Vascular coil erosion into hepaticojejunostomy following hepatic arterial embolisation

BACKGROUND: Right hepatic arterial injury (RHAI) is the most common vascular injury sustained during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, occurring in up to 7% of cholecystectomies. RHAI is also the most common vascular injury associated with a bile duct injury (BDI) and is reported to occur in up to 41 - 61% of cases when routine angiography is employed following a BDI. We present an unusual case of erosion of vascular coils from a previously embolised right hepatic artery into bilio-enteric anastomoses causing biliary obstruction. This is on a background of biliary reconstruction following a major BDI. CASE PRESENTATION: A 37-year old man underwent a bile duct reconstruction following a major BDI (Strasberg-Bismuth E4 injury) sustained at laparoscopic cholecystectomy. He had two separate bilio-enteric anastomoses of the right and left hepatic ducts and had a modified Terblanche Roux-en-Y access limb formed. Approximately three weeks later he was admitted for significant gastrointestinal bleeding and was hypotensive and anaemic. Selective computed tomography angiography revealed a 2 x 2 centimetre right hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm, which was urgently embolised with radiological coils. Two months later he developed intermittent fevers, rigors, jaundice, and right upper quadrant pain with evidence of intrahepatic biliary dilatation on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. The degree of intrahepatic biliary dilatation progressively increased on subsequent imaging over several months, suggesting stricturing of the bilio-enteric anastomoses. Several attempts to traverse these strictures with a percutaneous transhepatic approach had failed. Then, approximately ten months after the initial BDI repair, choledochoscopy through the Terblanche access limb revealed multiple radiological coils within the bilio-enteric anastomoses, which had eroded from the previously embolised right hepatic artery. A laparotomy was performed to remove the coils, take down the existing obstructed bilio-enteric anastomoses and revise this. Following this the patient recovered uneventfully. CONCLUSION: Obstructive jaundice and cholangitis secondary to erosion of angiographically placed embolisation coils is a rarely described complication. In view of the relative frequency of arterial injury and complications following major bile duct injury, we suggest that these patients be formally assessed for associated arterial injury following a major BDI.Soondoos Raashed, Manju D Chandrasegaram, Khaled Alsaleh, Glen Schlaphoff, and Neil D Merret

Apical ballooning syndrome complicated by acute severe mitral regurgitation with left ventricular outflow obstruction – Case report

BACKGROUND: Apical ballooning syndrome (or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy) is a syndrome of transient left ventricular apical ballooning. Although first described in Japanese patients, it is now well reported in the Caucasian population. The syndrome mimicks an acute myocardial infarction but is characterised by the absence of obstructive coronary disease. We describe a serious and poorly understood complication of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 65 year-old lady referred to us from a rural hospital where she was treated with thrombolytic therapy for a presumed acute anterior myocardial infarction. Four hours after thrombolysis she developed acute pulmonary oedema and a new systolic murmur. It was presumed she had acute mitral regurgitation secondary to a ruptured papillary muscle, ischaemic dysfunction or an acute ventricular septal defect. Echocardiogram revealed severe mitral regurgitation, left ventricular apical ballooning, and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with significant left ventricular outflow tract gradient (60–70 mmHg). Coronary angiography revealed no obstructive coronary lesions. She had an intra-aortic balloon pump inserted with no improvement in her parlous haemodynamic state. We elected to replace her mitral valve to correct the outflow tract gradient and mitral regurgitation. Intra-operatively the mitral valve was mildly myxomatous but there were no structural abnormalities. She had a mechanical mitral valve replacement with a 29 mm St Jude valve. Post-operatively, her left ventricular outflow obstruction resolved and ventricular function returned to normal over the subsequent 10 days. She recovered well. CONCLUSION: This case represents a serious and poorly understood association of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with acute pulmonary oedema, severe mitral regurgitaton and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve with significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The sequence of our patient's presentation suggests that the apical ballooning caused geometric alterations in her left ventricle that in turn led to acute and severe mitral regurgitation, systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and mitral regurgitation were corrected by mechanical mitral valve replacement. We describe a variant of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy with acute mitral regurgitation, systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve leaflet and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction of a dynamic nature

Il monastero benedettino di S. Giorgio in Braida a Verona: nuove prospettive di ricerca sulla rifabbrica romanica (sec. XII)

L’attuale aspetto rinascimentale della chiesa di San Giorgio in Braida è frutto di una serie di interventi promossi dai canonici veneziani di San Giorgio in Alga a partire dalla fine del XV secolo. Il monastero benedettino, tuttavia, fu fondato nella metà dell’XI secolo e completamente ricostruito fra il terzo e il quarto decennio del secolo successivo per volere del vescovo Bernardo. L’articolo ripercorre le vicende storiche dell’istituzione in età medievale e rende nota l’esistenza di alcune parti della compagine romanica tuttora inedite, che permettono d’inserire il cantiere di San Giorgio in Braida nel contesto delle coeve manifestazioni architettoniche veronesi

Full-thickness vs split-skin grafting in pediatric hand burns-a 10-year review of 174 cases

This study was undertaken to assess the incidence of contractures following grafting of pediatric hand burns. Primary pediatric hand burns grafted between January 1997 and July 2007 were reviewed by three groups: A) hand grafts (palmar and/or dorsal grafts excluding digits); B) digit grafts; and C) hand and digit grafts (grafts to palm and/or dorsum including digits). The incidence of contractures and operative release in those with full-thickness grafting (FTG) versus split-skin grafting (SSG) was analyzed. There were 174 grafted pediatric hand burns. In group A, the incidence of contractures with SSG was 26 vs 11% with FTG. Subgroup analysis revealed comparable contracture rates between palmar and dorsal grafts treated with SSG, 24 vs 25%. The only FTG contracture was a palmar graft. The incidence of contractures in digit grafts or group B was low, 3 of 29 with SSG and 0 of 27 with FTG. In group C, the incidence of contractures in the SSG group was 43%, with none in the FTG group, P = 0.019. This was higher with SSG to the palm and digits at 67 vs 21% with dorsal grafts. The study revealed an overall 34 of 126 (27%) incidence of contractures with SSG and I of 45 (2%) with FTG, P < 0.001. The incidence of operative scar release was 15% in the SSG group and 2% in the FTG group, P = 0.019. This study supports the use of FTG in the treatment of primary hand burns particularly where the burn involves the surface of the palm and extends into the digits. (J Burn Care Res 2009;30:867-871

Ampullary cancer of intestinal origin and duodenal cancer - A logical clinical and therapeutic subgroup in periampullary cancer

Periampullary cancers include pancreatic, ampullary, biliary and duodenal cancers. At presentation, the majority of periampullary tumours have grown to involve the pancreas, bile duct, ampulla and duodenum. This can result in difficulty in defining the primary site of origin in all but the smallest tumors due to anatomical proximity and architectural distortion. This has led to variation in the reported proportions of resected periampullary cancers. Pancreatic cancer is the most common cancer resected with a pancreaticoduodenectomy followed by ampullary (16%-50%), bile duct (5%-39%), and duodenal cancer (3%-17%). Patients with resected duodenal and ampullary cancers have a better reported median survival (29-47 mo and 22-54 mo) compared to pancreatic cancer (13-19 mo). The poorer survival with pancreatic cancer relates to differences in tumour characteristics such as a higher incidence of nodal, neural and vascular invasion. While small ampullary cancers can present early with biliary obstruction, pancreatic cancers need to reach a certain size before biliary obstruction ensues. This larger size at presentation contributes to a higher incidence of resection margin involvement in pancreatic cancer. Ampullary cancers can be subdivided into intestinal or pancreatobiliary subtype cancers with histomolecular staining. This avoids relying on histomorphology alone, as even some poorly differentiated cancers preserve the histomolecular profile of their mucosa of origin. Histomolecular profiling is superior to anatomic location in prognosticating survival. Ampullary cancers of intestinal subtype and duodenal cancers are similar in their intestinal origin and form a logical clinical and therapeutic subgroup of periampullary cancers. They respond to 5-FU based chemotherapeutic regimens such as capecitabine-oxaliplatin. Unlike pancreatic cancers, KRAS mutation occurs in only approximately a third of ampullary and duodenal cancers. Future clinical trials should group ampullary cancers of intestinal origin and duodenal cancers together given their similarities and their response to fluoropyrimidine therapy in combination with oxaliplatin. The addition of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy in this group warrants study

Management of infected pancreatic necrosis in the setting of concomitant rectal cancer: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUNDPancreatitis with infected necrosis is a severe complication of acute pancreatitis and carries with it high rates of morbidity and mortality. The management of infected pancreatic necrosis alongside concomitant colorectal cancer has never been described in literature.CASE SUMMARYA 77 years old gentleman presented to the Emergency Department of our hospital complaining of ongoing abdominal pain for 8 h. The patient had clinical features of pancreatitis with a raised lipase of 3810 U/L, A computed tomography (CT) abdomen confirmed pancreatitis with extensive peri-pancreatic edema. During the course of his admission, the patient had persistent high fevers and delirium thought secondary to infected necrosis, prompting the commencement of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy with Piperacillin/Tazobactam. Subsequent CT abdomen confirmed extensive pancreatic necrosis (over 70%). Patient was managed with supportive therapy, nutritional support and gut rest initially and improved over the course of his admission and was discharged 42 d post admission. He represented 24 d following his discharge with fever and chills and a repeat CT abdomen scan noted gas bubbles within the necrotic pancreatic tissue thereby confirming infected necrotic pancreatitis. This CT scan also revealed asymmetric thickening of the rectal wall suspicious for malignancy. A rectal cancer was confirmed on flexible sigmoidoscopy. The patient underwent two endoscopic necrosectomies and was treated with intravenous antibiotics and was discharged after 28 d. Within 1 wk post discharge, the patient commenced a course of neoadjuvant radiotherapy and subsequently underwent concomitant chemotherapy prior to undergoing a successful Hartmann's procedure for treatment of his colorectal cancer.CONCLUSIONThis case highlights the efficacy of endoscopic necrosectomy, early enteral feeding and targeted antibiotic therapy for timely management of infected necrotic pancreatitis. The prompt resolution of pancreatitis permitted the patient to undergo neoadjuvant treatment and resection for his concomitant colorectal cancer