Long-term quality of life after open and laparoscopic total gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer: A prospective multi-institutional study (CCOG1504).

Background: Little information is available from prospective clinical trials on the influences of surgical approaches on postoperative quality of life (QOL). We aimed to prospectively compare chronological changes in postoperative body weight and QOL between laparoscopic and open total gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer (GC).

Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional prospective study (CCOG1504) of patients who undergo laparoscopic or open total gastrectomy.

Early identification of uterine scar defect by preconception magnetic resonance imaging to achieve successful pregnancy outcome after laparoscopic-assisted myomectomy: Two case reports.

Myomectomy improves the reproductive ability of women. However, the risk for uterine rupture and abnormal placentation remains a concern. In two cases with scar defects after laparoscopic-assisted myomectomy, one case developed amniocele, while other case showed abnormally invasive placenta.

Beating pulmonary vein sign during catheter ablation.

The beating of a pulmonary vein during cardiac catheterization is a rare phenomenon caused by the heart beating through the pericardial effusion when a cardiac tamponade occurs. This "beating pulmonary vein" sign is useful for early detection of a tamponade before circulatory collapse occurs.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm mimicking the cause of gastric obstruction.

A case of abdominal aortic aneurysm appeared to be compression of the antrum of the stomach and was suspected of causing a gastric obstruction. However, an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to rule out an obstruction by a tumor revealed a gastric tumor, thus avoiding unnecessary intervention, such as open surgery.

Panoramic Endocardial Optical Mapping Demonstrates Serial Rotors Acceleration and Increasing Complexity of Activity During Onset of Cholinergic Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Activation during onset of atrial fibrillation is poorly understood. We aimed at developing a panoramic optical mapping system for the atria and test the hypothesis that sequential rotors underlie acceleration of atrial fibrillation during onset. Methods and Results Five sheep hearts were Langendorff perfused in the presence of 0.

Report on the breakage of the tip of a radial endobronchial ultrasonic probe sheath during bronchoscopy.

A lesion in a 73-year-old woman that was suspected to be right lung cancer was biopsied under ultrasound-guided bronchoscopy with a guide sheath. The procedure was completed without a noticeable problem, but after 3 days, it was found that the tip of the ultrasonic probe sheath was broken and that the broken fragment was missing. Based on the concern that the fragment had been left in the lung, the patient was examined by computed tomography scan 4 days after the biopsy, and bronchoscopy was repeated 38 days after the biopsy, but no fragment was detected.