[Hepatic artery reconstruction grafting with the right gastroepiploic artery for surgical treatment of upper bile duct cancer].

The right gastroepiploic artery (GEA) was used as hepatic artery graft in 2 patients with advanced upper bile duct cancer. The pedicle, including the right GEA and surrounding tissues, was mobilized along greater curvature of the stomach. The GEA pedicle was raised up beyond the gastric pylorus and was anastomosed to the distal right hepatic artery by interrupted suture technique using 7-0 monofilament-nylon stitches.

[A recurrent gastric cancer improved by radiation therapy].

In March, 1988, a 65 year-old male underwent a total gastrectomy for a gastric cancer (Borrmann 3: a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma; IIc: signet ring cell carcinoma). In October that year, however, an anastomotic recurrence of this tumor was found. Thus, from November, 1988 to January, 1989, to treat this recurrence, the patient received a course of radiation therapy frontally, towards the upper abdomen, with a total dose of 46.

[A new technique to prepare non-reversed autovein graft].

Non-reversed autovein graft was prepared by using a long saphenous vein. Disposable enema-syringe was used for vein graft to be turned inside out easily, and venous valves were resected out completely. After these procedure, a graft was put with syringe again, and turned outside in with same maneurver.

[Electrophysiological study on the atrophied pectoralis major muscle after modified radical mastectomy].

In order to clarify the cause of the atrophy of the pectoral muscles after modified radical mastectomy, twenty patients who had had the operation at Nagasaki Chuo National Hospital 40 days to 2 years prior to this study, were investigated by electromyography. Of 20 subjects, 11 had the operation to preserve the pectoralis major muscle and 9 had the operation to preserve both the pectoralis major and minor muscles. The results were as follows: 1) Electromyography revealed some damages to the pectoral nerves in 16 cases of 20 (80%).

[A case report of sacral chordoma].

Sacrococcygeal chordoma is one of the retrorectal tumors. Relative rarity and anatomical location of this may lead to difficulty in diagnosis and surgical treatment. We report a case of sacrococcygeal chordoma successfully treated by high sacral resection by a posterior approach, in which the co-operative efforts of gastroenterological surgeons and an orthopedic surgeon were employed.

Activated T-lymphocytes with polyclonal gammopathy in patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type I--associated myelopathy.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)--associated myelopathy (HAM) has been shown to be closely related to HTLV-I infection. However, the mechanism by which this disease occurs after infection with HTLV-I is still obscure. We found that HAM patients have unusually high proportions of CD4+ HLA-DR+ cells, CD8+HLA-DR+ cells, OKT9+ cells, and CD38(OKT10)+ cells in their peripheral blood, all of which suggest the presence of activated T-lymphocytes.