Impact of preoperative percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage on post-operative survival in patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term impact of the type of preoperative biliary drainage used for patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC).

Methods: A total of 84 patients with DCC who underwent preoperative biliary drainage between June 2000 and December 2016 were divided into groups for whom percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) (n = 24) or endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) (n = 60) was used.

Results: The 5-year overall survival in the PTBD group was significantly worse than that in the EBD group (16.

A case of gastric heterotopic pancreatitis resected by laparoscopic surgery.

Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is a rare entity which is defined as the presence of pancreatic tissue lacking anatomical and vascular continuity with the pancreas. It is most commonly found along foregut derivatives, such as the stomach, duodenum, and jejunum. It is frequently encountered incidentally in asymptomatic patients, and symptomatic patients are rare and do not exhibit any specific symptoms.

Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for prognostication of patients with distal bile duct carcinomas undergoing surgery.

Background: Surgical resection continues to be the current standard treatment for distal bile duct carcinoma (DBC), as no effective alternative treatment exists. However, even after resection, the long-term prognosis is poor. Simple biomarkers that can predict response or toxicity, and which are applicable to all community oncology settings worldwide, have not been identified.

Discrepancy of B cell frequency between periphery and spleen after rituximab treatment in ABO-incompatible liver transplantation.

ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplantation (ABO-LDLT) is generally more difficult to perform than ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. Despite introduction of rituximab, ABO-LDLT in non-responders is a still difficult issue. A 23-year-old woman with primary sclerosing cholangitis underwent LDLT.

Endoscopy-assisted transanal division of an apical pouch bridge after restorative proctocolectomy with a J-shaped ileal pouch.

Restorative proctocolectomy and J-shaped ileal pouch-anal anastomosis have been performed as a standard operation for ulcerative colitis. However, functional problems are sometimes troublesome in the postoperative period. The J pouch was constructed from 2 ileal limbs using the gastrointestinal anastomosis (GIA) stapler.