Combined resection and multi-agent adjuvant chemotherapy for intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumour: case report and review of the literature

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, highly aggressive malignancy with distinctive histological and immunohistochemical features occurring in young population with male predominance. We report a case of DRSCT occurred in a 17 years old patient which presented with a large upper left quadrant abdominal mass that was treated with a very aggressive surgical approach and multi-agent chemotherapy. At a 12 months follow-up he is free of recurrence. This kind of tumour has a very poor prognosis. No standard treatment protocol has been established. Aggressive surgery combined with postoperative multi-agent adjuvant chemotherapy is justified not only to relieve symptoms but also to try to improve the outcome

Peritoneal carcinomatosis

Several gastrointestinal and gynecological malignancies have the potential to disseminate and grow in the peritoneal cavity. The occurrence of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) has been shown to significantly decrease overall survival in patients with liver and/or extraperitoneal metastases from gastrointestinal cancer. During the last three decades, the understanding of the biology and pathways of dissemination of tumors with intraperitoneal spread, and the understanding of the protective function of the peritoneal barrier against tumoral seeding, has prompted the concept that PC is a loco-regional disease: in absence of other systemic metastases, multimodal approaches combining aggressive cytoreductive surgery, intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy have been proposed and are actually considered promising methods to improve loco-regional control of the disease, and ultimately to increase survival. The aim of this review article is to present the evidence on treatment of PC in different tumors, in order to provide patients with a proper surgical and multidisciplinary treatment focused on optimal control of their locoregional disease. (C) 2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved

Minimally-invasive surgical treatment of myastenia gravis

IMSP SCR, Secţia Chirurgie Toracică, RM, Chişinău, Al XI-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova și cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova „Iacomi-Răzeșu” 27-30 septembrie 2011Introducere. Miastenia gravis (MG) este o patologie autoimună în care dereglările neuromusculare sunt induse de anticorpii circulanți contra receptorilor acetilcolinici (nAChR) localizați la nivelul postsinaptic al joncțiunii neuromusculare. Abordarea terapeutică a MG presupune un tratament gradual care cuprinde inhibitori de colinesterază pentru simptomatologie minoră şi avansează la medicaţie imunomodulatoare sau plasmafereza pentru situatiile de o gravitate crescută. Timectomia are un rol important în tratamentul complex al MG. Scopul lucrării. Analiza rezultatele postoperatorii ale tratamentului chirurgical videoasistat al miasteniei gravis. Materiale şi metode. În grupul de studiu au fost incluşi 63 pacienți cu MG fără timom observați postoperator mai mult de 12 luni. Repartizarea după sex a fost - 11 bărbați (17,7 %) şi 52 femei (82,5 %), cu vârsta între 18 şi 62 ani. Durata medie a afecțiunii a fost de 21,2 luni, variind mult în cadrul grupului dar fără diferență semnificativă legată de sex. Conform clasificării clinice MGFA pacienți au fost repartizaţi în următoarele stadii : I- 4 (6,3 %) , IIa - 12 (19,04 %), IIb - 17 (26,98 %), III - 13 (20,63 %), IIIb - 12 (19,04 %), IV - 5 (7,94%). Diagnosticul de MG a fost bazat pe examenul clinic neurologic, răspunsul pozitiv la testul cu prozerină sau tensilon, rezultatele tipice electromiografice şi în unele cazuri prin demonstrarea prezenței anticorpilor contra aAChR. Rezultate. Ameliorarea generală a stării pacienților (RCS + AS) a fost demonstrată la 95,23 % pacienți. Ameliorarea stării a fost înregistrată la 42 (66,67 %) pacienți. La 2 pacienți (3,17 %) conform criteriilor noastre (micşorarea scorului QMG ≥ 4 puncte) starea nu s-a modificat după timectomie şi la un pacient (1,59 %) a fost constatată agravarea simptomelor MG în perioada postintervenție. Concluzii. 1. Timectomia toracoscopica este o tehnică avansată de chirurgie miniminvazivă şi este rezervată centrelor cu experienţă atât în chirurgia toracoscopică cât şi în abilitatea de a trata bolnavul miastenic. 2. Factorii de prognostic favorabil depistati în urma analizei multivariate sunt debutul la o vârsta mai tânără a afecţiunii şi intrevenţia chirurgicală precoce faţă de momentul de debut al afecţiunii.Introduction. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune pathology in which neuromuscular disorders are caused by circulating antibodies against acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) located at the postsinaptic level of the neuromuscular junction. Management of MG involves a gradual treatment including cholinesterase inhibitors for minor symptoms and advances to immunomodulating medications or plasmapheresis for high gravity situations. Thymectomy has an important role in the complex treatment of MG. Goal of the study. Analysis of postoperative results of minimally-invasive surgical treatment of myasthenia gravis. Materials and methods. In the study group were included 63 patients with MG without thymoma observed more than 12 months postoperatively. Distribution by sex was - 11 men (17.7%) and 52 women (82.5%), aged between 18 and 62 years. The average duration of disease was 21.2 months, ranging a lot in the group but with no significant differences related to sex. According to clinical classification MGFA patients were divided into the following stages: I-4 (6.3%), IIa - 12 (19.04%), IIb - 17 (26.98%), III - 13 (20.63% ), IIIb - 12 (19.04%), IV - 5 (7.94%). The diagnosis of MG was based on neurological clinical examination, positive response to prozerin or tensilon test, typical electromyographic results and in some cases by demonstrating the presence of antibodies against aAChR. Results. General improvement in the patient’s condition (RCS + AS) has been demonstrated in 95.23% patients. State improvement was recorded in 42 (66.67%) patients. In 2 patients (3.17%) according to our criteria (QMG score decrease ≥ 4 points) status has not changed after thymectomy and in one patient (1.59%) was observed during postoperative period worsening of MG symptoms. Conclusions. 1. Thoracoscopic thymectomy is an advanced technique of minimally-invasive surgery and is reserved to centers with experience in both thoracoscopic surgery and the ability to treat myasthenic patients. 2. Favorable prognostic factors found in multivariate analysis are the onset of disease at a younger age and early surgical treatment from time of onset

Gallstone cholangitis: a 10-year experience of combined endoscopic and laparoscopic treatment

BACKGROUND: To date, no procedure has yet been identified as the gold standard for the treatment of gallstone cholangitis in the laparoscopic era. METHODS: The data of 109 consecutive patients with acute cholangitis were prospectively entered into a computerized database. All patients were managed according to a standard protocol. The main treatments were endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) combined with endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES), followed by interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Patients in whom ERC or endoscopic stone clearance failed were managed by emergency open common bile duct exploration. LC was performed with a standardized four-cannula technique. The mean duration of surgery, conversion rate, and postoperative outcome of these patients were evaluated. RESULTS: ERC was successful in 103 patients (94.5%). In five of these patients (4.8%), no bile duct stones were found. The 98 patients (95.2%) with common bile duct stones were referred for ES. The bile duct stones were successfully removed after ES in 93 cases (94.9%). The overall failure rate of ERC and ES for choledocholithiasis was 10.1%. Self-limiting pancreatitis occurred in four patients (4.3%). Overall, two of the 109 patients died (1.8%). After ES, 81 patients underwent LC. LC was performed successfully in 74 patients (91.3%). Conversion to open surgery was required in seven patients (8.7%). The morbidity rate after cholecystectomy was 7.4%; the morbidity rate after open bile duct exploration was 36.4% (p<0.05). Fifteen patients were managed conservatively after initial endoscopic management of their cholangitis. The overall incidence of recurrent biliary symptoms was significantly higher among patients with gallbladder in place than for patients who underwent cholecystectomy (38.5% vs 1.5%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ES followed by LC is a safe and effective approach for the management of gallstone cholangitis; cholecystectomy should be performed in patients with gallstone cholangitis unless the operative risk is extremely high. These high operative risk patients and those who refuse surgery after ES should be warned that they are at high risk for recurrent biliary symptoms