Risk Factors for Difficult Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Acute Cholecystitis

Background and Objectives: Factors that contribute to difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in acute cholecystitis (AC) that would affect the performance of early surgery remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify such risk factors. Methods: One hundred fifty-four patients who underwent LC for AC were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were categorized into early surgery and delayed surgery. Factors predicting difficult LC were analyzed for each group. The operation time, bleeding, and cases of difficult laparoscopic surgery (CDLS)/conversion rate were analyzed as an index of difficulty. Analyses of patients in the early group were especially focused on 3 consecutive histopathological phases: edematous cholecystitis (E), necrotizing cholecystitis (N), suppurative/subacute cholecystitis (S). Results: In the early group, the CDLS/conversion rate was highest in necrotizing cholecystitis. Its rate was significantly higher than that of the other 2 histopathological types (N 27.9% vs E and S 7.4%; P = .037). In the delayed-surgery group, a higher white blood cell (WBC) count and older age showed significant correlations with the CDLS/conversion rate (P = .034 and P = .004). Conclusion: In early surgery, histopathologic necrotizing cholecystitis is a risk factor for difficult LC in AC. A higher WBC count and older age are risk factors for delayed surgery

Noninvasive management for iatrogenic splenic injury caused by chest tube insertion : a case report

Splenic injury is one of the most critical complications of chest tube insertion and often requires invasive emergency management. However, noninvasive management such as delayed removal of the malpositioned tube may be considered for a stable patient without severe adverse event

Left upper lobectomy can be a risk factor for thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump

Background: Thrombosis in the left upper pulmonary vein stump after left upper lobectomy is a very rare but important complication because it occurs in the systemic circulation system. We previously made the first ever report on the frequency and risk factors of thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump after lobectomy. In this study, we conducted an investigation in a different hospital to determine whether this was a common complication. Methods: From 2008 to 2012, 151 patients who underwent lobectomy and following enhanced CT within 2 years after the operation were studied. Postoperative contrast-enhanced CT imaging was retrospectively checked. Results: We found thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump in 5 of the 151 patients (3.3%). All 5 patients underwent left upper lobectomy (17.9% of the patients who underwent left upper lobectomy). These 5 patients did not have infarction of any vital organ. The thrombus was disappeared several months later on contrast-enhanced CT in 3 patients and followed in 2 patients. On univariate analysis, there was a significant difference only in the operative procedure (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Thrombosis in the pulmonary vein stump occurred with high frequency in patients who underwent left upper lobectomy. Because the frequency of thrombosis in this study was the same as in our previous report, this might be a common complication

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma primary to the chest wall with spontaneous shrinking : report of a case

An 80-year-old man presented to our emergency department complaining of a mass on the right side of his chest and pain in the right flank of his back. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed a relatively heterogenous oval-shaped tumor measuring 7.5 x 6.0 cm eroded to the 8th rib, with slightly dense fluid accumulation inside and calcification of the tumor wall. A 1-month follow-up CT scan showed spontaneous shrinkage of the tumor. The tumor was completely excised from the thoracic wall and the wall was reconstructed with a polytetrafluoroethylene mesh. Pathological examination showed coagulation necrosis in the chest wall tumor, but immunohistochemical staining revealed murine double minute 2- and Cyclin-dependent kinase 4-positive cells with irregular nuclear size and bizarre morphology. Therefore, dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) was the final pathological diagnosis. Remarkable infiltration of CD8+ lymphocytes into the tumor was observed, along with a 90% positive ratio for programmed cell death-ligand 1. The patient has been followed-up for 1 year without any recurrence, despite not receiving any additional treatment. Liposarcoma is one of the most common types of soft tissue sarcomas; however, spontaneous regression of primary DDLPS arising from the chest wall is extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of DDLPS primary to the chest wall with spontaneous regression, probably due to a spontaneously induced T cell response