Anomalous middle hepatic artery in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Wolf in sheep's clothing

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a simple but dangerous operation. The complex anatomy and frequent anomalies of the hepatic arterial and biliary system are often a shocking surprise to the laparoscopic surgeon. When these vital structures cannot be identified correctly, potentially crippling serious vascular and biliary injury can occur. A very rare case of middle hepatic artery encountered in the Calot's coursing over the gall bladder and travelling extraparenchymal into segment IV is reported. Identification and preservation of the middle hepatic artery is essential to prevent the possibility of hepatic artery thrombosis and to avoid ischemic cholangiopathy of segment IV duct. A comprehensive understanding of the hepatic arterial and biliary anatomy of the liver will empower laparoscopic surgeons to avoid crippling vascular and biliary injury

Haemosuccus pancreaticus: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges

AbstractBackgroundHaemosuccus pancreaticus (HP) is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The objective of our study was to highlight the challenges in the diagnosis and management of HP.MethodsThe records of 31 patients with HP diagnosed between January 1997 and June 2008 were reviewed retrospectively.ResultsMean patient age was 34 years (11–55 years). Twelve patients had chronic alcoholic pancreatitis, 16 had tropical pancreatitis, two had acute pancreatitis and one had idiopathic pancreatitis. Selective arterial embolization was attempted in 22 of 26 (84%) patients and was successful in 11 of the 22 (50%). Twenty of 31 (64%) patients required surgery to control bleeding after the failure of arterial embolization in 11 and in an emergent setting in nine patients. Procedures included distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy, central pancreatectomy, intracystic ligation of the blood vessel, and aneurysmal ligation and bypass graft in 11, two, six and one patients, respectively. There were no deaths. Length of follow-up ranged from 6 months to 10 years.ConclusionsUpper gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with a history of chronic pancreatitis could be caused by HP. Diagnosis is based on investigations that should be performed in all patients, preferably during a period of active bleeding. These include upper digestive endoscopy, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and selective arteriography of the coeliac trunk and superior mesenteric artery. Contrast-enhanced CT had a high positive yield comparable with that of selective angiography in our series. Therapeutic options consist of selective embolization and surgery. Endovascular treatment can control unstable haemodynamics and can be sufficient in some cases. However, in patients with persistent unstable haemodynamics, recurrent bleeding or failed embolization, surgery is required

Factors affecting outcome after Frey procedure for chronic pancreatitis

Background. Debilitating abdominal pain remains the most common presentation of chronic pancreatitis and the treatment remains challenging. Objective. This prospective study analyzed the outcome of Frey's procedure in patients with inflammatory head mass. Methods. For the period between 2002 and 2007, 77 patients with chronic pancreatitis underwent Frey procedure for intractable abdominal pain. The mean follow-up was 14 months. For the purpose of analysis of the outcome, patients were grouped as poor pain control (19%) and good pain control groups (81%) based on the pain scores during follow-up. Results. There was no 30-day mortality. The logistic regression analysis showed that decreased volume percentage (48%) of head mass resected (p=0.003) and small diameter of the pancreatic duct (p=0.05) were associated with poor pain outcome. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with small duct disease were associated with increased operative time (p=0.001), poor pain scores (p=0.001), and increased weight loss (p=0.003) during follow-up. Conclusions. Frey procedure can be performed with zero mortality and low morbidity in a high-volume center. It provides good pain relief in majority of the patients. Volume of the head mass cored affects pain outcome. Correlation between poor results in terms of pain relief and weight loss following Frey's procedure, and small duct disease supports the view that duct diameter is an important predictor of pain relief