Case report of the fourth laparoscopic liver resection and review of repeat laparoscopic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic liver

A 73-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) underwent treatment of three hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in liver segment 4, following three previous laparoscopic liver resections (LLRs) over 73 months. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed three 0.5-1.2 cm HCCs deep within the portal territories of subsegments 4a and 4b. The patient underwent laparoscopic resection of 4a and 4b, with the preservation of the portal branch to 4c, after minimal adhesiolysis around segment 4. The operation lasted 284 min, there was 50 mL of intra-operative bleeding and her recovery was uneventful. She was well, had experienced no recurrence and was HCV-negative, after taking oral anti-HCV therapy, 21 months later. LLR is associated with fewer adhesions after surgery and requires less adhesiolysis, because the laparoscope and forceps can be used in the small spaces between adhesions. The present patient underwent four LLRs over 6 years without severe deterioration of liver functional reserve. LLR is a useful localized therapy, which can be performed repeatedly and may prolong the survival of patients with multicentric metachronous HCCs

Effect of pancrelipase in preventing pancreatic dysfunction after pancreaticoduodenectomy

OBJECTIVES: Patients who have undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) may experience a long-term decrease in quality of life because of postoperative pancreatic dysfunction (such as digestive and absorption disorders) and fatty liver as a result of combined resection of the duodenum, gallbladder, and bile duct. The present study investigated the usefulness of pancrelipase for the prevention of pancreatic dysfunction after PD. METHODS: The data from 73 patients who underwent PD in a single institution were analyzed. Patients who underwent PD during 2007–2011 were administered the low-titer pancreatic enzyme preparations berizym(®) and pancreatin(®) (first period group), while patients who underwent PD during 2012–2017 were administered the high-titer pancreatic enzyme preparation pancrelipase (second period group). The following measures of the nutrition status were examined before and after PD: serum albumin concentration, total lymphocyte count, serum total cholesterol concentration, body mass index, controlling nutrition status (CONUT) index, Onodera’s prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and liver computed tomography values. RESULTS: The second period group had significantly higher serum albumin concentrations at 3 and 6 months postoperatively, serum total cholesterol concentrations at 1 month postoperatively, and Onodera’s PNI values at 3 and 6 months postoperatively than the first period group. The CONUT index values at 6 months after PD were significantly lower in the second period group than in the first period group. CONCLUSIONS: Pancrelipase is useful in improving the nutrition status and preventing fatty liver after PD

A case of hepatocellular adenoma with pedunculated development and difficulty in diagnosis

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a benign hepatocyte-derived epithelial tumor. HCA is associated with oral contraceptive use among Caucasian populations. We report a case of hepatocellular adenoma with a pedunculated protuberance and high protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) levels, which made diagnosis challenging. The patient was a 22-year-old woman. In a medical check-up, a high γ-GTP level was detected and a 115-mm solid mass was found in her lower abdomen via abdominal ultrasonography. A blood test showed a high PIVKA-II level. Abdominal CT showed a tumor in the lower abdomen. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic artery connecting to the mass, and a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic vein returning from the mass to the inferior vena cava. In EOB-MRI, uneven enhancement was observed after contrast imaging, but washout in the equilibrium phase was unclear. Parenchymal hepatocyte phases showed a pale, non-uniform, high signal. These findings indicated that the tumor was derived from the left lobe of the liver and was suggestive of HCC. Surgical resection was then performed. A pathological examination led to a diagnosis of HCA, corresponding to unclassified HCA. The WHO classification of tumors of the digestive system based on an immunohistological examination includes HNF1α-inactivated HCA, β-catenin-activated HCA, inflammatory HCA, and unclassified HCA. In summary, our patient had a large HCA with pedunculated protrusion into the extrahepatic pelvic cavity. This case was challenging to diagnose because of abnormally high PIVKA-II levels, and it was resected laparoscopically