagnosis and obstruction was relieved by performing a Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy. Brunner's gland hyperplasia poses a diagnostic challenge. Conservative management is usually adequate after a histological diagnosis has been firmly established.

Mesenteric liposarcoma or lipodystrophy: an elusive diagnosis.

Mass lesions of the mesentery may be fortuitously encountered on computerized tomographic (CT) scans, posing a diagnostic challenge. Despite CT, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and a surgical biopsy, a patient with mesenteric lipodystrophy was misdiagnosed as having a low-grade mesenteric liposarcoma. Spontaneous regression of the mass on control CT scan and review of the pathological material prompted us to reconsider the diagnosis of malignancy. Because a wide variety of tumors and pseudotumors produce alterations in the density and volume of mesenteric fat on CT scan, a surgical biopsy is usually necessary to obtain a tissue-specific diagnosis, but even then pathological findings may be equivocal. As final resort the natural evolution assessed by radiological follow-up can be of help in determining the nature of the disease.

Pancreaticoduodenal necrosis due to caustic burns.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with caustic necrosis of the digestive tract extending beyond the pylorus were included in a multicenter retrospective study to define a surgical strategy. Twelve patients underwent esophagogastrectomy. Two patients had total gastrectomy without esophagectomy. In addition, all patients underwent duodenal stripping (n = 7) or pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 7). Immediate biliopancreatic reconnection was performed in ten patients. Four patients had biliary diversion and/or pancreatic duct ligation. RESULTS: Seven in-hospital deaths occurred after a mean delay of 27 days (range 16-45 days). There were two late deaths occurring 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Morbidity was noted in 86% of survivors. Acute or chronic airway tract injuries were incurred by 57% of patients. Among the five long-term survivors two were able to feed orally and had preserved voice function. One long-term survivor could resume oral feeding only, another was considered psychologically unfit for digestive reconstruction but had normal voice function and the last patient was deprived of oral feeding and phonation. CONCLUSIONS: Early radical debridement is capable of saving patients with gastrointestinal necrosis extending beyond the pylorus. Necrosis of the duodenum can be managed by pancreaticoduodenectomy or by duodenal stripping, with similar results. Immediate reconnection of the bile and pancreatic ducts to a small bowel Roux-en-Y loop appears preferable to biliary diversion and pancreatic duct ligation. Normal oral feeding and the preservation of voice function can sometimes be achieved but depends on late scarring of the airway-alimentary tract junction. Quality of life is often compromised by prolonged hospital stays, staged surgical procedures and the handicap of a feeding jejunostomy and tracheal tube.

Surgical salvage after failed transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting.

The creation of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt using an expandable stent introduced by a transjugular route constitutes an alternative to surgical shunts for the management of portal hypertension. A 61-year-old woman with Child C cryptogenic cirrhosis and acute variceal bleeding presented a massive haemoperitoneum due to a tear at the portal vein confluence during a failed attempt at TIPS. Surgical salvage consisting in an end-to-side portocaval shunt was performed under adverse conditions because of massive haemorrhagic infiltration of the hepatic pedicle. The patient died shortly after surgery of irreversible shock. A 61-year-old male with Child C alcoholic liver disease underwent an urgent TIPS procedure for recurrent variceal bleeding. However, the stent was placed too distally, at the splenomesenteric junction, causing splenic and portal vein thrombosis. After surgical removal of the impacted stent and thrombectomy, an end-to-side portocaval shunt was performed. The patient died 1 month later of infected ascites. Although serious procedural complications are uncommon in expert hands, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting is an invasive technique that is associated with potentially fatal complications.

Caroli's disease: a surgical dilemma.

We report the case of a 31-year-old male patient with a diffuse form of Caroli's disease presenting as recurring bouts of biliary pancreatitis. Following sphincterotomy, the patient remained asymptomatic for 5 years. He then developed acute cholangitis and, at laparotomy, all superficial liver cysts were fenestrated in order to remove intrahepatic bile duct calculi. A right hepatectomy, removing the most severely affected liver parenchyma was not considered feasible because of the small size of the left lobe and the existence of an associated congenital hepatic fibrosis. In diffuse forms of Caroli's disease biliary drainage techniques have often proved ineffective in preventing recurring bouts of cholangitis. Moreover, liver resection is seldom feasible because of associated congenital hepatic fibrosis. In this setting, liver transplantation may represent the only effective and durable form of treatment.