Initial and Ongoing Training of the Rural Surgeon.

Over the last 2 decades, rural locations have realized a steady decrease in surgical access and direct care. Owing to societal expectations for equal general and subspecialty surgical care in urban or rural areas, the ability to attract, train, and hold onto the rural surgeon has come into question. Our current general surgery training curriculum has been reevaluated as to its relevance for rural surgery and several alternatives to the traditional surgical training model have been proposed. The authors discuss and evaluate current and proposed methods for surgical training curriculums and methods for rural surgeon retention through continuing education models.

Utility of Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Work Up for Solitary Hepatobiliary Neuroendocrine Lesions.

A 43-year-old woman, with an unremarkable past medical history, presented with a three-week history of generalized itching, jaundice, and abdominal pain. Initial workup showed amorphous, regionally invasive, and obstructing soft tissue mass in the region of the hepatic hilum. The middle third of the main bile duct was subsequently found to harbor a polypoid mass on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograph. Biopsy revealed nests of neoplastic cells that was subsequently identified as well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor. A search for a possible primary neuroendocrine tumor was performed and included imaging of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, a colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy, and an octreotide scan; however, no primary tumor outside of the liver was identified. Surgical debulking was performed, during which intraoperative exploration and ultrasound failed to reveal any extra-hepatic tumor sanctuaries. A few months later, patient underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for evaluation of recurrent abdominal pain which revealed a small lesion in the pancreas. It was unclear, however, whether it was primary or a metastatic lesion. This case represents a diagnostic challenge and emphasizes the potential utility of EUS in the preoperative work up for any presumable primary hepatobiliary neuroendocrine tumor.

Hepatic Adenoma - A Case Report.

Although liver lesions in the young population are relatively rare, clinicians can benefit from being familiar with a subset of common benign liver lesions which include hepatic adenoma, hepatic hemangioma, and focal nodular hyperplasia. This a case report of a 25-year-old Jehovah's Witness female on chronic oral contraception for polycystic ovarian syndrome who presented with progressive right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Ultrasound and MRI findings were consistent with hepatic adenoma. A description of her clinical work up followed by a brief description of the surgical intervention is discussed. We then elaborate on the clinical characteristics and evidence-based interventions of hepatic adenoma, hepatic hemangioma, and focal nodular hyperplasia.