Precaution against postoperative venous complications after major hepatectomy using the pedicled omental transposition flap: Report of two cases

INTRODUCTION: Vascular complications following hepato-pancreatic biliary surgery can be devastating, and therefore precaution of them must be critical. We report two cases in which the pedicled omental transposition flap might be effective to avoid postoperative venous complications following major hepatectomy. PRESENTATION OF CASE: Case 1 is a 80-year-old male who required to perform re-laparotomy at postoperative day 1 following major hepatectomy due to acute portal venous thrombosis (PVT). In the second surgery, the main trunk of PV was occluded by thrombus resulted from its redundancy and kinking. PV was resected with an adequate length and reconstructed. The omental flap was placed between PV and inferior vena cava (IVC) to fill in the dead space, resulting in favorable intrahepatic portal blood flow. Case 2 is a 64-year-old male who underwent left trisectionectomy because of giant hepatocellular carcinoma located close to the trunk of right hepatic vein (RHV) and IVC. After removal of the specimens, the dead space developed between the RHV and IVC. In order to prevent outflow block caused by kinking of the RHV, the omental flap was placed between the RHV and IVC, and the right triangle ligament of the liver was fixed to the diaphragm. RHV patency was confirmed by postoperative imaging. DISCUSSION: The omental flap is a simple procedure and useful to fill the dead space developed in the area surrounding major vessels. CONCLUSIONS: We experienced two cases in which vascular complications might be avoided by filling the dead space surrounding major vessels using the omental flap

Successful treatment for patients with chronic orchialgia following inguinal hernia repair by means of meshoma removal, orchiectomy and triple-neurectomy

Introduction: Orchialgia following inguinal hernia repair is rare complication and still challenging since there has been no established surgical treatment because of complexity of nerve innervation to the testicular area. Herein we report a case of postoperative orchialgia following Lichtenstein repair, which was successfully treated by mesh removal, orchiectomy and triple neurectomy. Case presentation: A 65-year-old man was referred to our department because of chronic right orchialgia following Lichtenstein hernia repair. He walked with a limp and was unable to walk a long distance. Physical examination revealed the presence of meshoma in the groin area and hypoesthesia in the anterior skin of the right scrotum. His right testis was completely atrophic and located not in the scrotum but in the subcutaneous regions of right groin. He was diagnosed as both neuropathic and nociceptive orchialgia and underwent meshoma removal, triple-neurectomy, and orchiectomy to address these issues. Pathological examination revealed that meshoma was integrated with the structures of the spermatic cord, leading to foreign-body reaction and fibrosis around the genital branch of genitofemoral nerve. The resected right testis was completely-scarred without ischemic changes. Orchialgia disappeared immediately after operation and he was able to walk without a limp. Discussions: It is important to distinguish between nociceptive and neuropathic orchialgia. Neuroanatomic understanding is essential to guide treatment options. Orchiectomy is an option but should be reserved for refractory cases with evidence of nociceptive pain accompanied by anatomical changes. Conclusions: Triple neurectomy should be considered in patients with neuropathic orchialgia

Multicentric recurrence of intraductal papillary neoplasms of bile duct in the remnant intrahepatic bile duct after curative resection

Introduction: There have been few reports on the prognosis of patients with intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct (IPNB). Here we report a case of IPNB in a patient with early-stage carcinoma who had multicentric recurrence in the remnant hepatic bile duct after curative resection. Case presentation: A 78-year-old man with hepatic dysfunction and cholestasis was referred to our hospital. Preoperative imaging studies revealed the presence of papillary tumors in the left hepatic duct and common hepatic duct, while no tumor lesions were detected in the right hepatic duct. This patient underwent left hepatectomy, extra-hepatic bile duct resection with biliary reconstruction, and regional lymphnode dissection. On the basis of pathological examination, this patient was diagnosed with multiple IPNB with early-stage adenocarcinoma with negative surgical margin. Postoperative work-up was periodically performed, indicating no evidence of recurrence, while the patient had sustained hepatic dysfunction, cholestasis, and repetitive cholangitis since the early postoperative period. Finally, recurrence in the remnant intrahepatic bile duct of the posterior segment was revealed by double balloon enteroscopy at 29 months after surgery. At 34 months after surgery, internal drainage stents were replaced in both endoscopic and percutaneous manners within the relapsed intrahepatic bile ducts to address repetitive cholangitis. These procedures enabled the patient to remain asymptomatic until death at 41 months after surgery. Discussion: Multicentric recurrence in the remnant intrahepatic bile duct after surgery may occur in IPNB patients with multiple lesions. An endoscopic approach may be useful in such cases, not only in the diagnosis of remnant intrahepatic bile duct recurrence but also for palliation of symptoms

Long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent liver resection using microwave tissue coagulation

Background/Aims. Our policy for the surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been to minimize the extent of liver resection using a microwave tissue coagulator (MTC) and to not perform Pringle's maneuver for the prevention of ischemic injury to the liver routinely. We verify the safety of liver resection using MTC in HCC patients with poor liver functional reserve, and clarify the long-term outcome of HCC patients who underwent curative resection using MTC. Methodology. One hundred sixty-eight patients who underwent curative resection using MTC between 1992 and 2001 were divided into two groups according each patient's score in the Indocyanin Green Retension 15 Test (ICG-R15 test). The high (ICG-R15 values>20) and low ICG-R15 groups (ICG-R15 values<20) included 100 and 68 HCC patients, respectively. Clinical characteristics of each group were evaluated, and operative mortality and morbidity, as well as overall and disease-free survival rates, were compared between the two groups to determine risk factors for overall and disease-free survival. Results. Although there were significant differences in liver function-related parameters between the low and high ICG-R15 groups, no differences in surgical or tumor factors were found. No patients in this study developed post-operative liver failure, and there was no significant difference in morbidity between the low and high ICG-R15 groups. The overall survival rate of the low ICG-R15 group was significantly longer than the high ICG-R15 group (p=0.0003). Cox's multivariate analysis showed that an ICG-R15 value less than 20 was the only significant independent factor for overall survival. Disease-free survival rates in the low ICG-R15 group were significantly longer than in the high ICG-R15 group (p=0.0007). Multivariate analysis showed that serum albumin level and number of tumors were significant independent factors for disease-free survival. Conclusion. The long-term outcome of HCC patients with low ICG-R15 following curative resection using MTC was acceptable. This procedure was safe even for patients with high ICG-R15

Risk of Recurrence in a Long-term Follow-up After Surgery in 417 Patients With Hepatitis B- or Hepatitis C-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to clarify the difference of risk of recurrence after hepatic resection between patients with hepatitis B- and hepatitis C-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND DATA: HCC is a highly recurrent carcinoma. However, consensus has not yet been reached about the relationship between hepatitis virus types and risk of recurrence in a long-term follow-up for HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the beginning of January 1990 to the end of December 1999, of 469 HCC patients who underwent curative hepatic resection, 66 (14%) patients with positive hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBs-Ag) and negative hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV-Ab) were regarded to have B-type hepatitis (HB)-related HCC (HB-HCC) and 351 (75%) with negative HBs-Ag and positive HCV-Ab were regarded to have C-type hepatitis (HC)-related HCC (HC-HCC). A clinical follow-up was performed to assess the existence of recurrence with the median follow-up periods of 11.0 and 10.1 years for HB- and HC-HCC patients, respectively. RESULTS: The 3-, 5-, and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates of HC-HCC (40%, 24%, and 12%, respectively) were significantly shorter than those of HB-HCC (57%, 54%, and 28%, respectively) (P = 0.0001). In multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, viral type, TNM stage, surgical margin, and Edmondson's grade were significantly associated with risk of recurrence. The risk of recurrence from the initial HCC increased to 1.93 times (95% confidence interval, 1.27–2.93) greater in HC-HCC patients than in HB-HCC patients. CONCLUSION: Hepatitis viral type is an independent factor for recurrence of HCC in a long-term clinical follow-up. This finding suggests that we may need a different strategy to control postoperative recurrence by the viral types in HCC patients