Extended right hepatectomy with caudate lobe resection using the hilar "en bloc" resection technique with a modified hanging maneuver

The hanging liver maneuver is a useful technique to guide the transection of liver parenchyma by lifting a tape passed between the anterior surface of the inferior vena cava and the liver. Modified hanging liver maneuvers have been described in different types of liver resection. Surgical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma can involve the portal vein and the caudate lobe for margin clearance. However, hilar dissection and resection of the caudate lobe can be a challenging during the hanging maneuver once the tape is positioned. Herein, we describe a modified hanging liver maneuver for a hilar "en bloc" extended right hepatectomy with portal vein resection for the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma including the caudate lobe. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:427-431. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liver resection for the treatment of post-cholecystectomy biliary stricture with vascular injury

AIM: To report experience with liver resection in a select group of patients with postoperative biliary stricture associated with vascular injury.

METHODS: From a prospective database of patients treated for benign biliary strictures at our hospital, cases that underwent liver resections were reviewed. All cases were referred after one or more attempts to repair bile duct injuries following cholecystectomy (open or laparoscopic). Liver resection was indicated in patients with Strasberg E3/E4 (hilar stricture) bile duct lesions associated with vascular damage (arterial and/or portal), ipsilateral liver atrophy/abscess, recurrent attacks of cholangitis, and failure of previous hepaticojejunostomy.

RESULTS: Of 148 patients treated for benign biliary strictures, nine (6.1%) underwent liver resection; eight women and one man with a mean age of 38.6 years. Six patients had previously been submitted to open cholecystectomy and three to laparoscopic surgery. The mean number of surgical procedures before definitive treatment was 2.4. All patients had Strasberg E3/E4 injuries, and vascular injury was present in all cases. Eight patients underwent right hepatectomy and one underwent left lateral sectionectomy without mortality. Mean time of follow up was 69.1 mo and after long-term follow up, eight patients are asymptomatic.

CONCLUSION: Liver resection is a good therapeutic option for patients with complex postoperative biliary stricture and vascular injury presenting with liver atrophy/abscess in which previous hepaticojejunostomy has failed.

How best to measure the levator hiatus: evidence for the non-Euclidean nature of the 'plane of minimal dimensions'

OBJECTIVE

To clarify whether the 'plane of minimal dimensions' of the levator hiatus on three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound accurately represents the minimal anatomical transverse hiatal dimension during a Valsalva maneuver.

METHODS

In this retrospective study of 3D transperineal ultrasound and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, datasets from 19 female participants were used to measure the transverse diameter of the levator hiatus using the plane of minimal dimensions on maximum Valsalva maneuver. The term 'apparent minimal transverse diameter' (aMTD) was used to define the transverse diameter measured using axial ultrasound and comparable axial or coronal MR images. Coronal MR images, using the plane of the vagina as a reference, were also obtained on maximum Valsalva. The transverse diameter measured between the caudal margin of the pubococcygeus/puborectalis on the MR coronal image is denoted by the term 'true minimal transverse diameter' (tMTD). Statistical comparisons between the aMTD and tMTD were made using Student's t-test.

RESULTS

No significant difference was demonstrated between the aMTD as measured by ultrasonography and MRI. However, there were significant differences found between the aMTD measured by both ultrasound and MRI and the tMTD measured on coronal MR images (both P < 0.01), with mean ( ± SD) values of 4.36 ± 0.85, 4.13 ± 1.09 and 3.23 ± 0.49 cm, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the complexity and 3D nature of the levator hiatus and pelvic floor muscles. Investigators have previously assumed that the plane of minimal dimensions of the hiatus can be measured in a flat plane, however, the 3D nature of the hiatus means that the true levator hiatus occupies a warped (non-Euclidean) plane. Hiatal measurements on Valsalva may be subject to systematic error if performed in a single section, i.e. using a flat (Euclidean) plane.

Pelvic floor function in elite nulliparous athletes

OBJECTIVE

There is preliminary evidence linking long-term participation in high-impact exercise with poor performance in labor and increased incidence of stress urinary incontinence, which may be due to altered pelvic floor function. Recent work has shown that HIFIT (high-impact, frequent intense training) athletes have an increased cross-sectional area of the levator ani muscle group as visualized using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this study was to further characterize pelvic floor muscle function and pelvic organ descent in a nulliparous athletic population and compare it with non-athletic controls matched for age and body mass index, using three-dimensional/four-dimensional (3D/4D) pelvic floor ultrasound imaging.

METHODS

In this prospective comparative study translabial ultrasound imaging was used to assess pelvic floor anatomy and function in 46 nulliparous female volunteers (aged 19-39 years), 24 HIFIT and 22 controls. Two-dimensional (2D) and 3D translabial ultrasonography was performed on all subjects, after voiding and in the supine position. Descent of the pelvic organs was assessed on maximum Valsalva maneuver, whilst volume datasets were acquired at rest, during pelvic floor muscle contraction and during a Valsalva maneuver. Participants performed each maneuver at least three times and the most effective was used for evaluation.

RESULTS

HIFIT athletes showed a higher mean diameter of the pubovisceral muscle (0.96 cm vs. 0.70 cm, P < 0.01), greater bladder neck descent (22.7 mm vs. 15.1 mm, P = 0.03) and a larger hiatal area on Valsalva maneuver (21.53 vs. 14.91 cm(2), P = 0.013) compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in hiatal area at rest or on maximal voluntary contraction between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

HIFIT athletes show significant differences in several of the measured parameters for both function and anatomy of the pelvic floor. Further research into the impact of this altered function on childbirth and continence mechanisms is needed.