BackgroundSince the advent of immunohistochemistry for the diagnosis of stromal tumours, the incidence of leiomyosarcomas has significantly decreased. Nowadays, gastric leiomyosarcoma is an exceptionally rare tumour. We report the second case in the English literature of gastric leiomyosarcoma revealed with massive bleeding and hemodynamic instability and diagnostic pitfalls that we encountered.Case presentationA 63-year-old woman, with 2 years’ history of dizziness and weakness probably related to an anaemic syndrome, presented to the emergency room with hematemesis, melena and hemodynamic instability.On examination, she had conjunctival pallor with reduced general condition, blood pressure of 90/45 mmHg and a pulse between 110 and 120 beats per minute. On digital rectal examination, she had melena. Laboratory blood tests revealed a haemoglobin level at 38 g/L.The patient was admitted to the intensive care department. After initial resuscitation, transfusion and intravenous Omeprazole continuous infusion, her condition was stabilized. She underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showing a tumour of the cardia, protruding in the lumen with mucosal ulceration and clots in the stomach. Biopsies were taken. Histological examination showed interlacing bundles of spindle cells, ill-defined cell borders, elongated hyperchromatic nuclei with marked pleomorphism and paranuclear vacuolization. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for Vimentine, a strong and diffuse immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin (SMA). Immunoreactivities for KIT and DOG1 were doubtful.Computed tomography scan revealed a seven-cm tumour of the cardia, without adenopathy or liver metastasis.The patient underwent laparotomy. A total gastrectomy was performed without lymphadenectomy. Post-operative course was uneventful.Histological examination of the tumour specimen found the same features as preoperative biopsies with negative margins. We solicited a second opinion of an expert in a reference centre for sarcomas in France, who confirmed the diagnosis of a high grade gastric leiomyosarcoma.ConclusionGastric leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumour. Diagnosis is based on histological examination with immunohistochemistry, which could be sometimes confusing like in our case. The validation of a pathological expert is recommended.

Background Signet-ring cell carcinoma of the stomach (SRCC) is a particular gastric cancer entity. Its incidence is increasing. Its diagnosis is pathological; it corresponds to adenocarcinoma with a majority of signet-ring cells component (> 50%). These histological features give it its aggressiveness characteristics. This has repercussions on the prognostic level and implications for the alternatives of therapy, especially since some authors suggest a potential chemoresistance. This survey aimed to identify the epidemiological, pathological, therapeutic, and prognostic characteristics of SRCC as a separate disease entity. Methods This was a retrospective study of 123 patients admitted for gastric adenocarcinoma to Habib Thameur Hospital in Tunis over 11 years from January 2006 to December 2016. A comparative study was performed between 2 groups: the SRCC group with 62 patients and the non-SRCC (non-signet-ring cell carcinoma of the stomach) with 61 patients. Results The prevalence of SRCC in our series was 50%. SRCC affected significantly younger patients (55 vs 62 years; p = 0.004). The infiltrative character was more common in SRCC tumors (30.6 vs 14.8%; p = 0.060), whereas the budding character was more often noted in non-SRCC tumors (78.7 vs 58.1%; p = 0.039). There was no significant difference in tumor localization between both groups. Linitis plastica was noted in 14 patients with SRCC against a single patient with non-SRCC (p = 0.001). The tumor size was more important in the non-SRCC group (6.84 vs 6.39 cm; p = 0.551). Peritoneal carcinomatosis was noted in 4.3% of cases in the SRCC group versus 2.2% of cases in the NSRCC group (p = 0.570). Total gastrectomy was more often performed in the SRCC group (87 vs 56%; p = 0.001). Resection was more often curative in the non-SRCC group (84.4 vs 78.3%; p = 0.063). Postoperative chemotherapy was more commonly indicated in the SRCC group (67.4 vs 53.3%; p = 0.339). Tumor recurrence was more common in the non-SRCC group (35.7 vs 32%; p = 0.776). The most common type of recurrence was peritoneal carcinomatosis in the SRCC group (62.5%) and hepatic metastasis in the non-SRCC group (60%; p = 0.096). The overall 5-year survival in the SRCC group was lower than in the non-SRCC group, with no statistically significant difference (47.1 vs 51.5%; p = 0.715). The overall survival was more important for SRCC in early cancer (100 vs 80%; p = 0.408), whereas it was higher for non-SRCC in advanced cancer (48.1 vs 41.9%; p = 0.635). Conclusion Apart from its epidemiological and pathological features, SRCC seems to have a worse prognosis. Indeed, it is diagnosed at a more advanced stage and has a worse prognosis in advanced cancer than non-SRCC. It is therefore to be considered as a particular entity of gastric adenocarcinoma requiring a specific therapeutic protocol where the place of chemotherapy remains to be more investigated.

No abstract

No abstract

BackgroundGastroduodenalartery (GDA) pseudo-aneurysms are very rare. Their clinical importance lies in the eventuality of rupture, causing bleeding and ultimately exsanguination.Case presentationWe report the case of a man, with prior history of biliary surgery, presenting with haemobilia secondary to a rupture of GDA pseudo-aneurysm eroding the main bile duct. The patient was treated with coil embolization. This technique is considered to be safe. However, on the long term, some complications may occur. In our case, the patient presented with cholangitis subsequent to coil migration in the lower bile duct. This situation was managed using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) allowing coil extraction with favorable evolution.ConclusionsGDA pseudo-aneurysms are very rare. Bleeding, secondary to the rupture of these lesions, is a serious complication that could lead to death. Diagnosis and treatment of ruptured GDA pseudo-aneurysms rely on angiography. This method is considered to be safe. Cholangitis secondary to coil migration in the main bile duct is exceedingly rare,but remains an eventuality that physicians should be cognizant of.

Background Training programs such as the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) that are based on simulation are being currently used in several western countries. FLS allows skill acquisition and evaluation of competency in laparoscopic surgery. On the practical side, evaluation is determined by the MISTELS metrics (MISTELS is the acronym for the McGill inanimate system for training and evaluation of laparoscopic skills). This training program may be modified so that it can be implemented in countries with limited resources using a low-cost trainer box. Would the use of a low-cost trainer box alter the reliability of the MISTELS score? Objective of study The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability of a modified MISTELS using a low-cost trainer box. Methods It was a prospective study carried out at Habib Thameur hospital in Tunis (Tunisia), between April 2016 and August 2016. The study involved residents from different surgical specialties in the departments of general surgery and paediatric surgery of the hospital during 2015 and 2016. This study assessed the reliability of a modified MISTELS system (Only three tasks were performed out of the five tasks used in the original MISTELS system). Evaluation was based on Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). A low-cost trainer box was designed and constructed. The residents included in the study performed three series of three tasks using this trainer box. The first series was scored by two trained raters to evaluate inter-rater reliability. The two-other series were successively performed to evaluate test-retest reliability. Results The internal consistency, assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, was at 0.929 which is an acceptable score. As for inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities that were assessed by ICCs, they yielded excellent scores that were at 1 and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.891–0.978) respectively. Conclusions The reliability of a modified MISTELS is not altered by the use of a low-cost trainer box. The score of the modified MISTELS is a reliable score for evaluating technical skills of surgical residents using a low-cost trainer box. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1572-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

RésuméIntroductionLa cholécystectomie laparoscopique est le gold standard de la prise en charge des calculs vésiculaires symptomatiques. Il existe une importante controverse quant au fait de savoir si elle devrait être pratiquée en chirurgie ambulatoire ou dans le cadre d'une chirurgie avec hospitalisation d'une nuit pour ce qui concerne la sécurité des patients. Le but du travail est d’évaluer l'impact de la cholécystectomie laparoscopique en chirurgie ambulatoire versus en chirurgie avec hospitalisation d'une nuit sur les critères de jugement axés sur le patient, tels que la mortalité, les graves événements indésirables et la qualité de vie.MéthodesIl s’agit d’une étude transversale descriptive réalisée au sein du service de chirurgie générale de l’hôpital Habib Thameur, sur la période allant de Mai 2009 à Février 2010. Cette étude porte sur 67 malades porteurs d’une lithiase vésiculaire symptomatique ayant eu une cholécystectomie laparoscopique en ambulatoire (CLA). Étaient exclus de l’étude: les malades ASA III et IV, les diabétiques sous sulfamides ou sous insuline, les grands obèses, les malades de plus de 65 ans et moins de 18 ans, ceux avec un antécédent de chirurgie abdominale majeure, les malades suspects d’une lithiase de la voie biliaire principale, d’une cholécystite aiguë ou d’une pancréatite. Pour être traité par CLA, le malade devait résider à moins de 50 km de l’hôpital, et avoir la possibilité d’une présence adulte à ses côtés.RésultatsDix-sept patients étaient inclus puis exclus de notre étude devant la découverte per opératoire de signes de cholécystite aigue ou devant des difficultés de dissection amenant le chirurgien à mettre un drain de Redon en sous hépatique en fin d’intervention. Finalement, 50 patients ont été retenus: 7 hommes et 43 femmes d’âge moyen de 48 ans. L’intervention se déroulait selon les modalités habituelles. A la sortie de la salle de réveil, le patient était dirigé en secteur ambulatoire où une alimentation liquide était autorisée. Le malade était revu avant 19 h et la sortie décidée si une analgésie orale était possible, si une alimentation liquide était tolérée, s’il n’existait aucun trouble de la diurèse, et si le patient acceptait un retour à domicile avec un traitement antalgique et anti-inflammatoire à la demande. Trente neuf patients (78%) ont quitté l’hôpital et 11 ont été gardés. L’âge > à 45 ans, la durée de l’anesthésie > à 70 minutes et la fatigue post opératoire ont été identifié comme facteur de risque de sorties ratées. Aucune réadmission n’a été observée. Les patients qui ont pu être mis sortants ont été satisfaits du protocole de prise en charge avec des réponses majoritairement de type excellent et bon (94%).ConclusionLa chirurgie ambulatoire semble tout aussi sûre que la chirurgie avec hospitalisation d'une nuit dans la cholécystectomie laparoscopique avec un faible taux de complication et de réadmission chez des malades sélectionnés, et avec une réduction du coût de l’intervention.

No abstract