Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Gargano.
The duodenal cancers are very uncommon and the carcinomas arising on a duodenal stump following a B II gastric resection are a real rarity. The Aa. present a case of a patient with a cancer arisen on a duodenal stump 24 years after a gastric resection. The patient was operated with a Whipple D.C.P.
The authors report 3 cases of benign duodenal tumors and one case of duodenal cancer. In two cases the benign tumors were adenomatous polyps, in one case with signs of dysplasia. One case of benign tumor was a lipoma. All the three benign tumors were removed through a duodenotomy, in one case associated with a sphincteroplasty. The case of duodenal cancer, arisen in a patient operated since 24 years with a gastric resection, was treated with a Whipple technique but for the very old age and the bad health conditions, the patient died in 11th post-operative day for myocardium infarct.
The Authors present 9 cases of gastro-enteropancreatic neuro-endocrine biologically inactive tumors. In 5 cases the tumor site was appendicular. In 4 patients an appendectomy was performed, in one patient a right hemicolectomy and the patients after a period of 3-9 years are well and disease free. In a patient with a gastric carcinoid and a single hepatic metastasis a total gastrectomy with an hepatic metastasectomy were performed but the patient died 16 months thereafter. In a case localized to the right colon with a single hepatic metastasis a right hemicolectomy was performed with a metastasectomy but the patient died after 12 months. In a case localized to an ileal loop a segmental resection was performed followed by a medical therapy with octreotide and the patient is well and disease free after 3 years. In a case localized to the pancreas with widespread lymphatic metastasis it was performed a simple biliary diversion (coledocho-duodenostomy) followed by medical therapy with octreotide. Surprisingly after 4 years the patient is alive and a TC control shows a decrease of the pancreatic tumor and of the lympho glandular tumefactions.
A surgical treatment of patients with lung cancer non-microcitoma and isolated adrenal metastasis has been reported in literature although limited in number and follow up. The Authors report 12 cases of patients operated for lung cancers non-microcitoma and isolated adrenal metastasis. One patients was lost in the follow up, two patients died 3 and 6 months after the adrenalectomy. The other patients are alive after 88, 39, 36, 17, 13 months after the adrenalectomy. Four of these patients are also disease free. Other 4 patients, more recently operated, are alive and disease free after 3, 3, 9 and 9 months after the adrenalectomy. The Authors believe that a surgical treatment is justified in these patients, considering the results of the series reported in literature and also their own results.
The authors, after a short review of the literature present 6 cases of cancer of the common bile duct. One was localized at the hepatic hilus, three in the middle of the c.b.d., two in the distal choledochus. In each case a c.b.d. resection was performed associated in one case to a minor hepatic resection, in two cases to a Whipple operation.
Pancreaticoduodenectomy represents the only therapeutic option for cefalo-pancreatic and periampullary cancers. Surgical and anaesthesiological techniques development over the last twenty years has granted an operative mortality decrease. However, surgical morbidity is still high, with an incidence of 30-50%. A 20 year experience of a single Centre is examined retrospectively: 121 patients underwent pancreatic resection with radical intent. Type of operation or re-operation, operative mortality within 30 days, general and surgical morbidity, postoperative hospital stay were analysed. Average recovery time was 24 days (range 12-65); operative mortality was 5.8% (7/121); general morbidity, including medical and surgical complications, was observed in 47 patients (38.8%). Pancreatic fistula occurred in 16 patients (13.2%); ten of these underwent a second operation. Patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenctomy were divided as follows: 76 pts. received a pylours-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy and 45 a Whipple's resection. Neither surgical complications incidence nor mortality rate were significantly different between the two groups. Postoperative complications following pancreaticoduodenectomy are still frequent and severe. In particular, pancreatic fistula represents the most relevant complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy. The Authors suggest that standard and meticulous surgical procedures together with continued efforts to improve postoperative follow-up, support early detection of complications and improvement of results in most patients.
The authors examine the value of different imaging techniques (CT, MRI) in the diagnosis of the involvement of the mesenteric-portal vessels in the pancreatic cancer. In 20 jaundiced patients they obtained in all cases a correct diagnosis about the etiology of the jaundice. The correspondence of the preoperative imaging study with the involvement of the mesenteric-portal vessels was respectively 73% for the CT and 78% for the MRI. In all cases the intra-operative echography allowed a correct diagnosis of the vascular involvement.
The Authors review the international literature about the frequency of vascular involvement (inferior vena cava and aorta) in the lymph node lumbo-aortic metastases of the testicular neoplasm. They report a case of a patient with an aortic involvement from lymph node metastases of a mixed (seminoma and germ cell) cancer of the left testis. They performed en bloc resection of the bulky metastases including the aorta involved. The literature data as well as the outcome of the operated case show a moderate survival also in patients with advanced disease.
It is emphasized that currently only surgery offers a real hope of improving the prognosis of patients suffering from liver metastases and many data from the Literature supporting this contention are reported. Indications and prognostic factors for the surgical treatment of these lesions are evaluated. A series of 36 patients operated on for hepatic metastases and the relative technical procedures are presented. In 33 cases the primary tumor was a colorectal carcinoma. Two right lobectomies and 34 minor resections or segmentectomies were performed. No peroperative mortality was observed. The survival rate was 70% after 1 year, 51% after 2 years, and 27% after 3 years.
Diabetes mellitus is the metabolic disorder most commonly met by the surgeon. Hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, electrolyte imbalance, vascular, renal and neurological complications and liability to infections must always kept in mind. An accurate preoperative evaluation is essential. The patient must be carefully controlled during the operation and in early postoperative period by i.v. glucose solution with i.v. or subcutaneous insulin. Schemes of treatment for diabetic surgical patients are proposed and results by a sample of 100 patients undergoing major surgical procedures are reported and discussed. Under adequate treatment incidence of complications in these patients is almost the same of not-diabetic patients. Continuous intravenous infusion of 10% glucose solution (500 ml every 6 hours) with potassium and insulin seems to be very safe if continuous monitoring of the blood and urine glucose and ketones is observed.
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The authors report a case of intrahepatic lithiasis in a patient already operated of cholecystectomy and without lithiasis of the common bile duct. The lithiasis was present in the left lateral bile duct, was multiple and trapped behind a very narrow stricture. The stones were associated with a marked dilatation of the involved biliary ducts, cholangitis, fibrosis and atrophy of surrounding hepatic parenchyma. It was performed a resection of the II and III hepatic segments and the patient recovered completely and is well and disease free after one year. The authors believe, also on the base of the data reported by others, that in the intrahepatic lithiasis with strictures of the bile intrahepatic ducts the hepatic resection is the treatment of choice, especially when the lithiasis is present in a sectorial or segmental bile duct, preventing any stone recurrence.