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Jung-Liang Kao

Publications and source records attributed to Jung-Liang Kao.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Management of blunt major pancreatic injury.

BACKGROUND: Major duct injury is the principal determinant of outcome for patients with pancreatic trauma, and there are a number of therapeutic choices available specific to the location of the insult. We report a series of blunt major pancreatic injury cases, with a review of the different procedures used and a discussion of the results. METHODS: A total of 48 cases of blunt major pancreatic injury treated during a 10-year period at one trauma center were reviewed retrospectively. Diagnosis and assessment of injury severity were based on imaging studies and proved by surgical findings. Charts were reviewed to establish the mechanism of injury, surgical indications and imaging studies, management strategy, and outcome. RESULTS: Of the 32 grade III patients, 19 underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, 8 had pancreatectomy with preservation of the spleen, and 2 received a pancreatic duct stent, with the remaining 3 individuals undergoing nonsurgical treatment, pancreaticojejunostomy, and drainage alone, respectively. The grade III complication rate was 60.6%. Of the 14 grade IV patients, 4 underwent drainage alone because of the severity of the associated injuries, 4 underwent pancreaticojejunostomy, 3 had distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, and 1 underwent distal pancreatectomy. The two remaining patients received a pancreatic duct stent. The grade IV complication rate was 53.8%. The Whipple procedure was performed for two grade V patients; one died subsequently. For all 48 patients, intraabdominal abscess was the most common morbidity (n = 11) followed, in order of prevalence, by major duct stricture (n = 4), pancreatitis (n = 2), pseudocyst (n = 2), pancreatic fistula (n = 1), and biliary fistula (n = 1). All stented cases developed complications, with one dying and three experiencing major duct stricture. CONCLUSION: The complication rate for our cases of blunt major pancreatic injury was high (62.2%), especially when treatment was delayed more than 24 hours; the same result was also noted for cases transferred from other institutions. Distal pancreatectomy with spleen preservation had a lower complication rate (22.2%) compared with other procedures and is suggested for grade III and grade IV injuries. Magnetic resonance pancreatography was unreliable early after injury but was effective in the chronic stage. Although pancreatic duct stenting can be used to treat posttraumatic pancreatic fistula and pseudocyst, the major duct stricture in the chronic stage of recovery and the risk of sepsis in the acute stage must be overcome.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Aggressive resection is indicated for cecal diverticulitis.

BACKGROUND: Because of the difficulties in preoperative diagnosis and controversies in the management, cecal diverticulitis has received much discussion in the literature. There, however, are still many questions that remain unanswered. METHODS: During a 5-year period, 112 patients with a clinical diagnosis of cecal diverticulitis were treated. Twenty-seven patients were excluded because of uncertainty in diagnosis or incomplete data collection, leaving 85 patients as the study group. The diagnosis of cecal diverticulitis was made by pathology, surgical findings, or image study. RESULTS: Nonoperative management was applied to 18 patients initially. Three patients had recurrent diverticulitis during follow up. These patients responded satisfactorily to another course of medical treatment. Laparotomy was performed in 67 patients. Acute appendicitis was the preoperative diagnosis in 47 patients (70%). Of the other 20 patients, 6 received operation because of repeated attack of diverticulitis, 7 had preoperative computed tomography (CT) diagnosis of cecal diverticulitis with perforation, 5 had preoperative diagnosis of cecal tumor, and 2 had medical treatment failure. All these 20 patients received right hemicolectomy. In the 47 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis, 24 received appendectomy, 9 received diverticulectomy, and 14 received right hemicolectomy. Overall, 34 patients received right hemicolectomy, 9 received diverticulectomy, and 24 received appendectomy only. In the right hemicolectomy group, there were 2 deaths with underlying diseases and 5 complications. In the appendectomy group, there was no postoperative mortality, but in 7 patients recurrent diverticulitis developed. Three of them required right hemicolectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The natural history of cecal diverticulitis varies from benign and self-limiting to fulminant in the oriental population. Less than 40% (32 of 85) of patients were successfully treated with conservative methods initially and had no recurrence during the follow-up period. We recommend aggressive surgical resection for patients with a definite diagnosis. Adjuvant appendectomy without resection of the lesion should be considered only in uncomplicated patients whose diagnosis is in doubt.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2003

Liver cirrhosis: an unfavorable factor for nonoperative management of blunt splenic injury.

BACKGROUND: Nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt splenic injury (BSI) is currently a well-accepted treatment modality for hemodynamically stable patients. More than 60% of BSI patients can be successfully treated without operation. Old age, high-grade injury, contrast blush, and multiple associated injuries were reported to have a higher failure rate but not to be exclusive of NOM. The purpose of this study was to review the treatment courses and results of a special group of BSI patients with coexistent liver cirrhosis. Factors leading to poor results were analyzed and treatment strategy was proposed accordingly. METHODS: During a 5-year period, 487 patients with BSI were treated following a standard protocol. Twelve of them had underlying liver cirrhosis. The medical records, radiographic findings, laboratory data, and operative variables were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Eighty-nine (18%) patients had immediate celiotomy for splenic hemorrhage with unstable hemodynamic status, 59 (12%) had non-spleen-related or nontherapeutic laparotomy, and 339 (70%) patients received NOM initially. Failure of NOM was found in 74 patients (22%). Twelve patients with initial NOM had coexistent liver cirrhosis. The amount of blood transfusion within 72 hours after admission for these 12 patients ranged from 4 to 26 units. Patients with coexistent liver cirrhosis and BSI had a significantly higher NOM failure rate (92% vs. 19%). In NOM failure patients, those with liver cirrhosis had lower Injury Severity Scores, lower splenic injury severity grades, more blood transfusions, and a higher mortality rate. Risk factors for mortality in these patients included a higher Injury Severity Score, a severely elevated prothrombin time (PT), a larger transfusion requirement, and a lower serum albumin level. CONCLUSION: Liver cirrhosis with subsequent development of portal hypertension, splenomegaly, and coagulopathy makes spontaneous hemostasis of the injured spleen difficult. NOM for BSI patients with coexistent liver cirrhosis carries a high failure and mortality rate. NOM may be successful in only a small group of patients with low-grade single-organ injury and with a normal or mildly elevated PT. Aggressive correction of coagulopathy should be performed in these patients. High-grade splenic injury, multiple associated injuries, and an elevated PT are indicators for early surgery. The mortality rate is high in patients with a severely prolonged PT irrespective of treatment modalities.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Liver abscess after non-operative management of blunt liver injury.

BACKGROUND: The non-operative management of blunt liver trauma can be applied in almost 80% of patients with this type of injury, with the advantages of the need for fewer blood transfusions, less intra-abdominal sepsis, and a better survival rate, than with the operative approach. However, liver abscess, as a known complication of the non-operative management of blunt liver trauma, is discussed infrequently. Therefore, we herein review our experience and describe this complication in detail. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 2001, 674 patients were admitted to our hospital due to blunt hepatic trauma. Among these patients, 279 underwent laparotomy and the remaining 395 patients were treated non-operatively. Twenty-two patients were identified as having liver abscess, with 16 of them belonging to the operative group, and six to the non-operative group. A retrospective review of these six patients and their characteristics, as well as pathogenesis, diagnosis, and the management of the liver abscesses, was conducted. RESULTS: These six patients were all male, with a median age of 19.5 years (range 3-24). The median injury severity score was 16.5 (range 9-25); three patients sustained grade-3 hepatic injury, and the other three were grade 4. The main diagnostic tool was abdominal computed tomography, and the abscesses took a median of 6 days (range 1-12) to form and be diagnosed. The abscesses were usually caused by infection from mixed organisms, and an abscess resulting from Clostridium infection developed within 1 day after injury. These abscesses were treated with antibiotics and drainage, and the median length of hospital stay was 26 days (range 8-44), without mortality or long-term morbidity. CONCLUSION: Liver abscess as a complication of the non-operative management of blunt hepatic trauma is a rare entity, with an incidence of 1.5% (6/395). It is usually seen in severe liver injury (grade 3 and above), but all our patients were all treated successfully, with no mortality. However, prolonged hospitalization may be required in this patient group.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMed2002

Diagnosis and management of bladder injury by trauma surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Bladder injuries constitute one of the most common urological injuries involving the lower urinary tract. The methods of diagnosis and management of bladder trauma have been well established and accepted. However, bladder injuries are usually associated with other major injuries, and it is our concern here how bladder injuries have been managed as part of multiple trauma. METHODS: From 1991 to 2000, a total of 51 cases of bladder injury were retrospectively reviewed. The mechanisms of trauma, types of bladder injury, time needed to diagnosis, methods of treatment, and patient outcome, were analyzed. Diagnosis time was defined as the time interval from patient arrival to the establishment of a diagnosis either by image studies or laparotomy. Management followed the general rule that bladder contusions or extraperitoneal ruptures were treated non-operatively, and that those with intraperitoneal rupture or combined rupture underwent operative repair. If bladder injury was noted after the patient left the emergency room (ER), it was defined as a delay diagnosis. The Injury Severity Score (ISS), length of hospital stay, and morbidity were used to evaluate patient outcome. RESULTS: The mean age of all the patients was 31.4 years old, and most of them had sustained an injury from a motor vehicle accident (40 of 51). All but 3 patients had gross hematuria. Ten of the patients underwent emergency laparotomy, and 2 of them underwent emergency neurosurgical procedures, therefore no image studies were performed for these 12 patients. A total of 33 patients underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT), but only 20 were correctly diagnosed, yielding an accuracy rate of 60.6%. There were 3 delay diagnoses, due to either a lack of gross hematuria on presentation or the patient leaving the ER before any bladder injury study could be performed. A retrograde cystogram was performed in 24 patients, with an accuracy rate of 95.9% (23 of 24). The mean diagnosis time of the 48 bladder injuries presented in the ER was 3.2 hours and the time needed to reach a diagnosis was not related to the severity of bladder injury. Those patients who underwent operation immediately did not seem to have a quicker diagnosis. Those patients with a higher injury score (ISS >16), and those patients who suffered from pelvic fracture, stayed in the hospital longer. However, the severity of the bladder injury was not related to the length of hospital stay. There was no bladder-related mortality in our series. CONCLUSIONS: We report our results of dealing with bladder injuries from the point of view of trauma surgeons who treat bladder injury as part of multiple injuries. Although known as a procedure of choice for diagnosis of bladder injury, the retrograde cystogram was performed in fewer than half of the patients (24 of 51), which means it is not feasible in many situations. The patient outcome was determined by the severity of injury of the patient but not by the severity of bladder injury.

Abdominal Injuries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of the clinical presentations of ingested foreign bodies requiring operative and nonoperative management.

Foreign body ingestion is commonly seen in emergency departments. Although most cases have a clear history, foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract can be an unexpected finding after operations for other conditions. This study compares the clinical presentations and outcomes for patients requiring or not requiring operations. Between January 1998 and December 2001, 80 patients with foreign body ingestion were included and divided into two groups. Specifically, group 1 patients were managed nonoperatively, and group 2 patients were managed operatively. The patient demographics, symptoms, foreign body ingestion mechanisms, type of diagnostic studies and management, and outcomes were compared between the two groups. Group 1 contained 44 patients, and group 2 contained 36 patients. Group 1 patients were significantly younger, but the incidence of underlying disease and the proportion of patients who ingested foreign bodies intentionally or incidentally was similar in groups 1 and 2. Most of the ingested foreign bodies in group 1 were in the esophagus and stomach, but for group 2 patients they were mostly in the small bowel. Moreover, most of group 1 patients were asymptomatic, which was not the case in group 2. Most group 2 patients had no known history of foreign body ingestion, and diagnoses generally were established during surgery. Neither group of patients displayed any mortality. Nonoperative management of foreign body ingestion usually can succeed in asymptomatic patients with a clear history; however, ingested foreign bodies can cause serious problems for those patients without a clear history of foreign body ingestion.

Adolescent↗