Benign Finding or Malignancy: von Meyenburg Complexes Found during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Von Meyenburg complexes are benign bile duct hamartomas that arise as cystic nodules of the liver. Von Meyenburg complexes are often asymptomatic and thus typically discovered incidentally on imaging or autopsy. They can also be encountered at the time of surgery where they often appear as scattered white liver lesions concerning for malignancy.

Variability in multimodality treatment influences survival in non-metastatic gastric cancer patients.

Background: While gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Eastern Europe and Asia, it is less common in the USA. Recommendations regarding optimal treatment of non-metastatic gastric cancer (nmGC) with regard to type and extent of surgery, choice and sequence of chemotherapeutic agents, and use of radiation therapy vary across geographic locations. To determine how variability in treatment practices affects patient outcomes, we conducted a retrospective study to evaluate clinical outcomes in nmGC patients treated at four high-volume academic institutions.

Predictors of outcomes in patients with gastric cancer treated with contemporary multimodality strategies-a single institution experience.

Background: While gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Eastern Europe and Asia, it is less common in the United States. Recommendations regarding optimal treatment of non-metastatic gastric cancer with regard to type and extent of surgery, choice and sequence of chemotherapeutic agents, and use of radiation therapy vary somewhat depending on geographic location. There is paucity in the literature for direct comparison of various practices.

Gene mutations distinguishing gastric from colorectal and esophageal adenocarcinomas.

Background: Genetic analysis of gastrointestinal malignancies shows a great number of mutations. Most mutations found in gastric tumors are also found in colorectal and esophageal tumors. The challenge remains to identify mutations that distinguish gastric from colorectal and esophageal cancers.

Holographic microinformation hiding.

We propose a holographic microinformation hiding scheme in which the embedding information to be embedded is small and imperceptible to the human eyes. This scheme converts the embedding information into a complex amplitude via scaled diffraction. The complex amplitude of the reduced embedding information is added to the complex amplitude of the host image, followed by conversion to a hologram.

Color computer-generated hologram generation using the random phase-free method and color space conversion.

We propose two calculation methods of generating color computer-generated holograms (CGHs) with the random phase-free method and color space conversion in order to improve the image quality and accelerate the calculation. The random phase-free method improves the image quality in monochrome CGH, but it is not performed in color CGH. We first aimed to improve the image quality of color CGH using the random phase-free method and then to accelerate the color CGH generation with a combination of the random phase-free method and color space conversion method, which accelerates the color CGH calculation due to down-sampling of the color components converted by color space conversion.

Intraoperative Laparoscopic Near-Infrared Fluorescence Cholangiography to Facilitate Anatomical Identification: When to Give Indocyanine Green and How Much.

Recent technological advances have enabled real-time near-infrared fluorescence cholangiography (NIRFC) with indocyanine green (ICG). Whereas several studies have shown its feasibility, dosing and timing for practical use have not been optimized. We undertook a prospective study with systematic variation of dosing and timing from injection of ICG to visualization.

Random phase-free kinoform for large objects.

We propose a random phase-free kinoform for large objects. When not using the random phase in kinoform calculation, the reconstructed images from the kinoform are heavy degraded, like edge-only preserved images. In addition, the kinoform cannot record an entire object that exceeds the kinoform size because the object light does not widely spread.

Acceleration of computer-generated holograms using tilted wavefront recording plane method.

Computer Generated Holograms (CGH) are generated on computers; however, a great deal of computational power is required because the quality of the image is proportional to the number of point light sources of a 3D object. The Wavefront Recording Plane (WRP) method is an algorithm that enables reduction of the amount of calculations required. However, the WRP method also has a defect; it is not effective in the case of a 3D object with a deep structure.

Evaluation of hospital readmissions in surgical patients: do administrative data tell the real story?

Importance: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has developed an all-cause readmission measure that uses administrative data to measure readmission rates and financially penalize hospitals with higher-than-expected readmission rates.

Objectives: To examine the accuracy of administrative codes in determining the cause of readmission as determined by medical record review, to evaluate the readmission measure's ability to accurately identify a readmission as planned, and to document the frequency of readmissions for reasons clinically unrelated to the original hospital stay.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Retrospective review of all consecutive patients discharged from general surgery services at a tertiary care, university-affiliated teaching hospital during 8 consecutive quarters (quarter 4 [October through December] of 2009 through quarter 3 [July through September] of 2011).

Annular pancreas in the adult: management with laparoscopic gastrojejunostomy.

Annular pancreas is an uncommon congenital anomaly associated with duodenal atresia in neonates. Rarely, the condition may manifest later in life. These symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting and usually arise due to obstruction to gastric emptying.

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication improves quality of life in patients with atypical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux.

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication has been shown to improve overall quality of life (QOL) in patients with gastroesophageal reflux, but most studies have not addressed patients with atypical symptoms. We investigated the effect of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication on QOL using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) survey modified to address both typical (heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia) and atypical (hoarse voice, chronic cough, adult-onset asthma, vocal cord polyps) symptoms. One-hundred forty-eight patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) at UCLA Medical Center from January 1, 1995 to May 1, 2002.

Inpatient surgery in California: 1990-2000.

Background: The practice environment for surgery is changing. However, little is known regarding the trends or current status of inpatient surgery at a population level.

Hypothesis: Inpatient surgical care has changed significantly over the last 10 years.

Scrotal abscess following appendectomy.

Postoperative infectious complications in children following perforated appendicitis present in diverse ways. We present two unusual complications of appendectomy for perforated appendicitis: an acute scrotum after open and laparoscopic appendectomy. A retrospective review of two cases of scrotal abscess following appendectomy at our hospital as well as a MEDLINE search was performed to review the clinical presentation, etiology, type of treatment, and outcome of these patients.

Surgery in the nineties.

The population of the United States is aging, and by 2020 it is estimated that 16 per cent of U.S. citizens will be over 65 years of age.

Preemptive analgesia in patients undergoing appendectomy.

Objective: To evaluate the use of preemptive analgesia in patients who were undergoing an operation for acute appendicitis.

Design: Double-blind, randomized control trial.

Setting: Public hospital.

Laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass.

Purpose: To determine the potential benefits of applying laparoscopic techniques for the intraabdominal insertion of aortofemoral grafts and to compare results with those of conventional surgery.

Methods: Having previously demonstrated the feasibility of a totally laparoscopic aortofemoral bypass technique using carbon dioxide peritoneal insufflation in a porcine model, we now report our first human experience with this laparoscopic technique in a 49-year-old man.

Results: The patient's postoperative course was marked by his minimal requirements for analgesia, early ambulation, and discharge from the hospital in the morning of the third postoperative day.

Laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass: a case report.

In the past six years, laparoscopic surgery has gained widespread acceptance by both surgeon and patient. When compared to open surgical approaches, laparoscopic techniques for abdominal procedures lessen postoperative pain and morbidity, improve cosmesis, reduce hospital stay, facilitate early rehabilitation and return to normal activities. The application of laparoscopic techniques to intra-abdominal vascular procedures can be expected to provide similar benefits over conventional surgery.

Biliary disease during pregnancy.

Background: Biliary disease during pregnancy is rare and the need for surgery in these cases is controversial. We evaluated our experience with biliary disease during pregnancy with regard to outcome and cost containment.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed the clinical course of pregnant women with biliary disease at the University of California at Los Angeles and Olive View-UCLA Medical Centers from 1988 to 1993.

Analysis of risk factors of postappendectomy intra-abdominal abscess.

Background: Postappendectomy intra-abdominal abscesses (PAIAA) complicate the recovery of a small but significant fraction of patients with advanced appendicitis.

Study Design: A retrospective review of 1,184 patients with appendicitis was undertaken to define the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with PAIAA.

Results: Thirty-three patients with 36 PAIAAs were found, an incidence of 2.

Management of pancreatitis complicating pregnancy.

Pregnancy complicated by pancreatitis may lead to significant fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. We reviewed the clinical course of 30 women who developed pancreatitis in our institution during pregnancy from 1988 to 1992. Pancreatitis complicated 0.

Cecectomy for complicated appendicitis.

Background: Cecal leak or disruption after appendectomy for complicated appendicitis is a consequence of severity of disease and is related to residual abscess cavity, inflammation, phlegmon, and nonviable intestine. In an attempt to improve results, we have begun to resect the cecum and other localized infected tissue in instances of complicated appendicitis in which the viability of the appendiceal base and adjacent cecum is questionable.

Study Design: This is a prospective series of all patients who have undergone resectional therapy for complicated appendicitis in the last four years.