Emergency surgery for acute cholecystitis associated with cholecystocolonic fistula caused by gallbladder cancer: a case report.

Preoperative diagnosis of cholecystocolonic fistula (CCF) is difficult and the contribution of gallbladder cancer or colon cancer is unclear when there is associated malignancy. We present a case that was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis associated with CCF by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) preoperatively and malignant neoplasm during emergency surgery. She was finally diagnosed with gallbladder cancer after the operation and underwent a two-stage surgery for regional lymph node dissection. Gallbladder cancer can be a primary malignant cancer causing CCF, whereas MDCT is useful for preoperative diagnosis of CCF. A treatment plan in consideration of gallbladder cancer is advisable for CCF associated with malignant tumor.

Gram staining of gallbladder bile samples is useful for predicting surgical site infection in acute cholecystitis patients undergoing an early cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Microbiological assessment of gallbladder bile is important for postoperative management in cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis (AC). Gram staining is used as the first step in the assessment, in order to preliminarily detect bacteria in the bile sample. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical significance of Gram staining results in the development of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) in AC patients. METHODS: A total of 428 AC patients, who underwent an early cholecystectomy with microbiological assessment of gallbladder bile, were enrolled in this retrospective study. The clinical usefulness of the Gram staining results was evaluated by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the 428 patients, 298 patients (69.6%) were diagnosed with bile infection by the Gram staining method. The rate of SSI was higher in patients with bile infection (9.7%) than in those without the infection (0.8%). The multivariate analysis indicated that the bile infection diagnosed by Gram staining (odds ratio: 9.091; P = .033) was an independent factor to predict SSI development, along with open surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Gram staining diagnosis of bile infection in an early cholecystectomy for AC is useful for predicting postoperative SSI development, which should benefit postoperative management.

Dementia in elderly patients undergoing early cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Dementia often adversely affects postoperative outcomes in surgical patients. This study evaluated postoperative outcomes among elderly patients with and without dementia undergoing early cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis (AC). METHODS: A total of 182 patients over 85 years of age who were diagnosed with AC and treated from January 2005 to March 2018 were reviewed retrospectively; 59 patients who underwent early cholecystectomy were enrolled. The complication rates, length of postoperative hospital stay, and rates of routine discharge (i.e., returning to their preoperative living location) were compared between two groups of patients with and without dementia. RESULTS: The overall complication rate after early cholecystectomy for AC in 59 patients was 11.9%, and there was no mortality in this series. The median postoperative hospital stay was 9.0 days, and the routine discharge rate was 89.8%. Of the 59 patients, 22 patients (37.3%) had a history of dementia. Complication rates were comparable between the groups, despite the rate of delirium development being significantly higher in the dementia group. The median length of postoperative hospital stay and routine discharge rates did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Early cholecystectomy for patients with AC over 85 years of age was performed safely, and elderly patients with dementia had similar postoperative outcomes as compared with patients without dementia.

A resected case of recurrent ITPN in the remnant pancreas after pancreatoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Since intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm (ITPN) is a rare disease, the clinical features of ITPN, especially the characteristics related to recurrence, have not been revealed. We performed a total remnant pancreatectomy for a patient whose ITPN recurred 16 months after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). We report useful findings to clarify how ITPN reoccurs based on this experience and previously reported cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old male patient was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent PD. However, a postoperative pathologic examination diagnosed ITPN with invasive cancer. After receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, he was hospitalized for pancreatitis 16 months after the operation. He was diagnosed as having recurrence near the pancreato-jejunal anastomosis based on detailed examinations and underwent a remnant total pancreatectomy. From the results of the histopathological examination, he was found to have a recurrence of ITPN as a polypoid mass without invasion distant from the surgical stump of the first operation. Furthermore, tumor cells floating in the main pancreatic duct distant from the main tumor were observed at three locations. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: Including our case, five cases of recurrence in the remnant pancreas after surgery for ITPN have been reported. Recurrence in the main pancreatic duct was observed in four of these five cases. The primary tumor, which recurred in the remnant pancreas after surgery, was characterized as being relatively small and less invasive; however, Ki-67 labeling index was high. In immunohistochemical examination, the expression of MUC6, which is not one of characteristics of ITPN, tended to be positive. CONCLUSION: In this case, tumor cells were floating inside the pancreatic duct at several locations. From the results of this case and a review of previous reports, the cause of ITPN recurrence in this case seemed to be due to tumor cells leaving the tumor and implanting into the pancreatic duct.

A study of the subvesical bile duct (duct of Luschka) in resected liver specimens.

BACKGROUND: Injury to the duct of Luschka is associated with biliary fistula from the gallbladder bed after cholecystectomy. However, few studies have reported on the detailed anatomy. We elucidated the anatomy and frequency of the duct of Luschka METHODS: A total of 128 specimens from patients who underwent right hepatectomy or more extensive right-sided liver resection between February 1992 and December 2003 were examined. Specimens were fixed in formalin, and serial sections were prepared to trace the course of the bile ducts from the subsegmental branch level. RESULTS: The duct of Luschka was observed in 6 (4.6%) specimens. The sites of confluence were as follows: right anterior inferior dorsal branch (2 patients), right anterior branch (2 patients), right hepatic duct (1 patient), and common hepatic duct (1 patient). The upstream end was located in the liver parenchyma of the right anterior inferior dorsal subsegment (5b) and connective tissue of the gallbladder bed in 4 and 2 specimens, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The duct of Luschka never crosses the segmental (5b) border. Therefore, its upstream region may not be injured by segmentectomy or more extensive liver resection. However, it is possible to injure the duct of Luschka at the common hepatic duct, even if right-sided hepatectomy is performed, as the sites of confluence included the common hepatic duct.