BackgroundGallbladder carcinoma presents a dismal prognosis. Choice treatment is surgical resection that is associated a high levels of both morbidity and mortality. Best knowledgement of prognostic factors may result a better selection of patients either for surgical or multimodal treatment.AimTo evaluate tecidual immunoexpression of P53, E-cadherin, Cox-2, and EGFR proteins and to correlate these findings with resected gallbladder adenocarcinoma survival.MethodsClinical, laboratorial, surgical, and anatomopathological reports of a series of gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients were collected by individualized questionary. Total sample was 42 patients. Median of age was 72 years (35-87). There were seven men and 35 women. Lesion distribuition in according TNM state was the following: T1 (n=2), T2 (n=5), T3 (n=31), T4 (n=4). Twenty-three patients underwent radical resection (R0), while 19 palliative surgery (R1-R2). A block of tissue microarray with neoplasic tissue of each patient was confected. It was performed evaluation of P53, E-Caderine, COX-2, and EGFR proteins imunoexpression. These findings were correlated with overall survival.ResultsFive-year survival was 28%. The median of global survival was eight months. Only immunoexpression of EGFR protein was considered independent variable at multivariated analysis.ConclusionFinal prognosis was influenced by over-expression of EGFR protein in tumoral tissue.

Background:Laparoscopic hepatectomy has presented great importance for treating malignant hepatic lesions. Aim:To evaluate its impact in relation to overall survival or disease free of the patients operated due different hepatic malignant tumors. Methods:Thirty-four laparoscopic hepatectomies were performed in 31 patients with malignant neoplasm. Patients were distributed as: Group 1 - colorectal metastases (n=14); Group 2 - hepatocellular carcinoma (n=8); and Group 3 - non-colorectal metastases and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n=9). The conversion rate, morbidity, mortality and tumor recurrence were also evaluated. Results:Conversion to open surgery was 6%; morbidity 22%; postoperative mortality 3%. There was tumor recurrence in 11 cases. Medians of overall survival and disease free survival were respectively 60 and 46 m; however, there was no difference among studied groups (p>0,05). Conclusion:Long-term outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy for treating hepatic malignant tumors are satisfactory. There is no statistical difference in relation of both overall and disease free survival among different groups of hepatic neoplasms.

Laparoscopic hepatectomy is a safe surgical approach for treating both benign and malignant hepatic lesions. This small series showed no mortality, low morbidity and good cosmetic results.

Background:Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy has been the choice for resection of distal pancreas lesions due many advantages over open approach. Spleen preservation technique seems minimizes infectious complications in long-term outcome. Aim:To present the results of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies with spleen preservation by Kimura´s technique (preservation of spleen blood vessels) performed by single surgical team. Methods:Retrospective case series aiming to evaluate both short and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies with spleen preservation. Results: A total of 54 laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies were performed, in which 26 were laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies with spleen preservation by Kimura´s technique. Mean age was 47.9 years-old (21-75) where 61.5% were female. Mean BMI was 28.5 kg/m² (18-38.8). Mean diameter of lesion was 4.3 cm (1.8-7.5). Mean operative time was 144.1 min (90-200). Intraoperative bleeding was 119.2 ml (50-600). Conversion to laparotomy 3% (n=1). Postoperative morbidity was 11.5%. Postoperative mortality was null. Mean of hospital stay was 4.8 days (2-14). Mean time of follow-up period was 19.7 months (2-60). There was no neoplasm recurrence or mortality on evaluated period. There was no infectious complication. Conclusion:Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with spleen and splenic vessels preservation is feasible, safe, and effective procedure. This technique presented both low morbidity and null mortality on this sample. There were neither infectious complications nor neoplasm recurrence on long-term follow-up period.

Prognostic factors were: T stage, serum level of CA 19.9, gallbladder perforation, lymphatic embolization, surgical historical cohort and hilar lymphadenectomy.

Background: Percutaneous drainage for pyogenic liver abscess has been considered the gold-standard approach for the treatment on almost of the cases. However, when percutaneous drainage fails or even in some especial situations, as multiloculate abscess, lobe or segment surgical resection can solve infectious clinical condition. Aim: To report a series of patients who underwent hepatectomy for pyogenic liver abscess performed by a single surgical team. Methods: Eleven patients were operated with ages ranging from 45-73 years (mean and median 66 years). There were eight men and three women. The etiologies were: idiopathic (n=4), biliary (n=2), radiofrequency (n=2), direct extension (n=1), portal (n=1), and arterial (n=1). The mean lesion diameter was 9.27 cm (6-20 cm). Results: The mean operation length was 180 min (120-300). The mean intra-operative blood loss was 448 ml (50-1500). Surgical approaches were: right hepatectomy (n=4), left hepatectomy (n=3), left lateral sectioniectomy (n=1), right posterior sectioniectomy (n=2), resection of S8 (n=1), and S1 (n=1). Postoperative morbidity rate was 30%, while mortality was null. Median hospital stay was 18 days (5-45). The median follow-up period was 49 months (13-78). There was single lesion recurrence. Conclusion: Hepatectomy can be done as exception approach for pyogenic hepatic abscess treatment; it is a good therapeutic option in special situations.

Background: Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) is the preferred approach for resection of tumors in the distal pancreas because of its many advantages over the open approach. Aim: To analyse and compare short and long-term outcomes from LDP performed through two different techniques: with splenectomy vs. spleen preservation and splenic vessel preservation. Method: Fifty-eight patients were operated and subsequently divided between two groups: Group 1, LDP with splenectomy (LDPS); and Group 2, LDP with spleen preservation and preservation of splenic vessels (LDPSPPSV). Results:The epidemiological characteristics were statistically similar between the two groups (age, gender, BMI and lesion size). Both the mean of operative time (p=0.04) and the mean of intra-operative blood loss (p=0,03) were higher in Group 1. The mean of resected lymph nodes was also higher in Group 1 (p<0.000). There were no statistic differences between the groups in relation to open conversion, morbidity or early postoperative mortality. The mean hospital stay was similar between groups. Pancreatic fistula (grade B and C) was similar between the groups. The mean of overall follow-up was 37.6 months (5-96). Late complications were similar between the groups. Conclusion: Both techniques were superimposable; however, LDPS presented, respectively, higher intra-operative bleeding, longer duration of the operation and higher number of lymph nodes resected. No differences were observed in the studied period in relation to the appearance of infections or neoplasm related to splenectomy during follow-up. Maintenance of the spleen avoided periodic immunizations in patients in LDPSPSV. It is indicated in small pancreatic lesions with indolent course.

Aim: Even though laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) has proved to be both safe and effective in specialized centers; the restricted indications for resection in the case of benign liver lesions has resulted in poorly reported outcomes. Our aim was to describe the short and long-term results of LH to treat benign hepatic lesions, including quality of life (QoL) evaluation. Methods: Thirty-one LHs were performed between 2007 and 2018 in 30 patients. We evaluated QoL with the SF-36 test and a body image satisfaction questionnaire by personal interview before surgical treatment and at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. Results: Median age was 38 years (range 21-71) and the majority were females (68%). The most frequent etiology was hepatic adenoma in 16 patients (52%), followed by focal nodular hyperplasia (n = 4), cavernous hemangioma (n = 3), hepatic abscess (n = 3), cystadenoma (n = 5) and hepatolithiasis (n = 1). The majority of resections were minor (66%) and the conversion rate was 6.2%. Pathological examination confirmed negative margins in all patients. Postoperative mortality was nil, while morbidity was 6.2%. Median hospital stay was 4 days (range 1-32 days). In a median follow-up of 48 months (range 2-120), 2 patients experienced recurrence. QoL variables were similar between the preoperative and postoperative periods. Conclusion: LH should be considered the main therapeutic approach for treating selected patients with benign liver lesions who require surgical resection because it presented both null mortality and low morbidity, along with rare recurrence, a good quality of life and high esthetic satisfaction.