Transfusion-related acute lung injury following coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Blood transfusion is sometimes a necessary procedure during or following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. However, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI)/possible TRALI is a rare and fatal complication and characterized by acute hypoxemia and non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs within 6 hours following a transfusion. Anti-leukocyte antibodies or, possibly, other bioactive substances cause inflammation and capillary endothelial destruction in susceptible recipients' lungs. Prompt diagnosis and mechanical ventilatory support are important. A successful treatment of two male patients following CABG surgery, compatible with TRALI/possible TRALI, is presented here.

Management of intrabiliary ruptured hydatid disease of the liver.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Intrabiliary rupture of hydatid cyst is an important complication of hydatid disease of the liver. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of patients with intrabiliary ruptured hydatid disease of the liver. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred and eleven patients were operated upon for hydatid cyst of the liver between 1990 and 1998 in our hospital. Twenty-four patients with intrabiliary rupture of hepatic hydatid cyst were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Diagnosis of hydatid cyst was principally made using ultrasonography. We performed partial cystectomy + omentoplasty + transduodenal sphincteroplasty for 18 patients (75%). Daughter cysts and hydatid debris were found in common bile duct in 8 patients (33%). Internal opening of biliary fistula was found in 21 patients (87.5%). Morbidity rate was 12%. One patient died of unrelated causes. The average postoperative hospitalization period for the sphincteroplasty group was 7.6 days. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative radiologic examination and laboratory values were not helpful to exclude an intrabiliary rupture of hydatid cysts in our patients. If bile stained cystic fluid is found, it is clear that a communication between hydatid cysts and the biliary tree exist. Transduodenal sphincteroplasty can be preferred in the management of intrabiliary ruptured hydatid disease because of short hospitalization, low morbidity, and ability to decompress intrabiliary pressure.

Complete remission of the liver metastases of anorectal malignant melanoma with regional chemotherapy: a case report.

The prognosis of anorectal malignant melanoma is very poor. We present a 48-year-old male patient with anorectal malignant melanoma and multiple liver metastases who underwent abdominoperineal resection. A port system was implanted to the gastroduodenal artery for regional chemotherapy for liver metastases. Histopathological findings of tumor were 5 cm diameter and 2 cm depth, invading to the external sphincter. Both regional chemotherapy and immunotherapy were initiated 4 weeks postoperatively. The immunochemotherapy regimen included cisplatin (via port system) 50 mg/m2 once in 2 weeks, x 8 cycles, alpha-interferon 5 x 10(6) U subcutaneously on days 1-7 in 4 weeks, x 8 cycles, interleukin-2 9 x 10(6) U subcutaneously on days 5-9 in 4 weeks, x 8 cycles. Computed tomography scan was taken after the 2nd and 4th cycles of chemotherapy and the tumor had not responded to chemotherapy. Dacarbazine 200 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1-5 in a month, x 4 cycles, was added to the previous immunochemotherapy regimen. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans were taken on the 10th and 12th months after operation, respectively, no evidence of metastases in the liver was noted. No case of complete remission of liver metastases of anorectal malignant melanoma with regional intraarterial chemotherapy and systemic immunochemotherapy has been previously reported in the literature.