Ninety-four patients admitted to Leicester Hospitals with acute cholangitis since 1977 were reviewed to coincide with the availability of endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES). Thirty-four were men and sixty were women, their mean age was 69.7 years and the median hospital stay was 20 days. There were 15 deaths (16 per cent) by 30 days in patients with significantly lower initial serum albumin levels (P less than 0.005) and significantly higher serum urea levels (P less than 0.05) than survivors. Eighty-two patients had common bile duct (CBD) calculi of whom 71 underwent early decompression of the biliary tree either surgically (28) or by ES(43). Early surgical decompression was associated with a significantly higher 30 day mortality (6/28) than early ES (2/43) (P less than 0.02) despite the fact that patients undergoing early ES were significantly older (P less than 0.02) and had significantly more medical risk factors (P less than 0.05). Of the 43 patients undergoing early ES 7 had had a previous cholecystectomy, 13 underwent subsequent elective cholecystectomy with no mortality and the remaining 23 had the gallbladder left in situ because of advanced age (mean age 79 years) and frailty. Only 2 of the 23 have since required cholecystectomy. We suggest that patients with acute cholangitis who do not rapidly respond to conservative treatment should undergo early ES with early surgery reserved for those who do not improve following ES. Elective cholecystectomy following successful ES can often be avoided in the elderly and frail.
Endotoxaemia and circulating tumour necrosis factor are important prognostic factors in severe sepsis and are implicated in the pathogenesis of septic shock. Because clinical and pathological features in acute pancreatitis are similar to septic shock this study sought to determine whether endotoxin and tumour necrosis factor were prognostic factors in 38 patients with prognostically severe acute pancreatitis. Endotoxaemia, present in 19/37 (51%) patients on day 1, was more common in nonsurvivors than survivors (10/11, 91% v 9/26, 35%, p=0.003). Day 1 serum endotoxin concentrations were higher in patients with a severe outcome (median (interquartile range) 314 (173-563) pg/ml v 0 (0-185) pg/ml, p<0-01) and in non-survivors (266 (173-586) pg/ml v O (0-165) pg/ml, p<0.01). Serum tumour necrosis factor was detectable in 47 of 109 samples (43%) from 38 patients (median 35 pg/ ml, range 5-943 pg/ml). Day 1 serum tumour necrosis factor correlated with a worse prognostic score and a severe outcome in all patients (n=38, r=0*36, p=0*027; r=0-33, p
The indications and results of 394 endoscopic sphincterotomies (ES) performed over a 6 year period from a single centre are described. The indications for ES were common bile duct (CBD) calculi (81 per cent), papillary stenosis (9 per cent), periampullary tumours, insertion of endoprostheses, sump syndrome and biliary dilatation for benign strictures. ES was achieved in 98 per cent of patients. In the calculus group the CBD was cleared of stones in 93.3 per cent following a successful ES (92 per cent overall success rate for CBD clearance). Early complications (less than or equal to 1 month) occurred in 41 patients (10.4 per cent) of which haemorrhage accounted for nearly half. Emergency surgery following ES was undertaken in 15 patients (3.8 per cent). There were 13 deaths within one month of ES (3.3 per cent) of which three were directly attributable to ES (0.8 per cent). The diagnosis and management of complications following ES is important with increasing numbers of patients being treated from outside the referral centre.
Twenty-four patients with liver cell adenomas were referred to Paul Brousse Hospital between 1976 and 1987. This represents the largest reported surgical experience of this pathology from a single centre. Six patients had multiple adenomas, which were associated with glycogen storage disease in four. Two patients had polyadenomatosis, one of whom underwent successful liver transplantation after malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma. Eighteen patients (median age of 33 years, range of 17-45 years) had either a solitary adenoma or two adenomas. Eighty-three per cent were women 87% of whom had received oral contraceptives or other hormone therapy before diagnosis (median duration of 11 years, range of 3-15 years). Fifty per cent of these patients presented with acute hemorrhage into an adenoma. Seventeen patients underwent surgical resection of their adenomas, with the remaining patient currently being treated by arterial embolizations to reduce the tumor size before surgery. There was no operative mortality or serious morbidity, and all patients remain well upon follow-up. Surgical excision of liver adenomas, where this can be done without causing mortality, is recommended. Resection relieves symptoms and removes both the risks of hemorrhaging into the tumour and of malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma.
Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) has been proposed as a specific therapy for acute pancreatitis. Reduced mortality encountered in an uncontrolled clinical study and a controlled experimental study may be attributable to replenishment by FFP of the naturally occurring antiprotease system. To investigate this potential therapy further, 202 patients presenting with acute pancreatitis were randomized to receive FFP (2 units daily for 3 days) or a similar volume of colloid control as part of their intravenous fluid therapy. Clinical progress was monitored and the major serum antiproteases (alpha 1-antiprotease and alpha 2-macroglobulin) were measured on days 1, 3 and 7. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of clinical outcome. alpha 1-Antiprotease levels rose significantly from day 1 to day 3 in both groups (P less than 0.0001) and remained elevated at day 7. alpha 1-Antiprotease is an acute phase protein in man and raised serum levels would be anticipated. FFP appears to have no effect on the magnitude of this rise. Serum alpha 2-macroglobulin levels were reduced in both groups on day 1 and continued to fall significantly from day 1 to day 3 in the colloid control group (P less than 0.005) whilst remaining substantially unaltered in patients receiving FFP (P = 0.6527). alpha 2-Macroglobulin plays a central role in the elimination of proteases during acute pancreatitis and the ability of relatively low volumes of FFP to reduce the fall in serum alpha 2-macroglobulin levels seen during the early stages of this disease may have therapeutic implications.
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