An identical surgical risk and survival rates for curative resection, equally as good as those seen with conventional, non-extended procedures, justify the liberal use of multivisceral resection in the surgical treatment of colorectal carcinomas directly invading neighbouring organs.
Apart from the factors tumor size and tumor grading, lymph-vessel invasion appears to be of special significance for the long-term prognosis. Already in the pN0 stage, the latter was present in 64% of the cases and must be considered a precursor of lymphogenic metastasization. Since lymph-vessel invasion was demonstrated in 86% of tumors measuring less than 2 cm, the therapeutic consequence for all ductal pancreatic tumors is an extended lymphatic and soft tissue dissection that goes beyond the regional lymph-node stations.
The impact of a multidisciplinary Nutritional Support Service (NSS) on the reduction of complication was evaluated in 78 consecutive patients who received total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on the same VA surgical service. Patients were placed into one of three groups (pre-NSS, transition-NSS, post-NSS) based on the evolution of the NSS. A significant reduction in catheter sepsis was observed and was attributable to the establishment of an NSS, specifically, a nurse specialist and protocols for catheter insertion and care.
The fate of patients with potentially resectable carcinomas is not only determined by the pTNM tumor stage, but also possibly by tumor-biological factors. The aim of this study was to identify these prognostic factors in patients undergoing primary curative (R0) resection. The study retrospectively analyzed 113 patients with ductal adenocarcinoma who were operated on between 1986 and 1995. R0 resection was able to be performed in 93 patients. Lymph node metastases were found in 73%. The rates of lymph vessel and perineural invasion were 83.5% and 45%, respectively. Among the 25 carcinomas without lymph node metastases, 64% already had lymph vessel invasion and 48% had perineural invasion. The cumulative 5-year survival rate of the 91 surviving patients analyzed was 10.5%. Depending on the tumor stage we found a significant difference in 5-year survival rates between patients without lymph node metastases (26.5%) and those with lymph node involvement (5%) (P = 0.008). A multivariate analysis only identified lymph vessel invasion (L0/1), tumor size (< or = or < or =2 cm), and tumor grading (G) to have significant and independent prognostic value. Lymph vessel invasion, tumor size, and tumor grading proved to be independent factors determining long-term prognosis.
This is a report of 117 pancreaticoduodenectomies performed for chronic pancreatitis, of which 49 were partial and 68 were total. The operative mortality rate of partial pancreaticoduodenectomy was 8.2% and of total pancreatectomy was 20.6%. During a follow-up period of 61/2 years, 76% and 63% of the surgical patients, respectively, continued to drink alcohol as heavily as before. Prior to total pancreatectomy, only 42% of the patients had diabetes. After total extirpation of the organ, all had diabetes and 75% were very difficult to stabilize with insulin, experiencing repeated episodes of hypoglycemic shock. The additional late mortality rate was 20.4% following partial pancreaticoduodenectomy and 19.1% after total resection. After total pancreatectomy, 50% of the late deaths were due to hypoglycemia. After total pancreatectomy, 11% fewer patients were still alive at the end of the follow-up period than after partial pancreaticoduodenectomy. Total pancreatectomy is justified only in patients who already have diabetes requiring insulin. A new technique is described in which, following resection of the head of the pancreas, the duct system is occluded by injection of a rapidly hardening amino acid solution, leading to atrophy of the excretory pancreas within a few weeks. This procedure has been carried out in 39 patients with a mortality rate of 2.5% and postoperative complications in 7.6%. We believe that the immediate risk of partial pancreaticoduodenectomy in chronic pancreatitis can be decreased markedly and the late results improved by this new technique.
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