Malignant lymphoma incidentally diagnosed due to the perforation of the small intestine caused by a fish bone: A case report.

Introduction: The ingestion of a foreign body is relatively common. However, it rarely results in the perforation of gastrointestinal tract. We herein report an unusual case of malignant lymphoma incidentally diagnosed after the perforation of the small intestine by a fish bone.

A novel surgical technique for bleeding duodenal varices after failure of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration: a case report.

Background: Duodenal varices are a low-frequency cause of gastrointestinal bleeding; however, greater than 40 % mortality has been reported after the initial bleeding episode.

Case Presentation: This report describes a 72-year-old woman with bleeding duodenal varices treated by surgery after failure of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO). The patient presented with profuse melena.

Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer poses few limitations for selected elderly patients: a single-center experience.

Background: The safety and efficacy of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for early gastric cancer have been demonstrated in clinical studies. The aim of this study was to clarify the safety and efficacy of LADG in patients ≥80 years of age with early gastric cancer, an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of 1-2, and a performance status (PS) of 0-1.

Case Presentation: From April 2009 to July 2011, 12 elderly patients aged ≥80 years and 43 younger patients underwent LADG for early gastric cancer.

Indications for emergency surgery for perforated diverticulitis in elderly Japanese patients ≥80 years of age.

Purpose: Perforated diverticulitis (PD) remains a serious acute abdominal condition. The aim of this study was to evaluate indications for emergency surgery in patients ≥80 years of age with PD.

Method: Twenty patients ≥80 years of age and 28 younger patients who underwent emergency surgery for PD from January 2002 to December 2011 were studied.

[A case of multiple liver and celiac lymph node metastases after curative esophagectomy for esophageal cancer successfully treated with hepatic arterial infusion and radiation therapy].

A 65-year-old woman, who had been operated by subtotal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, was diagnosed as multiple liver metastases and celiac lymph node metastases one year after operation. The response evaluation revealed progressive disease after she had been suffering from nausea and anorexia throughout 2 courses of FP therapy. She refused to continue any more systemic chemotherapy, so we proposed an alternative to her, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAI) for multiple liver metastases and radiation therapy for celiac LN metastases.

Effect of thrombopoietin on platelet counts and liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in a rat model.

Purpose: We investigated the effects of thrombopoietin (TPO) on platelet counts and liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats.

Methods: We performed 70% partial hepatectomy on 60 rats given either TPO or a vehicle (controls). The rats were killed 6 h, 24 h, 72 h, or 168 h after the procedure, and we examined the platelet counts, weight of the regenerated liver, hepatocyte proliferation by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index, and expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mRNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Impact of antithrombin III concentrates on portal vein thrombosis after splenectomy in patients with liver cirrhosis and hypersplenism.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the role of antithrombin III (AT-III) in portal vein thrombosis (PVT) after splenectomy in cirrhotic patients.

Summary Background Data: There is no standard treatment for PVT after splenectomy in liver cirrhosis.

Methods: A total of 50 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy for hypersplenism were enrolled into this study.

Effect of laparoscopic splenectomy on portal hypertensive gastropathy in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.

Aim: This study investigated the relationship between portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) and splenomegaly, and the effect of laparoscopic splenectomy on PHG in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.

Methods: Seventy patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension were prospectively studied. Indication for laparoscopic splenectomy was bleeding tendency in 10 patients, induction of interferon in 45, treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in seven, and treatment for endoscopic injection sclerotherapy-resistant esophagogastric varices in eight.

Technical standardization of laparoscopic splenectomy harmonized with hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery for patients with liver cirrhosis and hypersplenism.

Background/purpose: The aims of this study were to standardize the techniques of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) to improve safety in liver cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension.

Methods: From 1993 to 2008, 265 cirrhotic patients underwent LS. Child-Pugh class was A in 112 patients, B in 124, and C in 29.

[A case report--complete disappearance of multiple intrahepatic recurrences and portal thrombus in a case of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with UFT-E].

Here, we present a case of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)with portal thrombus that disappeared within only two months by oral tegafur(UFT-E). A 82-year-old man had recurrent multiple HCCs, which caused liver dysfunction because of diminished portal flow by the portal thrombus. Hepatic arterial chemo-embolization and continuous arterial CDDP-infusion chemotherapy did not show any efficacy.

Significance of ERK nitration in portal hypertensive gastropathy and its therapeutic implications.

Portal hypertensive (PHT) gastric mucosa increases susceptibility to injury and delayed mucosal healing. It is possible that nitration of ERK by peroxynitrite might alter MAPK (ERK) signaling in PHT gastric mucosa, leading to delayed mucosal healing, since excessive nitric oxide production is implicated in PHT gastric mucosa and MAPK (ERK) signaling induces cell proliferation and leads to gastric mucosal healing in response to injury. Portal hypertension was produced by staged portal vein ligation, and sham-operation (SO) rats served as controls.

Defective endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling is mediated by rho-kinase activation in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis.

In liver cirrhosis, down-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been implicated as a cause of increased intrahepatic resistance. We investigated whether Rho-kinase activation is one of the molecular mechanisms involved in defective eNOS signaling in secondary biliary cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL).

Abnormality of the hepatic vein waveforms in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and its prognostic implications.

Background And Aim: We investigated the prognostic significance of changes in the Doppler hepatic vein (HV) waveforms in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and the mechanisms of these changes.

Methods: A total of 103 consecutive patients were included in this study and their HV waveforms were classified into four types: type I, triphasic waveform; type II, biphasic waveform; type III, biphasic waveform with reduced phasic oscillations; and type IV, a flat waveform.

Results: Type I was observed in 34, type II in 40, type III in 23, and type IV in six patients.

Laparoscopic disconnection of a huge paraumbilical vein shunt for portosystemic encephalopathy.

Chronic portosystemic encephalopathy (CPSE) resulting from portosystemic shunts (PSS) is a devastating clinical problem. When CPSE is refractory to medical treatment, occlusion of the PSS should be considered. We report a case of CPSE due to a huge paraumbilical vein shunt that was successfully treated with laparoscopic disconnection.

[A case of inoperable gastric small cell carcinoma effectively treated by chemotherapy and radiotherapy].

We herein report a case of advanced gastric small cell carcinoma treated by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital presenting with appetite loss and body weight loss. He was diagnosed to have an inoperable gastric small cell carcinoma with severe lymph node metastases and left adrenal gland metastasis.