Abstract Background Resection of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) during pancreatectomy is performed infrequently and is undertaken with the aim of removing non-metastatic locally advanced ...pancreatic tumours. SMA resection reports also encompass resection of other visceral vessels. The consequences of resection of these different arteries are not necessarily equivalent. This is a focused systematic review of the outcome of SMA resection during pancreatectomy for cancer. Methods A computerized search of the English language literature was undertaken for the period 1st January 2000 through 30th April 2016. The keywords “Pancreatic surgery” and “Vascular resections” were used. Thirteen studies reported 70 patients undergoing pancreatectomy with SMA resection from 10,726 undergoing pancreatectomy. Individual patient-level outcome data were available for 25. Results Median (range) accrual period was 132 (48–372) months. Reported peri-operative morbidity ranged from 39% to 91%. There were 5 peri-operative deaths in the 25 patients with individual-outcome data. Median survival was 11 months (95% Confidence interval 9.5–12.5 months; standard error 0.8 months). Conclusions SMA resection during pancreatectomy is undertaken infrequently incurring high peri-operative morbidity and mortality. Median survival is 11 (95% CI 9.5–12.5) months. In contemporary practice there is no evidence to support SMA resection during pancreatectomy.
Treatment with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by liver transplantation yields promising results in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PH-CCA). This study reviews the literature to assess whether ...there is evidence to justify modern phase II studies of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy prior to resection of PH-CCA.
A systematic review of the literature for reports of patients undergoing resection of PH-CCA after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy was performed using MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for the period between 1990 and 2019. The keywords and MeSH headings “hilar cholangiocarcinoma”, “Klatskin”, “chemoradiotherapy” and “chemotherapy” were used. Data were extracted on demographic profile, disease staging, chemoradiotherapy protocols, complications and outcome. Risks of bias were assessed using Cochrane methodology.
There were seven reports on this topic, with median recruitment period of 14 (range 4–31) years. The total number of patients in these studies was 87. Interval from completion of neoadjuvant treatment to surgery varied from 3 days to 6 months. Resection was by hepatectomy with three studies reporting an R0 rate of 100%, 24% and 63%, respectively. Three studies reported histopathological evidence of prior treatment response. There were two treatment related deaths at 90 days. Median survival was 19 (95% CI: 9.9–28) months and 5-year survival 20%.
There are potential benefits of treatment on both R0 rate and complete response in resected specimens. Scientific equipoise exists in relation to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for PH-CCA.
Background
Approximately one-fifth of patients with colorectal cancer present with hepatic metastases. There are limited prospective data on the outcomes of synchronous combined liver and bowel ...surgery and liver-first or bowel-first routes where contemporary chemo(radio)therapy is integrated into management.
Methods
Between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2017, 125 patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases were recruited. Data are reported on pathway-specific outcomes, including perioperative complications, treatment completion, and overall and disease-free survival. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02456285).
Results
There was no difference in age, body mass index, or Charlson score between surgical groups. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was used in 50 (40%) patients for a mean duration of 4.6 months (standard deviation SD 5.4), and mean time from completion of chemotherapy to surgery was 2.6 months (SD 1.9). Complications were similar between patients completing the synchronous and staged pathways (
p
= 0.66). Mean total inpatient stay was 16.5 days (SD 8.1) for staged surgery compared with 16.8 days (SD 10.3) for the synchronous group (
t
-test;
p
= 0.91). There was no difference in time to treatment completion between pathways. Thirty six (35%) patients were disease-free at 12 months, with no significant difference between groups (Chi-square,
p
= 0.448). Quality of life was similar in all surgical groups.
Conclusions
Perioperative complications and oncological and healthcare occupancy outcomes are equivalent between patients completing staged and synchronous pathways for the management of patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases. Future studies should focus on optimizing the criteria for pathway selection, incorporation of cancer genomics data, and patient (user) preferences.
Longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy with partial pancreatic head resection (the Frey procedure) is accepted for surgical treatment of painful chronic pancreatitis. However, conduct and reporting are ...not standardized and thus, making comparisons difficult. This study assesses the reporting standards of this procedure.
A systematic literature review was performed between January 1987 and January 2020. The keyword and Medical Subject Heading “chronic pancreatitis” was used together with the individual operation term “Frey pancreatojejunostomy”. Reports were included if they provided original information on conduct and outcome. Thirty-three papers providing information on 1205 patients constituted the study population. Risk of bias in included reports was assessed.
Etiology of chronic pancreatitis (alcohol) was reported in 26 of 28 (93%) studies, duration of symptoms prior to surgery in 19 (58%) studies and pre-operative opiate use in 12 (36%) studies. In terms of morphology, pancreatic duct diameter was reported in 17 (52%) studies and diameter of the pancreatic head in 13 (39%) studies. In terms of technique, three (9%) studies reported weight of excised parenchyma. There were 9 (0.7%) procedure-related deaths. Post-operative follow-up ranged from 6 to 82.5 months. No studies reported post-operative portal hypertension.
There is substantial heterogeneity between studies in reporting of clinical baseline, morphology of the diseased pancreas, operative detail and outcome after longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy with partial pancreatic head resection. This critically compromises the comparison between centers and between surgeons. Structured reporting is necessary for clinicians to assess choice of procedure and for patients to make informed choices when seeking treatment for painful chronic pancreatitis.
Abstract Background Hepatic ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in both liver resectional surgery and in transplantation. The biochemistry of I/R injury involves short-lived oxygen free ...radicals. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a thiol-containing synthetic compound used in the treatment of acetaminophen toxicity. The present study is a detailed overview of the experimental and clinical evidence for the use of NAC as a pharmaco-protection agent in patients undergoing major liver surgery or transplantation. Methods A computerized search of the Medline, Embase and SCI databases for the period from 1st January 1988 to 31st December 2008 produced 40 reports. For clinical studies, the quality of reports was assessed according to the criteria reported by the Cochrane communication review group. Results Nineteen studies evaluated NAC in experimental liver I/R injury. NAC was administered before induction of ischaemia in 13. The most widely used concentration was 150 mg/kg by intravenous bolus. Fifteen studies report an improvement in outcome, predominantly a reduction in transaminase. Seven studies used an isolated perfused liver model with all showing improvement (predominantly an improvement in bile production after N-acetylcysteine). Two out of four transplantation models showed an improvement in hepatic function. Clinical studies in transplantation show a modest improvement in transaminase levels with no beneficial effect on either patient or graft survival. Conclusion N-acetylcysteine, given before induction of a liver I/R injury in an experimental model can ameliorate liver injury. Clinical outcome data are limited and there is currently little evidence to justify use either in liver transplantation or in liver resectional surgery.
Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a non-thermal form of ablation based on the delivery of pulsed electrical fields. It has been used to treat liver lesions, particularly those in proximity to ...major hepatic vasculature. The role of this technique in the portfolio of treatments for colorectal hepatic metastases has not been clearly defined. This study undertakes a systematic review of IRE for treatment of colorectal hepatic metastases.
The study protocol was registered with the PROSPERO register of systematic reviews (CRD42022332866) and reports in compliance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). The Ovid MEDLINE
, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane databases were queried in April 2022. The search terms 'irreversible electroporation', 'colon cancer', 'rectum cancer' and 'liver metastases' were used in combinations. Studies were included if they provided information on the use of IRE for patients with colorectal hepatic metastases and reported procedure and disease-specific outcomes. The searches returned 647 unique articles and the exclusions left a total of eight articles. These were assessed for bias using the methodological index for nonrandomized studies (MINORS criteria) and reported using the synthesis without meta-analysis guideline (SWiM).
One hundred eighty patients underwent treatment for liver metastases from colorectal cancer. The median transverse diameter of tumours treated by IRE was <3 cm. Ninety-four (52%) tumours were adjacent to major hepatic inflow/outflow structures or the vena cava. IRE was undertaken under general anaesthesia with cardiac cycle synchronisation and with the use of either CT or ultrasound for lesion localisation. Probe spacing was less than 3.2 cm for all ablations. There were two (1.1%) procedure-related deaths in 180 patients. There was one (0.5%) post-operative haemorrhage requiring laparotomy, one (0.5%) bile leak, five (2.8%) post-procedure biliary strictures and a zero incidence of post-IRE liver failure.
This systematic review shows that IRE for colorectal liver metastases can be accomplished with low procedure-related morbidity and mortality. Further prospective study is required to assess the role of IRE in the portfolio of treatments for patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer.
Background:
Postoperative hemorrhage is a potentially lethal complication of pancreatoduodenectomy. This study reports on the use of endovascular hepatic artery stents in the management of ...postpancreatectomy hemorrhage.
Methods:
This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained, consecutive dataset of 440 patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy over 68 months. Data are presented on bleeding events and outcomes, and contextualized by the clinical course of the denominator population. International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery terminology was used to define postpancreatectomy hemorrhage.
Results:
Sixty-seven (15%) had postoperative hemorrhage. Fifty (75%) were male and this gender difference was significant (
P
= 0.001; 2 proportions test). Postoperative pancreatic fistulas were more frequent in the postoperative hemorrhage group (
P
= 0.029; 2 proportions test). The median (interquartile range IQR) delay between surgery and postoperative hemorrhage was 5 days (2–14 days). Twenty-six (39%) required intervention comprising reoperation alone in 12, embolization alone in 5, and endovascular hepatic artery stent deployment in 5. Four further patients underwent more than 1 intervention with 2 of these having stents. Endovascular stent placement achieved initial hemostasis in 5 of 7 (72%). Follow-up was for a median (IQR) of 199 days (145–400 days) poststent placement. In 2 patients, the stent remained patent at last follow-up. The remaining 5 stents occluded with a median (IQR) period of proven patency of 10 days (8–22 days).
Conclusions:
This study shows that in the specific setting of postpancreatoduodenectomy hemorrhage with either a short remnant gastroduodenal artery bleed or a direct bleed from the hepatic artery, where embolization risks occlusion with compromise of liver arterial inflow, endovascular hepatic artery stent is an important hemostatic option but is associated with a high risk of subsequent graft occlusion.
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