Surgical treatment of obstructive jaundice

Patients with obstructive jaundice must be completely evaluated and prepared before any invasive procedure be performed in order to reduce complications, mainly infection, blood coagulation disorders and renal failure. There are several causes of obstructive jaundice and the main cause is choledocholithiais. About 6-10% of the patients with stones of the gallbladder also have choledocholithiasis. Other common causes of obstructive jaundice include malignant and benign stricture of the common bile duct. Hemobilia, Caroli’s disease, cyst of choledocus, duodenal diverticuli and worms of the biliary tract are infrequent causes. Surgical treatment of all these conditions is discussed.Os pacientes com icterícia obstrutiva devem ser avaliados e preparados adequadamente, antes da realização de procedimentos invasivos para reduzir as complicações, principalmente as infecciosas, distúrbios de coagulação sanguínea e insuficiência renal. As causas de icterícia obstrutiva são inúmeras, sendo a principal a litíase da via biliar principal. Cerca de 6-10% dos pacientes com litíase da vesícula biliar também apresentam cálculo na via biliar principal. Outras causas comuns de icterícia obstrutiva incluem obstrução maligna e estenoses benignas da via biliar principal. Hemobilia, doença de Caroli, cisto de cóledoco, divertículos duodenais e verminose das vias biliares são causas infreqüentes. O tratamento cirúrgico de todas estas condições é discutido

ACUTE CHOLECYSTITIS IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS. SURGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, OR ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT? BRAZILIAN COLLEGE OF DIGESTIVE SURGERY POSITION PAPER

ABSTRACT Acute cholecystitis (AC) is an acute inflammatory process of the gallbladder that may be associated with potentially severe complications, such as empyema, gangrene, perforation of the gallbladder, and sepsis. The gold standard treatment for AC is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, for a small group of AC patients, the risk of laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be very high, mainly in the elderly with associated severe diseases. In these critically ill patients, percutaneous cholecystostomy or endoscopic ultrasound gallbladder drainage may be a temporary therapeutic option, a bridge to cholecystectomy. The objective of this Brazilian College of Digestive Surgery Position Paper is to present new advances in AC treatment in high-risk surgical patients to help surgeons, endoscopists, and physicians select the best treatment for their patients. The effectiveness, safety, advantages, disadvantages, and outcomes of each procedure are discussed. The main conclusions are: a) AC patients with elevated surgical risk must be preferably treated in tertiary hospitals where surgical, radiological, and endoscopic expertise and resources are available; b) The optimal treatment modality for high-surgical-risk patients should be individualized based on clinical conditions and available expertise; c) Laparoscopic cholecystectomy remains an excellent option of treatment, mainly in hospitals in which percutaneous or endoscopic gallbladder drainage is not available; d) Percutaneous cholecystostomy and endoscopic gallbladder drainage should be performed only in well-equipped hospitals with experienced interventional radiologist and/or endoscopist; e) Cholecystostomy catheter should be removed after resolution of AC. However, in patients who have no clinical condition to undergo cholecystectomy, the catheter may be maintained for a prolonged period or even definitively; f) If the cholecystostomy catheter is maintained for a long period of time several complications may occur, such as bleeding, bile leakage, obstruction, pain at the insertion site, accidental removal of the catheter, and recurrent AC; g) The ideal waiting time between cholecystostomy and cholecystectomy has not yet been established and ranges from immediately after clinical improvement to months. h) Long waiting periods between cholecystostomy and cholecystectomy may be associated with new episodes of acute cholecystitis, multiple hospital readmissions, and increased costs. Finally, when selecting the best treatment option other aspects should also be considered, such as costs, procedures available at the medical center, and the patient’s desire. The patient and his family should be fully informed about all treatment options, so they can help making the final decision

Management of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis with pneumoperitoneum: 5-years systematic review.

SummaryBackground: Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis (PCI) is a rare condition, characterized by gas-filled cysts in the intestinal wall. Rarely, it may also involve other places, such as the mesentery. It is classified as primary and secondary and associated with multiple predisposing factors. Its differential diagnosis is mesenteric ischemia.Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review according to PRISMA statement. PubMed and LILACS databases were searched for articles published between January 2015 and December 2020. The subject headings were "Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis" and "pneumoperitoneum", "pneumatosis intestinalis" and "pneumoperitoneum" or "mesenteric pneumatosis".Results: 51 articles with 58 patients with PCI and pneumoperitoneum were included. Most patients were male and the average age was 64.9 years. The idiopathic etiology was recorded in 29.31% and the most common predisposing factor were immune dysfunction (28.3%). 24.13% were asymptomatic and the most commons symptoms were abdominal pain (43.1%), nausea and vomiting (41.37%) and abdominal distention (37.93%). Diagnostic surgery was performed in 26 patients (44.8%). Just one patient underwent to surgery with treatment intent.Conclusion: PCI is a benign disease that can be confused with a potentially fatal condition, mesenteric ischemia. Treatment is conservative, with periodic clinical evaluations. Surgical procedure is usually not necessary for the diagnosis or management of PCI.

Retroperitoneal fetus in fetu in a 65-year-old man.

Fetus in fetu (FIF) is a rare congenital anomaly in which a malformed fetus grows within the body of its twin. It was first described in the late 18th century and has an incidence of 1:500,000 live births. The diagnosis is established in infancy or young adults in most cases. The oldest patient reported so far was a 47-year-old patient. We described the case of a 65-year-old patient with FIF, the oldest reported in the literature. Our patient meets all criteria for the diagnosis of FIF, with the presence of a limb in advanced formation inside the lesion. The treatment was surgical excision. FIF must be considered in the differential diagnosis of an abdominal mass, typically recognized in infancy. Symptoms arise from the mass effect and treatment is surgical resection due to the potential for malignancy