PurposeWe evaluated the clinical outcomes of the non-operative management of post-gastrectomy duodenal stump leakage in patients with gastric cancer.Materials and MethodsA total of 1,230 patients underwent gastrectomy at our institution between 2010 and 2014. Duodenal stump leakage was diagnosed in 19 patients (1.5%), and these patients were included in this study. The management options varied with patient condition; patients were managed conservatively, with a pigtail catheter drain, or by tube duodenostomy via a Foley catheter. The patients' clinical outcomes were analyzed.ResultsDuodenal stump leakage was diagnosed in all 19 patients within a median of 10 days (range, 1~20 days). The conservative group comprised of 5 patients (26.3%), the pigtail catheter group of 11 patients (57.9%), and the Foley catheter group of 3 patients (15.8%). All 3 management modalities were successful; none of the patients needed further operative intervention. The median hospital stay was 18, 33, and 42 days, respectively.ConclusionsNon-operative management of duodenal stump leakage for selected groups of patients with gastric cancer was effective for control of intra-abdominal sepsis. This management modality can help obviate the need for surgical intervention.

BackgroundConditional survival (CS) measures the probability that patients will survive an additional number of years given that they have already survived for a certain period of time.MethodsIn total, 2935 gastric cancer patients who had undergone curative gastrectomy between 1995 and 2011 were enrolled. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to evaluate the factors associated with overall survival (OS). Three-year CS estimates at ‘t’ years after surgery were calculated as follows: CS(t) = S(t + 3)/S(t).ResultsThe 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year OS rates of the 2935 patients were 96.6 %, 92.0 %, 88.7 %, 85.6 and 82.7 %, respectively. The probability of surviving an additional 3 years on the condition of having already survived 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years after surgery were 88.6 %, 89.9 %, 91.0 %, 92.2 % and 93.2 %, respectively. Patients with a higher risk at baseline showed a greater increase in CS over time.ConclusionsCS estimates provide important information about dynamic prognostic changes over time for Korean gastric cancer patients, and as such, can be used to guide long-term follow-up strategies.

BackgroundThe purpose of this retrospective study was to determine whether RFA could provide an alternative treatment modality for selected patients who are not candidates for hepatic resection.MethodsA total of 18 consecutive patients with liver metastases alone from gastric cancer treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA, n = 11) or hepatic resection (HR, n = 7) at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Korea, between January 2000 and September 2014, were enrolled.ResultsThe median OS and DFS in the RFA group were 40.5 ± 22.3 and 10.3 ± 1.07 months, respectively. There was no significant difference between the RFA and HR groups in terms of baseline characteristics except for performance status. Mean survival and DFS times of all patients were 60.1 ± 9.4 and 40.9 ± 10.2 months, respectively. Mean OS times in the HR and RFA groups were 67.5 ± 15.4 and 51.1 ± 9.8 months (P = 0.671), respectively, and the mean DFS time in the HR group (74.1 ± 14.2 months) was longer than that in the RFA group (26.9 ± 9.2 months), but the difference was not significant (P = 0.076).ConclusionsIn patients who are not candidates for surgical treatment, RFA may be an alternative to HR.

To investigate whether the log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) system is a more accurate prognostic tool than the number-based (pN) or ratio-based (rN) lymph node staging system in Korean patients with gastric cancer (GC).The LODDS is a recently proposed staging modality in surgical oncology. However, it is unclear whether LODDS is superior to the pN or rN system in terms of predicting the prognosis of GC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy and had a greater number of retrieved lymph nodes.Clinicopathological data from 3929 patients who had undergone curative gastrectomy for GC were reviewed. In addition, overall survival rates according to pN and rN classification stratified by the LODDS were analyzed. A multivariate analysis of survival rate was performed using a Cox proportional hazard model.pN, rN, and LODDS were significantly correlated with 5-year survival rate. Spearman correlation test showed no correlation between LODDS and number of lymph nodes retrieved. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the 3 staging systems had comparable prognostic accuracy (P < 0.05). Survival analysis according to pN and rN classification stratified by the LODDS staging system demonstrated that LODDS is superior to pN and rN.The LODDS is independently and significantly associated with the OS of Korean patients with GC, and its prognostic value is superior to that of the other lymph node staging systems in Korean patients.

PurposeTo present the feasibility and safety of Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy using hemi-double-stapling technique after laparoscopic total gastrectomy.MethodsWe reviewed the outcomes from 58 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy. The clinicopathological characteristics including postoperative complications were examined.ResultsThe mean age and body mass index were 57.3 ± 9.7 years and 23.7 ± 2.6 kg/m2, respectively. The mean overall total operation was 199.8 ± 57.0 minutes. Intraoperative blood loss was 81.6 ± 56.3 mL and there was no open conversion. The patients' hospital stay was a mean 9.6 ± 2 days. The mean proximal margin of the specimens was 2.7 ± 1.8 cm. There were 3 cases (5.1%) of anastomosis leakage, but all were controlled successfully by endoscopic stent.ConclusionThe circular HDST technique is simple and reliable without any significant demerits with respect to safety concerns or difficulty of operation.

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Fournier’s gangrene is a synergetic polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis of the perianal, perineal and genital areas, it is a rare condition and it has a high mortality rate of up to 67%. Acute appendicitis has been identified as another cause of Fournier’s gangrene. This case demonstrates the critical importance of considering a diagnosis of Fournier’s gangrene because of a missing diagnosis of appendicitis even if the patient is young, healthy, immunocompetent and without a background of abdominal pain. We discuss a case of 35-year-old male, immunocompetent and medically free, who was presented to Emergency Department with a clinical picture of Fournier’s gangrene due to acute perforated appendicitis without a history of abdominal pain, and within 48 hours of the onset of bilateral scrotal swelling. Our case demonstrates the importance of considering Fournier’s gangrene as a complication of an intra-abdominal septic process, even in a young, healthy, immunocompetent patient.

Acute cholecystitis and appendicitis are among the most common conditions encountered by general surgeons; however, they are rarely described simultaneously. We are reporting a rare incidental finding of early acute appendicitis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for a 36-year-old lady who presented to our emergency department with signs and symptoms of acute calculous cholecystitis. Laparoscopy has proved to be a highly useful and ideal tool in the diagnosis and treatment of such surgical situations.