No abstract

The authors' objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of radical surgery with lymph node dissection for gallbladder carcinoma. Long-term results were analyzed in 40 patients in a 5-year study. The authors divided the 40 cases into two groups: 20 without positive nodes and 20 with positive nodes. In the group without positive nodes, one patient who underwent R1 resection died of a recurrence at 1 year 7 months. Seventeen of the 19 patients treated with R0 resection survived more than 5 years. The 5-year survival rate was 85% (17/20). In the group with positive nodes, 9 of the 13 patients treated with R0 resection survived more than 5 years, whereas the seven patients treated with R1 or R2 resection died within 5 years. The 5-year survival rate was 45% (9/20). Patients treated by R0 resection showed a 5-year survival rate of 69% (9/13). Thus we documented the favorable long-term results of radical surgery. R0 resection is a prerequisite for long-term survival. The results justify radical surgery with lymph node dissection.

Specimens from 3197 consecutive and unselected cholecystectomies performed during a 6‐year period were studied. Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder was defined as a lesion characterized by a thickened wall that consisted of Rokitansky‐Aschoff sinuses surrounded by proliferated fibromuscular tissue. Adenomyomatosis was found in 279 specimens and classified as one of three types: segmental, fundal, or diffuse. Segmental adenomyomatosis was found in 188 specimens; gallbladder cancer (GBC) developed in 12 (6.4%) of the patients with segmental type adenomyomatosis. GBC developed in the mucosa of the fundal compartment distal to the annular stricture of the segmental type adenomyomatosis in all 12 of these patients. Conversely, GBC developed in 93 (3.1%) of the other 3009 patients (those with fundal alone, diffuse, or no adenomyomatosis). The prevalence of GBC in patients with segmental adenomyomatosis was significantly (P < 0.025) higher than that of patients without segmental adenomyomatosis. Clinicians should be aware that segmental adenomyomatosis often coexists with GBC.

This study was designed to investigate issues concerning "inapparent carcinoma" of the gallbladder and the effectiveness of a radical second operation in the treatment of inapparent carcinoma. Ninety-eight patients with inapparent carcinoma were analyzed according to the "pT" category of TNM (tumor, nodes, and metastases) classification. Eighty patients underwent cholecystectomy alone, and 14 patients had a subsequent radical operation. After cholecystectomy alone it was found that (1) Patients with pT1 cancer had a 5-year survival rate (5ysr) of 100%; (2) In patients with pT2, 5ysr was 40%; and (3) Patients with pT3 showed 5ysr of 0%. Results of a radical second operation showed that (1) Patients with pT2 cancer showed a 5ysr of 90%, significantly better (p less than 0.05) than pT2 treated with cholecystectomy alone; (2) There was a prolongation of survival in patients with pT3 or pT4. It was concluded that a radical second operation should be carried out for pT2 or more advanced inapparent carcinoma, whereas follow-up without a second operation is recommended for pT1 cancer without positive margin.

Isopower or topographic electrogastrograms (EGG) correspond to topographic electroencephalograms. Both project the topographic localizations of the spectral frequencies on the abdominal surface or scalp. This paper compares the pre-operative control isopower EGG maps with those of total gastrectomy or total colectomy. EGGs were recorded simultaneously at 27 locations on the epigastro-abdominal surface. Spectral analysis by the maximal entropy method (MEM) was performed and the ensemble means of pre-prandial and post-prandial spectra were calculated. The spectral frequencies were arbitrarily classified into five groups, 1 cycle per minute (cpm) (0-2.4 cpm), 3 cpm (2.5-4.9 cpm), 6 cpm (5.0-7.4 cpm), 8 cpm (7.5-9.9 cpm) and 10 cpm (10.0-12.9 cpm). Maximal power peaks in each spectral group, and electrode locations which were expressed by x-y coordinates were the indicators for making the isopower EGG maps by using a contour map program. Thereafter, the maximal power spots or foci in each spectral group were determined. The pre-operative maximal power foci of the 1, 8 and 10 cpm groups were distributed rather evenly on the epigastro-abdominal surface. Those of the 3 and 6 cpm groups, mainly concentrated in the epigastric region, were absent in almost all patients who had undergone total gastrectomy. The infra-umbilical foci of the 3 and 6 cpm groups completely disappeared after total colectomy. The infra-umbilical foci of the 3 and 6 cpm groups (2.5-7.4) may reflect the colonic activities and the epigastric 3 cpm foci, the gastric activities. The pre-operative maximal power of the 3 cpm foci decreased significantly after total or sub-total gastrectomy.