First two cases of literature: Caustic sclerosing cholangitis due to percutaneous treatment of hydatid liver disease causing liver transplantation

Echinococcus granulosus is predominantly found in the liver and can be effectively managed through antihelminthic therapy, surgical intervention, or interventional radiology. Percutaneous treatment (PT) has gained widespread popularity due to its minimally invasive nature. An integral step in surgical and PT procedures involves the utilization of protoscolicidal agents to eliminate the parasites. However, the administration of protoscolicidal agents carries the risk of inducing caustic sclerosing cholangitis (SC) if there is a communication between the cyst and the biliary tract. In this pioneering study, we present two cases of caustic SC that occurred subsequent to PT for hydatid liver, necessitating further progression of the disease and ultimately leading to liver transplantation.

Predictive Factors of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula in Geriatric Patients Undergoing Pancreatoduodenectomy for Periampullary Malignancy

OBJECTIVE

To identify predictive factors associated with the occurrence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) in an increasingly geriatric population.

STUDY DESIGN

Observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of General Surgery, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey, from January 2010 to April 2022.

METHODOLOGY

Demographic and clinicopathological data of 74 geriatric patients who underwent PD for periampullary tumours in the clinic at Inonu University were retrieved from the patient database. POPF was defined and categorised based on the guidelines established by the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS). The patients were stratified into two cohorts of POPF and no POPF. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to compare variables between the two groups.

RESULTS

The median age of the patient population was 72 (65-92) years, and 51 (68.9%) individuals were male. Among the 74 patients, 35 (47.3%) experienced POPF. In the multivariate analysis, hypertension (HT, p=0.012), Wirsung diameter <3.5 mm (p<0.01), and pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ, p=0.022) emerged as independent risk factors for POPF.

CONCLUSION

In the context of geriatric patients undergoing PD, HT, intraoperative wirsung diameter <3.5 mm, and PJ were identified as independent risk factors for POPF. These findings can guide the adoption of safer techniques in preoperative and intraoperative evaluations, as well as in postoperative follow-ups of patients presenting with these risk factors.

KEY WORDS

Elderly, Whipple procedure, Anastomotic leakage, Predictive factor, Postoperative pancreatic fistula, Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Is Prognostic Nutritional Index an Indicator for Postoperative 90-Day Mortality in Laparoscopic Gastric Cancer Surgery?

Gastic cancer is a life-threatening malignancy in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as a guiding marker for gastric cancer patients with laparoscopic gastrectomy. We retrospectively examined the medical records of 138 gastric cancer patients who had adenocarcinoma pathological diagnosis and operated laparoscopically. Patients were divided into two groups (survived and death) and these groups were compared with clinical and laboratory parameters results. The PNI was calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (per mm³). Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors of 90-day mortality. The median age of the study cohort was 62.5 (19-91) years, 98 (71%) were males, and 9 (6.5%) patients died during the 90-day after laparoscopic gastrectomy. The PNI levels were significantly lower in death group compared with survived group 37.5 (25-47.1) to 46.9 (22.8-64.9). The PNI (Odds Ratio = 0.81, 95% Confidence Interval 0.70-0.92, p = 0.003) was found as an independent factor for 90-day mortality in multivariate analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that 45.15 is the best-cutoff value for 90-day mortality after laparoscopic gastrectomy. 90-day mortality rate of PNI > 45.15 was 2.2% and PNI ≤ 45.15 was 13.6% found. Lower PNI is associated with increased 90-day mortality in laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The PNI may be a useful marker for predicting the 90-day mortality of gastric cancer patients after laparoscopic gastrectomy.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Related With Penicillium Species Following Deceased-Donor Liver Transplant

Early or late posttransplant opportunistic infections are among the leading complications after liver transplant. The source of early posttransplant opportunistic infections is usually the patient, the implantation of an infected graft, contamination during a surgical procedure, or invasive interventions performed at the intensive care unit. A 10-year-old male patient with Wilson disease (Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease Score of 42, Child-Pugh score of 12, total bilirubin 40 mg/dL, platelet count 55000/mL, hemoglobin level 6.3 g/dL, albumin level 1.7 g/dL, urinary copper level 4305 μ/24 h) was closely monitored in the pediatric intensive care unit of our liver transplantation center for care of a worsened general status. A deceased-donor liver transplant was performed using a right lobe liver graft (ex vivo split) obtained through the national organ sharing network. The patient developed rightward deviation of eyes and altered consciousness after the procedure and underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography examinations. The cranial magnetic resonance image, taken on the third postoperative day, revealed lesions consistent with embolic infarction, and the computed tomography scan, taken on the eighth day, showed intracerebral hemorrhage. Decompressive craniotomy, which included hematoma drainage and catheter placement, was performed. Culture and histopathologic examinations of the hematoma material revealed a Penicillium species of fungi. However, the patient died before a definitive diagnosis was made. The aim of this report is to raise awareness on early posttransplant opportunistic infections of the central nervous system presenting with intracranial hemorrhage following liver transplant.

Comparison of clinical and histopathological features of patients who underwent incidental or emergency appendectomy

BACKGROUND

Incidental appendectomy can be defined as the removal of a clinically normal appendix during another surgical procedure unrelated to appendicitis or other appendicular diseases.

AIM

To compare the demographic, biochemical, and histopathological features of the patients who underwent incidental and standard appendectomy.

METHODS

The demographic, biochemical, and histopathological data of 72 patients (Incidental App group) who underwent incidental appendectomy during living donor hepatectomy at our Liver Transplant Center between June 2009 and December 2016 were compared with data of 288 patients (Acute App group) who underwent appendectomy for presumed acute appendicitis. The Incidental App group was matched at random in a 1:4 ratio with the Acute App group in the same time frame. Appendectomy specimens of both groups were re-evaluated by two experienced pathologists.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were found between groups in terms of age (P = 0.044), white blood cell count (P < 0.001), neutrophil (P < 0.001), lymphocyte (P < 0.001), red cell distribution width (P = 0.036), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (P = 0.001), bilirubin (P = 0.002), appendix width (P < 0.001), and presence of acute appendicitis histopathologically (P < 0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were found between groups in terms of gender, platelet, mean platelet volume, mean corpuscular volume, platelet distribution width, appendix length. While the most common histopathological findings in the Incidental App group were normal appendix vermiformis (72.2%), fibrous obliteration (9.7%) and acute appendicitis (6.9%), the most common histopathological findings in the Acute App group were non-perforated acute appendicitis (62.8%), perforated appendicitis (16.7%), lymphoid hyperplasia (8.3%), and appendix vermiformis (6.3%).

CONCLUSION

Careful inspection of the entire abdominal cavity is useful for patients undergoing major abdominal surgery such as donor hepatectomy. We think that experience is parallel to the surgeon’s foresight, and we should not hesitate to perform incidental appendectomy when necessary

Early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after laparoscopic cholecystectomy can strain the occurrence of trocar site hernia

This study reports a 69-year-old, obese, female patient presenting with a biliary leakage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. Closure of the umbilical trocar site had been neglected during the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Early, on postoperative day five, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) requirement after laparoscopic cholecystectomy resolved the biliary leakage problem but resulted with a more complicated clinical picture with an intestinal obstruction and severe abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed a strangulated hernia from the umbilical trocar site. Increased abdominal pressure during ERCP had strained the weak umbilical trocar site. Emergency surgical intervention through the umbilicus revealed an ischemic small bowel segment which was treated with resection and anastomosis. This report demonstrates that negligence of trocar site closure can result in very early herniation, particularly if an endoscopic intervention is required in the early postoperative period.