Injury to the extrahepatic biliary system after blunt abdominal trauma is rare and may be overlooked due to associated intra-abdominal trauma. We report on a 31-year-old man who, following blunt abdominal trauma, presented with an unusual injury of the extrahepatic left hepatic duct within the umbilical fissure which was diagnosed only at relaparotomy. Whenever injury to the biliary system is suspected, a thorough assessment of the liver, the extrahepatic biliary system including the left ductal system within the umbilical fissure region should be carried out. Diagnosis is facilitated by intra-operative cholangiography.

BACKGROUND:We compared preoperative (combined clinical and radiological staging and endoscopical Borrmann classification), intraoperative (by the surgeon: curative/palliative; R0/R1/R2-resection; intraoperative stage I to IV) and postoperative staging including histological results (pTNM) in respect of resectability and prognosis.METHODS:All patients with adenocarcinoma of the stomach were prospectively and consecutively included in the study protocol and were staged during the hospitalisation by the different specialists. Out of 215 patients with malignant tumors of the stomach, 153 were finally evaluated for the study. We excluded 62 patients with other malignancies or with a follow up of less than 6 months. Preoperative endoscopic Borrmann classification was done by the gastroenterologist, preoperative TNM-classification by the radiologist and surgeon, intraoperative classification by the surgeon and postoperative classification by the pathologist. All results were immediately described in the protocol. Follow-up and survival curves were performed by the Regional Tumor Registry and statistics by the Statistical Department of the University using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Log-Rank and Wilcoxon Test for significance.RESULTS:Preoperative staging was unreliable and there was no relationship between preoperative and postoperative staging nor survival. In opposite intra- and postoperative staging correlated significantly between the different groups and with survival (p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS:As long as preoperative staging systems are not improved (which may be in the future the case with endosonography), all operable patients with gastric carcinoma should undergo a laparotomy or laparoscopy, because only intraoperative evaluation of the surgeon allows a decision on a possible curative resection. Patients with stages I-III should be resected radically with complete dissection of lymph node compartments 1 and 2. This policy is justified especially in view of a minimal hospital mortality (3%).

BACKGROUND/AIMS:Patients with lobar or segmental impairment of bile flow or of portal venous blood flow frequently develop considerable atrophy of the area involved, followed by compensatory hypertrophy/hyperplasia of the non-affected parts. This configuration is termed atrophy/hypertrophy complex of the liver. METHODS:In order to analyze the relative contributions of bile duct and portal vein obstruction in the pathogenesis of atrophy/hypertrophy complex, we developed a rat model with selective bile duct and/or portal vein ligation of the anterior liver lobes, representing about two thirds of the liver mass. Evolution of total body weights and weights of the different liver lobes were determined, and morphometry and functional scintigraphy (hepatoiodida scanning) were performed immediately after ligation and at 30 h, 4, 8 and 28 days postoperatively. RESULTS:The major findings were: 28 days after biliary and/or portal ligation there was no difference between the body weights of all animals, all ligated animals having compensated an initial body weight loss. Total liver weight remained constant during the whole observation period, while atrophy of the anterior and hypertrophy/hyperplasia of the posterior lobes occurred. A significant atrophy/hypertrophy complex developed only after selective portal ligation, but not after selective biliary ligation. Morphometrically analyzed histologic changes after selective biliary ligation were reversible, whereas in portally ligated liver lobes a progressive parenchymal destruction and involution with subsequent impairment of hepatic function of the concerned lobe were observed. CONCLUSIONS:The present findings indicate that impairment of portal venous flow is the major driving force for the development of lobar atrophy in the rat and that atrophy/hypertrophy complex can be produced in a rodent model.

We clinically followed 53 patients after a mean time of 3 years for postgastrectomy symptoms concerning 10 criteria including the Visick grading, dumping after Sigstad, efferent and afferent loop-syndrome, bile reflux, regurgitation and life-quality judged by the patient and the examiner. In our study we included 15 patients after a Billroth I, 15 after Billroth II, 15 patients after a Roux-en-Y reconstruction and 8 patients with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction because of severe disturbance of life quality after a primary Billroth II operation. The Roux-en-Y reconstruction showed significantly better results when compared to Billroth I and especially Billroth II reconstruction (p < 0.05). These results compare well with reports in the literature, where generally only one or two criteria are examined. We conclude that partial gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction should be the preferred method provided that the procedure is adequate for the pathology found.

In a retrospective study (1984-1991) we evaluated 56 patients with pyogenic (44 patients) and with amebic (12 patients) liver abscesses. Patients with pyogenic liver abscesses usually belong to the older generation (70-80 years). Pyogenic abscesses are mainly due to a severe underlying disease and patients are in poor general condition. Therapy includes antibiotics and in most cases drainage (nowadays mainly percutaneous; surgical drainage should only be used with a simultaneous intraabdominal procedure for treatment of the underlying disease). The mean hospitalization time is 33 days. Prognosis is good, the mortality of 14% being mainly due to severe underlying disease. This latter can be found in 75% of the patients and should be treated electively. In amebic liver abscesses the patients are much younger (around 30 years). Patients are in good general condition and antibiotics alone are sufficient for radical treatment. The mean hospitalization time is 16.5 days and mortality is zero. Symptoms and clinical signs are the same in both groups: fever, right upper quadrant tenderness, jaundice and hepatomegaly. Diagnosis by ultrasonography and/or computed tomography is very reliable. History and serology are reliable for differentiation of the two types. With a correct diagnostic approach and treatment, liver abscesses are today benign conditions with a low mortality.

Single-shot antibiotic prophylaxis is well established in abdominal surgery. There is evidence suggesting that it prevents wound infections and some authors report also prevention against postoperative urinary tract infection and pneumonia. From April 1988 to December 1990 we randomly assigned 429 patients with gastro-intestinal operations to a defined protocol: 210 patients (5 drop-outs) with elective operations of the upper GI-tract were given Ceftriaxone (half-life 8 hours, 102 patients) or Cefazolin (half-life 2 hours, 103 patients). 117 (12 drop-outs) patients with operations of the lower GI-tract were given Ceftriaxone/Ornidazole (half-life 13 hours, 50 patients) or Cefazolin/Metronidazole (half-life 8 hours, 55 patients). 102 (20 drop-outs) patients with appendicitis were given Ornidazole (40 patients) or Clindamycin (42 patients). There were no differences in sex, age or type of operation in the different groups. The overall postoperative infection-rate was low. In the upper GI-tract we found one wound infection in both groups, in the lower GI-tract two wound infections in the Ceftriaxone/Ornidazole-group vs. nine in the Cefazolin/Metronidazole-group (p < 0.05). In patients with appendicitis there were three infections in the Ornidazole-group and four in the Clindamycin-group. There was no statistically significant difference in pulmonary or urinary tract infections in all groups. Although the protocol for antibiotics with a short half-life included a second dose of antibiotics in cases of operations with a duration of more than four hours, this was forgotten in 19 of 39 concerned patients (49%!).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

OBJECTIVE:The role of CT grading of blunt splenic injuries is still controversial. We studied the CT scans of adult patients with proved blunt splenic injuries to determine if the findings accurately reflect the extent of the injury. We were specifically interested in establishing if CT findings can be used to determine whether patients require surgery or can be managed conservatively.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The CT scans of 45 patients with blunt splenic injuries were analyzed retrospectively, and the CT findings were correlated with the need for surgery. We used (1) a CT scale (I-V) for splenic parenchymal injuries that also allowed a comparison with the surgical findings in patients who underwent laparotomy, and (2) a CT-based score (1-6) that referred to both the extent of parenchymal injuries and the degree of hemoperitoneum. Early laparotomy was done in nine patients. Conservative treatment was attempted in 36 patients and was successful in 31; five patients needed delayed laparotomy after attempted conservative treatment.RESULTS:According to the CT scale (I-V), 25 patients had injuries of grade I or II; 20 patients were successfully treated conservatively, whereas five patients needed delayed surgery. Nineteen patients had injuries of grade III, IV, or V; eight patients underwent early laparotomy, and 11 patients were successfully treated conservatively. CT findings were false-negative in one patient who underwent early surgery for diaphragmatic rupture. A comparison of the CT findings with the intraoperative findings according to the CT scale (I-V) revealed identical parenchymal injury grades in four cases, whereas the injuries were underestimated on CT scans in four patients and overestimated on CT scans in six patients. The CT-based score (1-6) was applied to 41 patients; four patients who had peritoneal lavage before CT were excluded. Twelve patients had scores below 2.5; 10 patients were successfully treated conservatively, and two patients needed delayed surgery. Twenty-nine patients had scores of 2.5 or higher; six patients underwent early laparotomy, 20 patients were successfully treated conservatively, and three patients needed delayed surgery. Patients who required delayed surgery had a mean score of 3.0 (SD, +/- 1.0), which was similar to those who did not require surgery (3.1 +/- 1.5; p = .45).CONCLUSION:Our results show that CT findings cannot be used to determine reliably which patients require surgery and which patients can be treated conservatively. Even patients with splenic parenchymal injuries of CT grade III, IV, and V and with CT-based scores of 2.5 or higher can be successfully treated conservatively if the clinical situation is appropriate, whereas delayed splenic rupture can still develop in patients with low CT grades or scores. The choice between operative and nonoperative management of splenic trauma should be mainly based on clinical findings rather than CT findings.

The term, atrophy/hypertrophy complex (AHC) of the liver, denotes a distinct combination of hepatic atrophy and hypertrophy occurring in situations of significant impairment of bile flow and/or portal or hepatic venous blood flow. In the lobes or segments concerned atrophy ensues, whereas areas not or less involved develop compensatory hypertrophy, resulting in a characteristic gross deformity of the organ and, in some instances, in rotation of the liver around a virtual hilar axis. As recognition and early detection of AHC have a strong implication on the treatment of several hepatobiliary diseases, adequate combined clinical, radiological and histopathological strategies have to be used in order to arrive at a correct diagnosis. The present investigation was designed to analyze the morphology of AHC in detail and to define lesion patterns having the highest predictive value. For atrophy, the following features were highly characteristic: 1) Advanced septal fibrosis with or without nodular change of parenchyma; 2) Biliary piecemeal necrosis with formation of vascular structures; 3) Ductular proliferations, frequently extending into septa and involving the parenchyma; 4) Capillarization of sinusoids with type IV collagen deposition in Disse's space; 5) Factor VIII-associated antigen expression by sinusoidal endothelia; 6) a seemingly paradoxical increase of proliferative activity of hepatocytes as based on PCNA staining. The severity of lesions in atrophy was related to the type of underlying disease, in that the changes were clearly more expressed in situations of longstanding obstruction due to benign disease. Using a set of well-defined morphological parameters, atrophy can be reproducibly distinguished from hypertrophy in biopsy material from AHC.

We clinically followed 53 patients after a mean time of 3 \ears for postgastrectomy symptoms concerning 10 criteria including the Visick grading, dumping after Sigstad, efferent and afferent loop-syndrome, bile reflux, regurgitation and life-quality juged by the patient and the examiner. In our study we included 15 patients after a Billroth I, 15 after Billroth II, 15 patients after a Roux-en-Y reconstruction and 8 patients with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction because of severe disturbance of life quality after a primary Billroth II operation. The Roux-en-Y reconstruction showed significantly better results when compared to Billroth I and especially Billroth II reconstruction (p<0.05). These results compare well with reports in the literature, where generally only one or two criteria are examined. We conclude that partial gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction should be the preferred method provided that the procedure is adequate for the pathology found.

In a retrospective study (1984-1991) we evaluated 56 patients with pyogenic (44 patients) and with amebic (12 patients) liver abscesses. Patients with pyogenic liver abscesses usually belong to the older generation (70-80 years). Pyogenic abscesses are mainly due to a severe underlying disease and patients are in poor general condition. Therapy includes antibiotics and in most cases drainage (nowadays mainly percutaneous; surgical drainage should only be used with a simultaneous intraabdominal procedure for treatment of the underlying disease). The mean hospitalization time is 33 days. Prognosis is good, the mortality of 14% being mainly due to severe underlying disease. This latter can be found in 75% of the patients and should be treated electively. In amebic liver abscesses the patients are much younger (around 30 years). Patients are in good general condition and antibiotics alone are sufficient for radical treatment. The mean hospitalization time is 16.5 days and mortality is zero. Symptoms and clinical signs are the same in both groups: fever, right upper quadrant tenderness, jaundice and hepatomegaly. Diagnosis by ultrasonography and/or computed tomography is very reliable. History and serology are reliable for differentiation of the two types. With a correct diagnostic approach and treatment, liver abscesses are today benign conditions with a low mortality.

A study of ninety-four patients admitted with massive lower gastro-intestinal bleeding (LGIB) is presented using a systematic diagnostic work-up including angiography, colonoscopy and various investigations, such as scintigraphy, small bowel series and ultrasonography. The bleeding source was identified preoperatively in eighty-five patients. 9 patients had a diagnostic laparotomy and a pathology was found in additional seven. No source was identified in two patients (2.1%) at exploration and "blind" subtotal colectomy was not performed in these two cases as proposed by others. We conclude that a thorough systematic assessment of patients with LGIB is important to localize the bleeding source. Exploratory laparotomy is the final step in few cases (10%) and if no intraoperative source can be identified a "blind" colonic resection should not be performed.

Pyogenic liver abscess is a relatively rare disease, often concerning elderly patients in bad general condition and with underlying diseases. Out of a retrospective study (1984-1991) of 44 patients (f 43%, m 57%) with pyogenic liver abscesses and 12 patients (f 17%, m 83%) with amebic liver abscesses we present 5 patients with multifocal lesions due to Streptococcus anginosus Milleri--a special group concerning therapy and course of disease. The therapy was high-dose i.v. antibiotic therapy in all 5 cases and additional percutaneous drainage with pig-tail catheters--inserted under CT guidance--in 4 cases (1-5 catheters, time of drainage 6-63 days). The duration of hospitalisation was 15-73 days (median 45), intravenous antibiotic treatment lasted 4-40 days. After discharge oral antibiotics were continued for 14-42 days.

Liver injuries in Europe are usually caused by blunt trauma and a high mortality rate is generally reported. The severity of liver injury in 175 patients was graded from I to V and the Injury Severity Score assessed. Seventy-five patients in a prospective study (1987-1990) were treated according to a defined protocol. Non-operative management was used for those who were haemodynamically stable on admission. In unstable patients who proceeded to surgery, liberal use of packing was made and a low threshold for relaparotomy employed. Increasing experience resulted in fewer indications for resection and a 40 per cent rate of non-operative treatment in the prospectively managed group. The overall mortality rate was 12 per cent (15 per cent in the retrospective and 8 per cent in the prospective group). Death in patients with multiple injuries should only rarely result from liver trauma.

We have reviewed all the records of 23 patients hospitalized in our institution from January 1981 till December 1991 and presenting a confirmed diagnosis of esophageal perforation. We have studied the aetiology, the localization, morbidity and mortality and we discuss the therapeutic management. 9 patients presented a cervical perforation, 13 patients a thoracic perforation and 1 patient an abdominal perforation. Among the patients with cervical perforation 2 patients had a local revision with drainage, 3 patients a primary suture and 4 patients were treated conservatively. No complication was found in this group. The patients with thoracic perforation have been treated as follow: 3 conservatively, 8 with thoracotomy, primary suture +/- patch, drainage, 2 patients with thoracotomy and drainage alone. All complications happened in this group: 2 gastro-intestinal bleeding, 2 ARDS, 3 mediastinitis, 1 pneumonia. 2 patients in a very poor general condition died, one with a metastatic breast carcinoma, the other after a CVI with a massive gastro-intestinal bleeding. The cervical perforations have an excellent prognosis and can be treated conservatively if they are asymptomatic and do not display a pleural lesion. The thoracic perforations can be treated surgically if they are diagnosed early before septic complications. If not, they will be better treated conservatively with drainage. The intraabdominal perforations have to be treated as every intraabdominal perforation. In this case, we perform a primary suture completed with fundoplication.

We have reviewed all the records of 23 patients hospitalized in our institution from January 1981 till December 1991 and presenting a confirmed diagnosis of esophageal perforation. We have studied the aetiology, the localization, morbidity and mortality and we discuss the therapeutic management. 9 patients presented;a cervical perforation, 13 patients a thoracic perforation and 1 patient an abdominal perforation. Among the patients with cervical perforation 2 patients had a local revision with drainage, 3 patients a primary suture and 4 patients were treated conservatively. No complication was found in this group. The patients with thoracic perforation have been trated as follow: 3 conservatively, 8 with thoracotomy, primary suture +/- patch, drainage, 2 patients with thoracotomy and drainage alone. All complications happened in this group: 2 gastro-intestinal bleeding, 2 ARDS, 3 mediastinitis, 1 pneumonia. 2 patients in a very poor general condition died, one with a metastatic breast carcinoma, the other after a CVI with a massive gastro-intestinal bleeding. The cervical perforations have an excellent prognosis and can be treated conservatively if they are asymptomatic and do not display a pleural lesion. The thoracic perforations can be treated surgically if they are diagnosed early before septic complications. If not, they will be better treated conservatively with drainage. The intraabdominal perforations have to be treated as every intraabdominal perforation. In this case, we perform a primary suture completed with fundoplication.

Vollständige Resektion von Kremasterfaszie und Muskel

Biliary, portal, biliary/portal and hepatovenous obstruction have been recognized as the etiological factors leading to the atrophy/hypertrophy complex (AHC) of the liver. From 1987 to 1990 30 patients were evaluated in our department with documented significant AHC of the liver. The evaluation of these patients was performed at an interdisciplinary meeting of surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists and hepatologists. All patients were studied in regard to clinical, radiological and gastroenterological investigations, intraoperative findings and histology. We present the diagnostic pathway, which included ultrasound in 29 patients as the first diagnostic step and 26 patients in whom computed tomography was added. In 21 patients hepato-iodide scintigraphy was performed, in 14 patients ERCP and angiography, and in 8 patients PTC. Etiologically we found in 12 patients a post-cholecystectomy stricture (PCS) in 12 patients, a tumour obstruction in 9 patients, different etiologies (Echinococcus, Budd-Chiari syndrome, primary biliary cirrhosis [PBC], Mirizzi-syndrome) in 9 patients and an unclear etiology in 4 patients. On the basis of our study we present a new histological classification of the AHC. Severe histological changes were prognostically worse, even in benign diseases. Therapy planning is always dependent on a very precise diagnostic pathway and early recognition of AHC is essential for the planning of therapy and for the prognosis of the disease.

From 1987 to 1991 we operated on 320 patients with 360 inguinal hernias with the recently introduced transversalis fascial repair after Barwell. The transversalis fascia is duplicated with an atraumatic looped nylon 0.43 trainees performed 70% of the operations. The follow-up was 30 months (6-62) for 317 (88%) hernias (two examiners). Over all we observed eleven (3.5%) recurrences, in 8 cases after primary operation. Two of this recurrences were initially missed femoral hernias. In the learning phase we found five early recurrences in the first 60 patients and in the following 257 patients with the same follow-up only 6 recurrences. We conclude that with the new technique of transversalis fascial repair after Barwell very good results can be achieved even with a big number of young surgeons in training.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the only definitive treatment for chronic liver disease. Other available therapeutic modalities (mainly aimed at the treatment of bleeding varices) are palliative, with no influence on long-term survival.

A study of ninety-four patients admitted with massive lower gastro-intestinal bleeding (LGIB) is presented using a systematic diagnostic work-up including angiography, colonoscopy and various investigations, such as scintigraphy, small bowel series and ultrasonography. The bleeding source was identified preoperatively in eighty-five patients. 9 patients had a diagnostic laparotomy and a pathology was found in additional seven. No source was identified in two patients (2.1%) at exploration and <<blind>> subtotal colectomy was not performed in these two cases as proposed by others. We conclude that a thorough systematic assessment of patients with LGIB is important to localize the bleeding source. Exploratory laparotomy is the final step in few cases (10%) and if no intraoperative source can be identified a <<blind>> colonic resection should not be performed.