[Enterocolic phlebitis. Description of a case and review of the literature]

OBJECTIVE

To report about a case of enterocolic phlebitis, a rare cause of ischemic intestinal necrosis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The patient, a 71 year-old male, presented with signs of acute abdomen. A right hemicolectomy was performed, which revealed a tubulovillous adenoma with high grade dysplasia located in the ascending colon, and a diffuse ischemic colitis. A localized lymphocytic and granulomatous phlebitis was present in the resected colon. The arteries were spared by the inflammatory process. The patient is alive and well 7 years after surgery. The literature concerning enterocolic phlebitis, a peculiar form of localized intestinal vasculitis, is briefly summarized.

Laparoscopic resection of a periampullary villous adenoma

BACKGROUND

Adenomas of the duodenal papilla are rare lesions. Because of their malignant potential, resection is mandatory. Options for resection include endoscopic resection, transduodenal local excision, and pancreaticoduodenectomy. This report details a case of periampullary villous adenoma diagnosed endoscopically and resected laparoscopically via a transduodenal approach.

CASE REPORT

A healthy 75-year-old woman with heartburn underwent an upper endoscopy for vague right upper abdominal pain. A periampullary tumor was diagnosed. Endoscopic biopsy results were consistent with a villous adenoma, and endoscopic ultrasound showed distal bile duct involvement. The patient underwent laparoscopic transduodenal local excision of the tumor with biliary reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic transduodenal resection of periampullary lesions provides advantages similar to those of an endoscopic resection by removal of the tumor using minimally invasive techniques. In addition, laparoscopic surgery maintains the surgical tenents of open transduodenal resection with en bloc tumor resection including the adjacent duodenal wall and ductal structures as necessary. As noted in this case, laparoscopic techniques resect ampullary lesions involving the ductal structures as well. Laparoscopic transduodenal ampullectomy is a valuable treatment option for benign and selected premalignant ampullary lesions.

Combining ultrasonic dissection and the Storz operation rectoscope

BACKGROUND

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) allows a precise, full-thickness resection of rectal tumors anywhere within the rectum. Unfortunately, the standard TEM technique needs complex and rather expensive equipment, demands high skill, and is attended by bleeding and oozing that may be challenging. A modified TEM procedure combining the new Storz operation rectoscope and ultrasonic dissection has been developed to overcome the limitations of the original technique.

METHODS

The Storz operation rectoscope features a 5-mm telescope combined with a single-monitor display. Standard laparoscopic instruments and the LCSC5 Ultracision Maniple are used for dissection and coagulation. Full-thickness resection is performed most often. Closure of the defect is accomplished by interrupted 3-0 polydoxanone sutures secured by extracorporeal slipknots.

RESULTS

Altogether, 18 TEMs have been performed according to the modified technique: 9 for malignant and 9 for benign lesions. The median operating time was 92.5 min for resection of malignant lesions and 40 min for resection of benign lesions. Two postoperative complications occurred: a bleeding and a partial dehiscence. The median follow-up periods were 35 months for malignant disease and 19.5 months for benign disease. No recurrence was observed.

CONCLUSION

For tumors located up to 15 cm from the anal verge, TEM with the Storz rectoscope and ultrasonic dissection is indicated. Despite the complication described, coagulation is optimal and ultrasonic scissors allow working in a fairly bloodless field. The overall costs of the equipment are significantly lower.

Use of head-mounted display in transanal endoscopic microsurgery

BACKGROUND

Head-mounted display (HMD) decreases the forced adjustments of position and eyes in endoscopic surgery. During transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), these adjustments might even be greater because of the direct viewing technique. We investigated the feasibility of HMD in TEM.

METHODS

Head-mounted display is a helmet with two built-in displays. The stereoscopic endoscope (with two separate lens systems) provides separate images at each display. During TEM, standard stereoscopic optic and HMD were alternated.

RESULTS

Use of HMD was possible after construction of a special device. The helmet was comfortable to wear, and the peripheral view was adequate. The operator's position was upright and relaxed. The range and depth of vision seemed comparable with those of the standard stereoscopic optic. The quality of the displays in the helmet is limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Head-mounted display is feasible in TEM. It enables a more relaxed position and view on the operative field. The quality of the display in the helmet requires improvement.

Early neoplasias of the gallbladder and bile duct: an "unstable" biliary epithelium?

Benign tumours of the biliary tree are rare. In particular, only anecdotal cases of intraductal villous adenomas have been reported. The polyp-cancer sequence has not been observed in the biliary epithelium, in contrast to the paradigm of colorectal carcinogenesis. This report presents the case of a 64-year-old woman with a past history of cholelithiasis who had two early neoplasias involving the biliary epithelium: an adenocarcinoma in situ of the gallbladder and a common bile duct (CBD) villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. The tumours presented 4 years apart. The clinical features and combined radiological, cytological, and surgical modalities leading to the diagnosis of intraductal villous adenoma are presented. The endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) characteristics of villous adenoma of the CBD are described. While the prognosis on both occasions appears excellent following curative resections of both tumours detected at an early stage, it is possible that further neoplasia involving the biliary tree may recur. There are currently no data on optimal surveillance modalities. It may be hypothesized that the gallbladder and biliary epithelium share a similar mechanism for carcinogenesis to that observed in the colonic adenomacarcinoma sequence.

Prophylactic clip application does not decrease delayed bleeding after colonoscopic polypectomy

BACKGROUND

The most common major complication of colonoscopic polypectomy is postpolypectomy hemorrhage. Although several factors have been implicated in the occurrence of hemorrhage, accurate prediction of delayed bleeding remains difficult. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of prophylactic clip application for prevention of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding.

METHODS

Postpolypectomy ulcers created by colonoscopic removal of polyps (mean size 7.8 [4.0] mm) with the endoscopic mucosal resection technique were randomly assigned to prophylactic clip placement (n = 205) or no clip (n = 208). Baseline characteristics of the patients and polyps excised were comparable between the groups. Delayed bleeding was defined as the postprocedure passage of bloody stool or massive hematochezia. The site of delayed bleeding was identified at emergent colonoscopy.

RESULTS

Delayed bleeding was identified from 2 ulcers in each group from 1 to 4 days after resection (mean 2.3 days). Delayed bleeding occurred from 0.98% of ulcers in the clip group and 0.96% in the non-clip group (p > 0.9999). No patient with delayed bleeding required transfusion or surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Prophylactic clip placement did not decrease the occurrence of delayed bleeding after colonoscopic polypectomy.

Unusual course of colonic tattooing with India ink

We here report the successful but unusual course of colonic tattooing in a patient with a carcinoma in situ in a polyp. A 70-year-old woman was admitted for persistent diarrhea, occult fecal blood, and anemia. During colonoscopy, a pedunculated large polyp in the sigmoid colon occluding the lumen was removed successfully. Histopathological examination revealed a carcinoma in situ with a resection of the peduncle in sano. At the second sigmoidoscopy, the polypectomy site was marked with India ink to facilitate the recovery of the polypectomy site in follow-up endoscopies. Three months later, the India ink had spread in the submucosal layer and a segment measuring 15 cm was colored dark blue. At the original polypectomy site, an uncolored flat mucosal proliferation was found above the dark colonic wall. After mucosectomy, the tissue was classified as hyperplastic. Six weeks later, a second control sigmoidoscopy did not show any suspicious mucosal alterations.

Reconstruction of a large duodenal defect created by resection of a duodenal tubulovillous adenoma using a double-tract anastomosis to a retrocolic roux-en-y loop: report of a case

Adenomas arising in the duodenum are uncommon. The surgical approach to adenoma of the duodenum remains controversial. We herein report the successful closure of a large defect after a partial duodenectomy for an adenoma. A 60-year-old man developed duodenal adenoma. An upper gastrointestinal roentgenographic series and endoscopy revealed a 2.5-cm tumor located adjacent to the duodenal papilla. The tumor was too large to be removed endoscopically, and therefore it was resected en bloc by a partial duodenectomy. Histology confirmed the diagnosis of benign tubulovillous adenoma. The large duodenal defect created by resection of the tumor was closed with double-tract anastomosis to a retrocolic Roux-en-Y loop. Large duodenal defects represent difficult surgical problems. Closure by direct anastomosis to a Roux-en-Y loop side-to-side is thus considered to be the procedure of choice.

Transgastric endoluminal laparoscopic resection of a villous adenoma of the duodenum

Laparoscopic transgastric techniques have been introduced in the recent literature for the management of gastroduodenal lesions. The case study in this article describes a novel approach to a duodenal adenoma using endoscopically assisted laparoscopic transgastric resection.

[Coloanal anastomosis in rectal cancer surgery]

PURPOSE

To determine the efficacy of proctectomy with coloanal anastomosis for adenocarcinoma of the lower third of the rectum, and to compare quality of life after colonal anatomosis with low anterior rectal resection.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twenty coloanal anatomosies were performed on 1996-2001 in Kaunas Medical University Hospital. Coloanal anatomosis was performed due to 1 villous adenoma and 19 adenocarcinomas. Postoperative functional results and quality of life were assessed by questionnaire, which was sent by mail to 17 patients after coloanal anatomosis and randomly assigned to 35 patients after low anterior rectal resection. Questionnaire was answered by 10 patients (59%) after coloanal anatomosis and 23 patients (66%) after low anterior rectal resection.

RESULTS

Four general and 7 surgical complications occurred after coloanal anatomosis. Postoperative mortality was 15% (3 cases). Symptomatic anastomotic strictures revealed in 2 patients. The frequency of defecation 6 and more times per day after coloanal anatomosis were in 2 cases (20%) and after low anterior rectal resection in 3 cases (13%). In coloanal anatomosis group normal continence occurred in 40% of cases and after low anterior rectal resection--in 65%. One patient had incontinence of solids after low anterior rectal resection. In 4 cases after low anterior rectal resection occurred stable urine dysfunction. In coloanal anatomosis group sexual dysfunction occurred in 30% of cases, after low anterior rectal resection--in 22%. After both operations about 50% patients felt better. Hard social, emotional problems had only one patient with incontinence of solids. In other aspects quality of life was similar in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Proctectomy with coloanal anastomosis is suitable and safe procedure to treat lower third rectal cancer, with functional results and quality of life similar to low anterior rectal resection.

[Renal failure due to a villous adenoma]

Villous adenoma comprises 5.6% of colon tumors. Adenomas of the colon could be divided into tubular, villous, and tubulovillous adenomas. Villous adenomas are not as common as tubular neoplasms; however, usually they are larger and could cause a depleting syndrome characterized by dehydration, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypochloremia, and metabolic acidosis. In severe cases, shock and renal failure in older patients could cause death. Case of villous adenoma is presented in this article. Seventy-eight-year-old male who suffered permanent diarrhea for few years followed with acute renal failure. Villous adenoma was diagnosed. The conservative treatment had short renal function improvement. Hemodialysis had to be performed. Renal function was completely recovered after radical tumor surgery.

[Duodenal villous adenoma: a case report]

Small bowel tumours are rare neoplasms representing just 1% of all the gastrointestal tract lesions. Adenomas are the benign forms which, developing in the duodenum, tend to localize in periampullary region, with high incidence of malignant degeneration. The authors report a case of a fifty-five-years old woman with a periampullary villous adenoma.

Villous adenoma of the extrahepatic biliary tract: a rare entity

Patients presenting with large obstructing extrahepatic biliary tumors often are presumed to have cholangiocarcinoma and are labeled with a grim disease with a poor prognosis, given little hope for a cure, and may actually opt for palliative care only. In some instances, however, the diagnosis is that of biliary adenoma (benign until it undergoes malignant degeneration), which can be confirmed via resection and pathologic evaluation of the lesion. Removal of the tumor in its benign stage then provides curative treatment of the obstructing lesion with excellent patient recovery and overall prognosis. We present a rare instance of observation of the presence of high-grade dysplasia in a large villous adenoma arising from the left hepatic duct with relief of biliary obstruction and curative resection.

Villous adenoma of the appendix. Diagnostic and therapeutic approach

Appendix villous adenoma is a rare pathological entity that shows a particular form of clinical presentation that is different from villous adenomas in other places along the gastrointestinal tract.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed cases of appendix villous adenoma diagnosed in our hospital during the last five years; we studied age, distribution, sex, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods used, treatment and follow-up of patients.

RESULTS

We diagnosed 6 cases of villous adenoma of the appendix, acute appendicitis being the most common form of clinical presentation. Treatment was appendectomy in two cases, right hemicolectomy in two patients, subtotal colectomy in one case, and Hartmann's technique with appendectomy in one more case.

CONCLUSIONS

We consider appendectomy the treatment of choice when no malignant degeneration is present in the adenoma and invasion of surgical resection borders is absent.

Treatment of ampullary villous adenomas that may harbor carcinoma

Villous adenoma of the ampulla of Vater is a rare tumor. It is a deceptive tumor because it is a premalignant lesion and biopsies of the lesion are false negative in 25% to 56% of patients. The primary focus of this report is 23 of 30 patients with villous adenoma of the ampulla of Vater who underwent Whipple operations. Paraffin blocks from 22 patients were available. In eight patients, blocks of the biopsies and the corresponding resected specimens were available. Immunohistochemical studies using antibodies to p53 and Ki-67 were performed to determine whether accumulation of these antibodies in the biopsy specimens would identify false negative biopsies. There was one operative death. The 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates for the 22 patients surviving a Whipple operation were 74%, 57%, and 35%, respectively. Three patients died of cancer. The mean p53 expression index was increased in adenomas to 88 (P = 0.001) and in carcinomas to 114 (P = 0.01), compared with 12.6 for normal ampullary epithelium adjacent to tumor. Significant differences in the Ki-67 proliferation index were noted between normal adjacent epithelium (13%), adenoma (34%, P = 0.0002), and carcinoma (53%, P = 0.034), as well as between adenomatous epithelium and carcinoma (34% vs. 53%, P = .012). Villous ampullary adenocarcinoma was present in 65% of patients with villous adenoma (87% if patients with carcinoma in situ in resected specimens are included). Because of the high false negative rate of ampullary biopsies, and the inability to accurately stage these lesions, we recommend pancreaticoduodenectomy in most patients. Studies with p53 and Ki-67 markers suggest that they may be helpful in the recognition of ampullary villous cancer not identified on routine biopsies.

Muconephrosis

We report a case of a mucus-filled kidney (muconephrosis) encountered during laparoscopic nephrectomy for presumed xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Conversion to open nephrectomy and en-bloc right hemicolectomy were necessary because of severe perinephric fibrosis and suspected renal-enteral fistula. Pathologic examination revealed a renal pelvic villous adenoma and diffuse intestinal metaplasia of the urothelium; no enteral communication or gastrointestinal pathologic features were found. Urothelial villous adenoma is extremely rare, and one should consider neoplastic etiologies, including appendiceal mucinous cystadenocarcinoma and mucus-secreting adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis, in directing the appropriate management of muconephrosis.

Impact of grade of dysplasia in villous adenomas of Vater's papilla

Therapeutic strategies for villous adenoma of the papilla of Vater remain controversial. This study evaluates the accuracy of preoperative histopathologic diagnosis and the impact of the grade of dysplasia on recurrence as well as on potential alteration of the surgical approach. A series of 32 patients with an adenoma of Vater's papilla who underwent local resection or pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy between January 1990 and August 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. Multiple endoscopic biopsies had been performed preoperatively. The histopathology of the preoperatively obtained biopsy specimens and subsequent surgical specimens were evaluated for grade of dysplasia by two pathologists and correlated with the clinical course after operative treatment. Altogether, 3 of 11 patients (27%) with a low-grade (LG) dysplasia adenoma and 6 of 21 patients (29%) with a high-grade (HG) dysplasia adenoma in the initial endoscopic biopsy specimens exhibited invasive carcinoma at the postoperative histologic examination (NS). Recurrence was not observed in the 6 patients from the LG dysplasia adenoma group following local resection and benign postoperative histology. In contrast, recurrence of villous adenoma was discovered in 2 of 12 patients (17%) and development of invasive carcinoma in 5 of 12 patients (42%) from the preoperative HG dysplasia group (p <0.05). The overall risk of carcinoma after primary diagnosis of an HG dysplasia adenoma was 44% (14/32). Adenoma of the papilla of Vater including HG dysplasia appears to be associated with a high risk of exhibiting invasive carcinoma postoperatively and a high rate of recurrence. Therefore pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy should be offered to patients with an HG dysplasia adenoma.

[Bilateral adrenal gland hemorrhage after anterior deep rectum resection. Case report with review of the literature]

Adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal hemorrhage is a rare but potentially life-threatening postoperative complication. The difficulty lies in making a timely diagnosis, as the symptoms are often unspecific and similar to those presented by other, more common postoperative complications. We report the case of a 71-year-old patient presenting bilateral adrenal hemorrhage following an otherwise uncomplicated low anterior rectum resection for a villous adenoma of the middle rectum.

CONCLUSION

In cases of unexplained postoperative deterioration, surgeons should be aware of acute adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal hemorrhage. With a high index of suspicion the diagnosis is made easily by CT scan and serum-cortisol measurements and prompt steroid replacement can help to avoid a deleterious outcome.