Long-Term Results of Hepatic Resection for Hepatolithiasis

Long-term results of hepatic resection for hepatolithiasis in 34 patients having intrahepatic biliary strictures were studied. The left lateral and the right posterior segmental ducts were commonly and often simultaneously involved. Fourteen patients had multiple segmental involvement. Hepatic resection included left sided resection (n=27), right sided resection (n=6), and repeated bilateral resection (n=1). Seven patients had biliary tumors: 3 cholangiocarcinomas, 2 gall bladder cancers, cystadenocarcinoma, and dysplasia of intrahepatic ducts. Nineteen patients received bilioenteric anastomosis. Retained stones and recurrent stones developed in 3 and 4 patients, respectively. Twenty-six patients had no remaining symptoms; 2 died of operative complication or cholangiocarcinoma; 6 presented symptoms caused by retained stones (n=2), recurrent stones (n=2), bile stasis (n=1), or neuralgia (n=1). In 4 of the 6 patients, unrelieved posterior duct strictures caused the symptoms. With a mean follow-up period of 4.5 years, 30 patients are symptoms free, and 27 are stone free. In patients with right lobar or bilobar type, intra- and extrahepatic type, and confluence strictures, bilioenteric anastomosis is required. Hepatic resection is a rational treatment for hepatolithiasis, however, meticulous management of biliary tract abnormalities, particularly the posterior duct stricture, is mandatory

Duodenum-Preserving Resection of the Head of the Pancreas: The Significance as a Diagnostic Therapy for the Lesion in the Pancreatic Head

A 75-year-old man who was diagnosed as having mucin-producing pancreatic cystic lesion ofthe main pancreatic duct by duodenoscopic examination was reported. Because of the low malignant potential of such lesions, duodenum-preserving resection of the head of the pancreas was performed, and the intra-operative histological examination showed no malig-nancy of the resected pancreatic head and no other surgical procedures, such as lymph-adenectomy nor pancreato-duodenectomy were necessary. The significance of this case report lies in that a less invasive operation should be selected at first to diagnose whether the lesion is malignant or not, and als0 that the selected operation itself must be sufficient to resect an adequate part of the pancreatic tissue involving the cystic lesion, ifnot malignant. Here, we report the process to select the procedure and the surgical technique