Biomedical subjects

M F Chen

Publications and source records attributed to M F Chen.

428 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical results for severe acute pancreatitis--comparison of the different surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We compared the outcome of surgery for the patients with severe acute pancreatitis using different surgical procedures to find risk factors for mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Records of eighty six patients with severe acute pancreatitis who underwent different surgical procedures in the past five years were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The patients were found to have severe acute pancreatitis during operation. The morbidity and mortality of three different surgical procedures were compared. The risk factors related to the mortality were analyzed. Thirty one patients considered as group A received debridement and closed sump drainage. Forty patients considered as group B receiving necrosectomy with open packing of the peripancreatic space. The other 15 patients considered as group C received debridement and continuous lavage of the lesser sac. The patients in group A had highest mortality (48.4%) and those in group B had lowest (15%). CONCLUSIONS: The significant risk factors of mortality included high Ranson's signs, peripancreatic necrosis, pancreaticogenic ascites and bacterial infection. The open packing or marsupialization of group B provided an easy way to perform repeated debridement after the first operation, resulting in the lower mortality for severe acute pancreatitis than other surgical procedures. The procedure with closed sump drainage resulted in higher incidence of postoperative bleeding and sepsis. The patients with higher Ranson's signs, peripancreatic necrosis, pancreatic ascites or positive bacterial infection should be treated more aggressively.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment of gastric outlet obstruction after corrosive injury--can early definitive operation be used instead of staged operation?

For the comparison of advantage and outcome, thirty six patients with corrosive upper GI injury resulting in only distal gastric outlet obstruction and failing to receive endoscopic balloon dilatation underwent prospective randomized different surgical treatments in the past years. Sixteen patients (Group A) received early definitive treatment with antrectomy or pyloroplasty for their gastric outlet obstruction, only 3 (18.8%) of them needed a second operation for the delayed esophageal stricture. The long-term follow-up for these patients revealed the stricture resolved after the antrectomy or pyloroplasty. All of the other 20 patients (Group B) who received gastrostomy plus feeding jejunostomy during their first operation required a second operation. Among the 20 patients receiving a second operation, delayed esophageal stricture was the reason in only 4 patients. It meant that 16 patients (80%) of Group B were able to avoid the second operation if early definitive treatment for their gastric outlet obstruction was performed during the first operation. We concluded that the early definitive treatment of gastric outlet obstruction can give patients a better quality of life, avoid a second operation in about 80% of them and save operative time in those who need a second operation for final esophageal reconstruction.

Burns, Chemical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hurthle cell tumor.

Hurthle cell tumor is rare type of thyroid tumor. There are few recent reports about the proper management of patients with Hurthle cell tumors. We reviewed our patients from 1988 to 1994 with pathological proof of Hurthle cell tumor. There were 26 patients in total: four cases were Hurthle cell carcinoma and the other twenty-two cases were Hurthle cell adenoma. Only one patient with Hurthle cell carcinoma is male and all the others were female. All of them except one with metastatic bone lesion presented with painless neck mass. The mean size of the tumor in carcinoma patients is 3.7 cm and in adenoma patient 2.3 cm. Five patients had multiple adenoma. The mean age of carcinoma patients is 49.5 years and the adenoma patients 45.1 years. No patient had a history of exposure to low dose radiation. The only carcinoma patient with bone metastases has positive radioactive iodine uptake. Lobectomy is advised for adenoma patients and total thyroidectomy for carcinoma patients. There were no operative complications in these patients. No local recurrence or metastases occurred in those patients with Hurthle cell adenoma. One patient with adenoma died of poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Our conclusion is that most Hurthle cell tumors have a gender preponderance toward female. Carcinoma patients seem to be older than adenoma patients and tumor size is larger, but no discriminative point can be found. Pathological diagnosis with capsular or vascular invasion is accurate for differentiating benign from malignant tumors. No benign adenoma tumor had recurrence or metastases during follow up. Lobectomy is adequate for adenoma patients and total thyroidectomy for carcinoma patients. All of these patients need long term follow-up.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Unusual presentation of a small hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

Most small hepatocellular carcinomas are asymptomatic. While small hepatocellular carcinomas do have symptoms, these symptoms are usually related to the underlying liver disease, not to the tumor itself. We encountered a 63-year-old male patient with a small hepatocellular carcinoma, 2.5 cm in diameter, presenting with fever, abdominal pain and sensation of abdominal fullness. These were unusual clinical manifestations related to the small hepatocellular carcinoma itself and challenged the diagnosis.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment of choledochal cyst in adults: results and long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Results of the surgical management of 60 adults with choledochal cysts at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Taipei are presented. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients were diagnosed and surgically managed during the period between March 1979 and December 1992. There were 47 females and 13 males, with ages ranging from 16 to 81 years (mean age = 31.9 years). Of the total, there were 41 Type I, one Type II, 14 Type IV, and four Type V choledochal cysts classified according to Todani's classification system. The definite surgical procedures were cyst excision and hepatico-jejunostomy in 43 cases in type I and IV diseases, one cyst excision in type II disease, two hepatectomy for type V disease, cyst enterostomy in seven cases, and T-tube choledochocystostomy in seven cases. RESULTS: The operative mortality rate was 3.3% and the complication rate related to the surgical procedure was 20%. Early postoperative complications include wound infection, leakage of anastomosis, acute pancreatitis, septic shock, left pleural effusion, and intra-abdominal abscessing. Reoperations were needed in the early postoperative days in two cases due to hepatico-jejunostomy leakage and intraabdominal abscess formation. Long-term surgical outcome, concerning recurrence of symptoms, was related to the following factors, excluding the factors of surgery: presence of bile duct lithiasis, common channel less than 22 mm, presence of preoperative pancreatitis and acute angle type pancreaticobiliary unions. Only common channel less than 22 mm is statistically significant. The percentage of recurrence of the symptoms after resectional surgery was 32.5% in the long term follow-up period. Most of the cases responded well to an antibiotics treatment. Three of the cases required a second operation or PTCD as well as dilatation to treat the recurrent cholangitis. CONCLUSION: Although the recurrence of symptoms is not uncommon and satisfactory explanation of the analysed factors is still the treatment of choice for adult patients with choledochal cysts.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Biliary complications during and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bile duct injury and bile leak are the most serious complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The purpose of this study to present our experience in the management of biliary complications during and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: There were eight biliary complications (0.72%) in 1115 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies during the period from January 1991 to December 1995. RESULTS: The biliary complications included: bile duct injuries in 3 patients, bile leak in 4 patients and malapplication of the endoclips on the common bile duct in patient. Three biliary complications were corrected by immediate conversion to laparotomy with good outcomes. Two patients with immediate postoperative bile leakage required laparotomy for religation of the cystic duct and one patient with delayed bile leakage was successfully corrected with conservative treatment. One common hepatic duct and right hepatic duct developed necrosis due to electrocoagulation and required a laparotomy with T-tube stent and had repeated attacks of cholangitis during the 21 month follow-up period. Another patient with common hepatic duct stricture due to endoclip injury needed re-laparotomy with T-tube stent and remained stationary over the 9 month follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Bile leak and bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy present a difficult surgical problem, surgical or endoscopic interventions are needed to correct the biliary problem after the diagnosis was established by the radiological image study.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Chronic calcifying pancreatitis in Taiwan: a multicentric study and comparison with western countries.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigates the clinical features of chronic calcifying pancreatitis (CCP) in Taiwan and also the comparative differences in the disorder as it affects orientals and occidentals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records at seven tertiary hospitals relating to patients diagnosed with CCP between 1976 and 1996 are reviewed and analyzed. Ninety patients were enrolled. Defining the calcification of the pancreas is achieved by plain film, ultrasonography, computed tomography, or histology. RESULTS: CCP afflicts men more frequently than it does women, by a ratio of 3.5:1 (70 men and 20 women). The mean age is 45 years (male: 46 female: 41.4). For fifty-two patients (57.8%), alcohol is the major cause of the condition, while in others, the causes are non-alcoholic (idiopathic: 31; biliary: 4; hereditary: 3). Alcoholism is mainly associated with males and younger sufferers. The major complications are diabetes mellitus (53.3%), cysts or pseudocysts (21.1%), and biliary stricture or stones (20%). Pancreatic adenocarcinoma and splenic vein thrombosis were found in six and five patients, respectively. Three patients died from cancers of other than pancreatic origin (lung: 1;liver: 1;bile duct: 1). Thirty-three patients were treated surgically of which thirteen (39.4%), including one with pancreatic auto transplantation, improved. Fifty-seven patients received medical treatment but only eleven (19.3%) improved. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features of CCP in Taiwan are notably similar to those manifesting in western countries and in Japan. With the changes in life style and increased alcoholic consumption in Taiwan, the prevalence of CCP may increase and its demographic features may alter in the future.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Massive extra-enteric gastrointestinal hemorrhage secondary to splanchnic artery aneurysms.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastrointestinal hemorrhages of obscure origin are often difficult to diagnose and manage. Of these, splanchnic artery aneurysms have emerged as an important disorder because of the increasing prevalence and formidable mortality rate associated with their rupture. We herein evaluated extra-enteric gastrointestinal bleeding related to these ruptured aneurysms. METHODOLOGY: The medical records of 17 patients with splanchnic artery aneurysms known to be exclusively manifested as gastrointestinal bleeding were reviewed. The pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnostic tests, management, complications, and outcomes were compiled and analyzed. RESULTS: Of the seventeen patients, 12 patients had true aneurysms; 5 patients had false aneurysms. Pancreatitis, trauma, iatrogenic hepatobiliary injury, and atherosclerosis were the four major etiologies. The sensitivity rates measured by endoscopy, ultrasonography, computed tomography and visceral angiography were 20%, 50%, 67%, and 100%, respectively. An exact diagnosis was attained in 94% of the patients at the time of management. Transcatheter embolization was employed in 7 patients, complicated with hepatic and splenic infarcts, and pyogenic liver abscesses in 2 instances. Two patients had recurrent bleeding aneurysms post embolotherapy. Ten patients underwent surgical intervention which resulted in 2 cases of hepatic failure. One out of 5 patients with a true aneurysm died, while 4 out of 12 patients with false aneurysms eventually died. Overall, the mortality rate was 29%. CONCLUSION: Even though the exact diagnosis can be made in most of the patients by modern imaging studies, the mortality rate was still formidable, especially in patients with false aneurysms, in whom the underlying causal diseases substantially influenced the major outcome.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy are the safest procedures for all diseases related to stones in the gallbladder as they have a low morbidity and mortality rate. However, the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients has not been investigated. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic versus non-cirrhotic patients was performed. Between January 1991 and November 1994, 605 laparoscopic cholecystectomies for symptomatic gallbladder diseases were performed. There were 21 patients in the cirrhotic (group A) and 584 patients in the non-cirrhotic (group B). RESULTS: There was no operative mortality in either group and the postoperative complication rates were 4.8% and 5.8% in group A and B, respectively (p > 0.05). Prolonged operative time in group A was 84.47 +/- 36.01 min vs group B 62.20 +/- 25.37 min (p < 0.01). The estimated intraoperative blood loss in group A was larger than in group B (140.76 +/- 201.19 ml vs 35.02 +/- 50.11 ml, p < 0.01). The readmission rate was higher in group A (9.5%) than in group B (1.37%) (p < 0.05). The hospital stay in group A and B were 4.12 +/- 2.15 D, 3.50 +/- 1.50 D respectively (p > 0.05). The incidence of conversion and re-operation rates indicated no difference between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely performed in mild cirrhotic patients with more operative times and meticulous management of intraoperative bleeding.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intra-arterial infusion of octreotide to stop gastrointestinal tract bleeding that is difficult to manage surgically: a case report.

Intraluminal bleeding after gastrointestinal and bilopancreatic surgery continues to be a very difficult management problem. Herein, we report two cases of postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding which were successfully treated with intra-arterial infusion of octreotide. The two patients had undergone biliary tract surgery and experienced postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding. Abdominal angiography revealed extravasation from branches of the dorsal pancreatic artery and gastroduodenal artery in each patient, respectively. Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed, but without success in stopping the bleeding. The administration of octreotide via a regional arterial infusion finally stopped the bleeding in each of these two cases.

Aged↗

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Concurrent primary carcinoma of the gallbladder and acute cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Primary carcinoma of the gallbladder is rare and associated with a late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Concurrent acute cholecystitis frequently obscures the presence of carcinoma. The information regarding gallbladder carcinoma with acute cholecystitis is limited. In order to better understand the presentation of gallbladder carcinoma with acute cholecystitis, we retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with primary carcinoma of the gallbladder. METHODOLOGY: The data of 86 patients with primary carcinoma of the gallbladder treated between 1979 and 1994 were compiled and reviewed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (with acute cholecystitis, 21 patients) and Group 2 (without cholecystitis, 65 patients). Clinicopathological comparisons were made and evaluated between these two groups RESULTS: The average age of Group 1 patients was older than that of Group 2 patients (75+/-2 years vs. 63+/-2 years; p<0.05). Three Group 1 patients presented with sepsis. The interval between the onset of symptoms and hospital admission in Group 2 patients was significantly (p<0.05) longer than that in Group 1 patients (243+/-95 days vs. 20+/-11 days). Leukocytosis (>11,000/mm3) was more common in Group 1 patients than in Group 2 patients (47.6% vs. 15.4%). Jaundice was more common in Group 2, and fever was common in Group 1. The majority of Group 2 gallbladder cancers were stage V (75.4%). In contrast, 52.4% of Group 1 gallbladder cancers were stage III and 38.1% were stage V. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate in Group 1 and Group 2 patients was 9.5% and 7.7%, respectively. The cumulative survival of Group 1 patients was not different from that of Group 2 patients (log-rank test, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Age, the interval of symptoms prior to admission, the location of abdominal pain, fever, leukocytosis, and the absence of jaundice suggested the presence of acute cholecystitis in gallbladder carcinoma. A high index of suspicion of the disease, intraoperative examination of gallbladder specimens, and more aggressive surgical treatment may improve patient survival.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A multidisciplinary approach to major bile duct injury following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many series describing the management of major bile duct injuries after laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been reported with satisfactory short-term results. However, the information of their prognosis with sufficient time-period follow-up is sparse. METHODS: Sixteen consecutive patients with major bile duct injury following laparoscopic cholecystectomy were retrospectively reviewed, including six common bile duct transections, four bile duct perforations, and six hilar strictures but without perforation. With respect to the level of bile duct injuries, there were the following based on Bismuth's classification: type 1 in six patients, type 2 in five patients, type 3 in three patients, type 4 in one patient, and type 5 in one patient. All patients received surgical management, interventional radiology and endoscopic treatment. The time periods of follow-up ranged from 37 to 72 months (mean, 52 months). The final results were rated as being excellent, good, fair, or poor, based on the criteria of symptoms, biochemical data, and radiology. RESULTS: There was no procedure-related mortality. Ten of the 16 patients had either excellent or good results, two had fair results, and four had poor results. Of the latter four, the patients had been classified as Bismuth type 1, 3, 4, and 5, respectively, and all sustained a failed initial surgical repair. CONCLUSIONS: Using a multidisciplinary approach, 12 (75%) of the 16 patients attained a promising result through a long-term follow-up, while those with the higher biliary stricture and with an unsuccessful initial surgical repair had a disappointing outcome.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Spontaneous gastroduodenal perforation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Spontaneous gastroduodenal perforation is a rare and lethal complication in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHODOLOGY: Data of 9 patients with spontaneous gastroduodenal perforation occurring during chemotherapy were reviewed. RESULTS: All 9 patients were male with an average age of 54.4+/-2.5 years. The primary malignancies included 5 head and neck cancers, 2 esophageal cancers, 1 malignant lymphoma, and 1 hepatocellular carcinoma. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom. The average interval between the onset of symptoms and surgery was 2.9+/-0.7 days (range: 16 hours to 7 days). Perforation was located on the duodenum (6 patients) and on the lower part of the body of the stomach (3 patients). Simple closure of the perforation was performed on 8 patients, and subtotal gastrectomy on 1 patient. Culture of the ascitic fluid of 8 patients revealed E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, streptococcus viridans, and enterococcus. Four patients (44.4%) had post-operative complications. The 30-day post-operative mortality was 44.4% (4/9). Three patients died of sepsis with multiple organ failure, and 1 died of hepatic failure. Age, anaemia, leukopenia, serum albumin levels, impaired renal or liver functions are not significant operative risk factors. Pre-operative shock is a significant factor in predicting operative mortality and complications. CONCLUSIONS: High index with suspicion of the disease with early treatment may improve survival of cancer patients with spontaneous gastroduodenal perforation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical analysis of inflammatory masses of the pancreatic head region.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Inflammatory masses of the pancreatic head are a dilemma for surgeons, especially when the differences between these lesions and pancreatic head carcinoma are not so clear. The surgical management of these inflammatory benign lesions is also a topic with conflicting opinions. A clinical analysis was performed in an attempt to differentiate between these lesions and malignancy. The results of our observatory strategy of these lesions are also presented. METHODOLOGY: From 1992 to 1994, 73 patients with ultrasonographically (US) or computed tomographically (CT) heterogenous pancreatic head lesions were diagnosed at the Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Forty-nine of these lesions were neoplastic (Group I), but the remaining 24 patients had inflammatory non-neoplastic lesions (pancreatic inflammatory masses, IPM, Group II), which were diagnosed during laparotomy by core needle biopsy. Surgery and outcome were reviewed. Ten of the 24 patients in group II received biopsy only, and the remaining 14 patients received bypass procedures. At follow-up of at least 16 months of the surviving patients (n=21), only 9.5% were with residual lesions. All cases in group II revealed shrinkage of masses. We focused on the clinical features, hematology, biochemistry, image study, serum CEA and CA 19-9, and compared these variances between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Three clinical features were statistically different between groups I and II: mean age at presentation of disease (group I vs II = 53.3 vs 65.1), the tendency of a past history of alcoholism (Group II), and presence of abdominal pain (Group II). Group II also showed a higher level of serum alkaline phosphatase and a lower level of total bilirubin as well as a lower level of CA19-9. These inflammatory masses could not be distinguished from the true neoplasms pre-operatively on endoscopic appearance, US, or CT. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative differentiation between these pancreatic lesions may be difficult but laparotomy and core needle biopsy remain safe and reliable procedures. Our short-term follow-up justified the bypass surgery and that observatory strategy is enough for those patients with pancreatic head inflammatory masses.

Adolescent↗