Useful technique for draining a large cystic tumor through the round ligament in laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy.

Introduction: Some cystic liver tumors are huge when the diagnosis is made or surgery is needed. Although reducing tumor size by preoperative aspiration or drainage of the contents of the cystic tumor is helpful for liver resection, such procedures have a risk of tumor dissemination.

Materials And Surgical Technique: After the round ligament was dissected, a 12-Fr drainage catheter was inserted into the tumor via the round ligament under ultrasonography.

Safety and feasibility of liver resection with continued antiplatelet therapy using aspirin.

Background: Aspirin is widely used for the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke and cardiovascular disease. Perioperative aspirin may decrease thrombotic morbidity, but may also increase hemorrhagic morbidity. In particular, liver resection carries risks of bleeding, leading to higher risks of hemorrhagic morbidity.

Usefulness of a CT-guided hookwire marking in laparoscopic partial hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma invisible on ultrasonography.

Introduction: The intra-operative detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by ultrasonography is indispensable for laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. However, it is occasionally difficult to localize an HCC on an ultrasound in chronic liver disease. Two cases of partial hepatectomy using hookwire marking under CT guidance are presented.

[A case of pancreatic arteriovenous malformation identified by investigating the cause of upper abdominal pain associated with acute pancreatitis].

A man in his 60s with epigastric pain was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and subsequently recovered following conservative treatment. However, because of repeated upper abdominal pain and the formation of a pancreatic pseudocyst, he was transferred to our institution for evaluation. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) scanning confirmed abnormal vessels in the tail of the pancreas and early venous return to the splenic vein in the early arterial phase.

Alpha-fetoprotein before and after pegylated interferon therapy for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma development.

Aim: To investigate factors that accurately predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development after antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

Methods: CHC patients who received pegylated interferon and ribavirin were enrolled in this cohort study that investigated the ability of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) to predict HCC development after interferon (IFN) therapy.

Results: Of 1255 patients enrolled, 665 developed sustained virological response (SVR) during mean follow-up period of 5.

Efficacy and safety of entecavir in nucleoside-naive, chronic hepatitis B patients: phase II clinical study in Japan.

Background And Aim: Entecavir has demonstrated clinical efficacy for chronic hepatitis B. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of entecavir in nucleoside-naive Japanese chronic hepatitis B patients.

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind study, 66 nucleoside-naive Japanese chronic hepatitis B patients were randomized to 0.

Increased blood pressure levels relative to subjective feelings of intensity of exercise determined with the Borg scale in male patients with hypertension.

We examined the hemodynamic responses to exercise and symptoms in 37 male patients with untreated essential hypertension, and compared the findings with those in 32 age-matched healthy male volunteers by performing a graded symptom-limited exercise test using a bicycle ergometer. The subjective feeling of intensity of exercise was determined using the Borg scale. In the relationship between Borg scores and blood pressure (BP), patients with hypertension showed higher systolic BP and diastolic BP relative to the Borg scores than the controls.

Anti-asialoglycoprotein receptor autoantibodies, detected by a capture-immunoassay, are associated with autoimmune liver diseases.

In autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), various autoantibodies including anti-asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) antibodies have been found in patients' sera. We have previously developed a mouse monoclonal antibody against rat and human ASGPR. In this study, we developed a capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of anti-ASGPR antibodies using this monoclonal antibody and investigated the occurrence of anti-ASGPR antibodies in the sera of patients with various liver diseases.