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Background: In Japan, the hinotori™ surgical robot system (Medicaroid Corporation, Kobe, Japan) was approved for gastrointestinal surgeries in October 2022. This report details our initial experience performing liver resection using the hinotori™ system. Methods: Ten patients, who were assessed as cases that would benefit from the robot-assisted procedure, underwent liver resections using the hinotori™ system at Fujita Health University, Okazaki Medical Center, between August 2023 and October 2024. The backgrounds (patient, tumor, and liver function conditions, along with types of liver resections and previous surgical procedures) and short-term outcomes (operation time, blood loss, postoperative complications, open conversion, length of hospital stay, and mortality) of the cases were evaluated. Results: Eight cases of partial liver resection, one extended left medial sectionectomy, and one left hemi-hepatectomy were performed. Six cases of hepatocellular carcinomas, three cases of liver metastases, and one case of hepatolithiasis were included. There were seven male and three female patients with a median age of 70 years. Three physical status class III and seven class II patients were included. The median body mass index was 24. Five patients had previous upper abdominal surgical histories and five patients had liver cirrhosis. The median operation time was 419.5 min, and the median intraoperative blood loss was 276 mL. An open conversion in one hepatocellular carcinoma case was carried out due to bleeding from collateral vessels in the round ligament. The median length of hospital stay was 7.5 days. A grade IIIa complication (delayed bile leakage) was developed in one case. All patients with tumors underwent R0 resection. There were no cases of mortality. Conclusions: Liver resection using the hinotori™ system was feasibly performed. This study reports the first global use of the hinotori™ system for liver resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between pancreatic fistula (PF) and the sequential changes in the perioperative exocrine function after pancreatectomy. Methods: The subjects were 96 patients who underwent a 13C-trioctanoin breath test before and 1 month after pancreatectomy, between 2006 and 2018. We retrospectively compared the pre- and postoperative fat absorption levels between patients with PF (PF group; n = 17) and without PF (non-PF group; n = 79) using the breath test. Results: The preoperative level of 13C-trioctanoin absorption (%dose/h) was comparable between the non-PF and PF groups (36.5 vs. 36.9). In the non-PF group, 13C-trioctanoin absorption was significantly decreased after surgery in comparison to the preoperative setting (post-operative 28.5; pre-operative 36.5; p < 0.0001), whereas these values were comparable (post-operative 36.9; pre-operative 34.5; p = 0.129) in the PF group. Moreover, postoperative absorption in the PF group was significantly better than that in the non-PF group (34.5 vs. 28.5%, p = 0.0003). The maximum drain amylase level was significantly higher in patients with a 13C-trioctanoin absorption level (%dose/h) of ≥ 30 in comparison to patients with levels of < 30 (2502 vs. 398 U/L, p = 0.001). Conclusion: PF did not exacerbate the pancreatic exocrine function in the early postoperative period, and the acceleration or preservation of the exocrine function after surgery may be an important cause of PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between pancreatic fistula (PF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and preoperative exocrine function is yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the preoperative results of the 13C-trioctanoin breath test and the occurrence of PF, showing the clinical relevance of the breath test in predicting PF.Method: A total of 80 patients who underwent 13C-trioctanoin breath tests prior to PD from 2006 to 2018 were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to reveal the preoperative predictors of PF, showing the association between 13C-trioctanoin absorption and PF incidence.Results: Among 80 patients (age, 68.0 ± 11.9 years, 46 males and 34 females; 30 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [PDAC]/50 non-PDAC patients), the incidence of PF was 12.5% (10/80). Logistic regression analysis results revealed that the frequency of PF increased significantly as the 13C-trioctanoin breath test value (Aa% dose/h) increased (odd's ratio: 1.082, 95% confidence interval: 1.007-1.162, p = 0.032). Moreover, the optimal cutoff value of the preoperative fat absorption level to predict PF was 38.0 (sensitivity, 90%; specificity, 74%; area under the curve, 0.78; p = 0.005). Indeed, the incidence of PF was extremely higher in patients whose breath test value was greater than 38.0 (33%, 9/27) compared with that in patients with values less than 38.0 (1.8%, 1/53).Conclusions: Favorable preoperative fat absorption evaluated using the 13C-trioctanoin breath test is a feasible and objective predictor of PF after PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was performed to demonstrate the clinical application of duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) as a surgical treatment for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) in terms of both curability and maintenance of postoperative quality of life., Methods: Seven patients diagnosed with PNETs underwent DPPHR from January 2011 to December 2021 at our institution. We investigated the clinical relevance of DPPHR based on the patients' clinicopathological findings., Results: The median operative time was 492 min, and the median blood loss was 302 g. Postoperative complications were evaluated according to the Clavien-Dindo classification, and postoperative intra-abdominal bleeding was observed in one patient. Pathological examination revealed a World Health Organization classification of G1 in six patients and G2 in one patient. Microvascular invasion was observed in two patients (29%); however, no patients developed lymph node metastasis or recurrence during the follow-up period. A daughter lesion was observed near the primary tumor in one patient. All patients achieved curative resection, and no tumor specimens showed positive margins., Conclusions: DPPHR facilitates anatomical resection of the pancreatic head in patients with PNETs as well as detailed pathological evaluation of the resected specimen. Therefore, this surgical procedure is an acceptable alternative to pancreaticoduodenectomy or enucleation for patients with PNETs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

We report a case of a patient with sigmoid colon cancer and multiple liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy after chemotherapy and pathological results showed complete remission. However, after chemotherapy was discontinued, the patient developed a local recurrence of the liver metastasis and underwent rehepatectomy. The patient came to our hospital with lower abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed a circumferential type Ⅱ, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Laparoscopic sigmoidectomy with lymph node dissection was performed. Postoperative CT scan showed multiple liver metastases at S5, S7, and S8. 11 cycles of bevacizumab plus modified FOLFOX(mFOLFOX)were subsequently performed. The liver metastases shrank at all sites, and the patient underwent right hepatectomy. The resected specimen was considered to be in complete remission, with no evidence of viable malignant cells. Postoperatively, bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX was resumed for 6 cycles and the patient remained in remission. However, 3 months after stopping chemotherapy and 1 year and 6 months after hepatectomy, a follow-up CT scan showed local recurrence of the liver edge, and a diagnosis of local recurrence of liver metastasis was made, and a partial hepatectomy was performed. The patient is recurrence-free and resuming modified FOLFOX 9 months after surgery.

We report a case of a woman in her 70s who underwent conversion surgery after FOLFIRINOX, followed by radiation therapy for initially locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. She visited her local doctor with a chief complaint of upper abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen revealed an irregular mass invading the superior mesenteric artery, and the first and second jejunal arteries(>180°)in the pancreatic uncinate region. Based on imaging, she was diagnosed as UR-LA(sm), cT4N0M0, cStage Ⅲ pancreatic cancer, and underwent 5 courses of modified FOLFIRINOX. Radiation therapy of 50.4 Gy was added for local control, and CA19-9 decreased from 394.1 U/mL to 10.5 U/mL. The treatment effect was judged as RECIST: partial response. The tumor was considered to be potentially curative, and a subtotal stomach preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed 8 months after the initial treatment. The tumor was found to be 3× 2 mm in size, pStage ⅠA, R0, and the response to preoperative chemotherapy: Evans Grade Ⅲ. The patient is alive at 5 months postoperatively without recurrence.

The outcomes of 88 patients with lower rectal T2 cancer who underwent radical A surgery(T2)were compared with those of 340 patients with T3 or T4a cancer(T3/T4a)and 51 patients with T1 cancer(T1). The rates of all lymph node(LN) metastasis, paraintestinal LN metastasis, intermediate and main LN metastasis, and lateral LN metastasis in T2 were all significantly lower than in T3/T4a and not different from those in T1. The recurrence rate of T2 was 15.9%, significantly lower than that of T3/T4a and not different from that of T1. Fifty percent of T2 recurrences were observed after 30 months postoperatively, significantly higher than that of T3/T4a and not different from that of T1. The 5-year survival rate of T2 was significantly higher than that of T3/T4a and did not differ from that of T1. In lower rectal T2, cancer LN dissection similar to that in T1 is appropriate, and high preoperative serum CA19-9 level is a risk factor for recurrence, suggesting the need for follow-up after 30 months postoperatively to take recurrence into consideration.

A 49-year-old female was underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for ascending colon cancer and liver metastasis. Then, she was underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy. She received BEV plus mFOLFOX6 therapy as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, but she had liver recurrence. She received FOLFOXIRI therapy. Although tumor tended to progressive, it was localized, so laparoscopic hepatectomy was performed again. She received AFL plus FOLFIRI therapy. Fourteen months after hepatic resection, disseminated nodules and lung metastases were found. However, both of peritoneal dissemination, and lung metastasis were localized, so it was judged that peritoneal dissemination and lung metastasis could be resectable. Then, peritoneal dissemination resection and sigmoid colectomy were performed, and then lung resection was performed to perform R0 resection. R0 resection and multimodal therapy for simultaneous and heterotopic metastases of colorectal cancer can contribute to provide a long-term prognosis.

In performing PD, it is very important to understand the running and anatomy of the hepatic artery and the positional relation with the tumor before surgery, leading to planning a proper surgical procedure. In this case series, we report 2 cases in which radical resection was achieved by pancreaticoduodenectomy(PD)with combined hepatic artery resection(without reconstruction)while paying attention to the positional relationship between the bifurcated hepatic artery and the tumor in the head of the pancreas. Case 1: A 73-year-old man. He visited the hospital with jaundice and was diagnosed with distal bile duct cancer. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT showed that the replaced right hepatic artery(RRHA)was involved by the tumor. Intraoperatively, it was confirmed by ultrasonography that the arterial blood flow in the right lobe of the liver was flowing from the left hepatic artery through the hepatic hilar plate after clamping the right hepatic artery. Thus, PD with combined RRHA resection(without reconstruction)was performed. After the operation, there was no problem with hepatic artery blood flow, and R0 resection was achieved. Case 2: A 65-year-old man. He visited the hospital with jaundice as the chief complaint and was diagnosed with pancreatic head cancer with encasement in the proper hepatic artery(PHA). In this case, the right hepatic artery branches from the SMA and the left hepatic artery branches from the left gastric artery. Intraoperative findings showed no problem with hepatic artery blood flow even after test-clamping the common hepatic artery, and the common hepatic artery was not reconstructed. There is no postoperative complication, and R0 resection was achieved pathologically. Conclusion: For pancreatic head tumors with hepatic artery infiltration, it is important to understand the anatomy of hepatic artery preoperatively and to confirm the intraoperative blood flow. In such cases, pancreaticoduodenectomy with hepatic artery resection may contribute to achieving R0.

The case was a 72-year-old man who had been on medication due to chronic pancreatitis since 2009 and was referred to our hospital because dilation of the main pancreatic duct was shown by abdominal ultrasonography. The contrast CT scan of the abdomen showed a 30 mm in size, poorly enhanced tumor at the body of the pancreas, which was suspected to invasion the celiac artery, common hepatic artery, and splenic artery. EUS showed a hypoechoic tumor with a diameter of 29× 24 mm. ERCP showed disruption of the pancreatic duct in the body of the pancreas, and cytological examination of the pancreatic juice showed a suspicious positive result. We diagnosed unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer in the body of the pancreas and underwent chemotherapy(gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel: GnP). Contrast-enhanced CT after 6 courses of GnP showed tumor shrinkage. FDG-PET/CT revealed a slightly in fluorine-18-deoxyglucose(FDG)accumulation in the tumor, but no accumulation around the blood vessels. Based on the above, it was judged that the tumor was possible radical resection, and surgery was performed. Intraoperative frozen section examination revealed no malignant findings in the tissues surrounding the main artery near the pancreatic body cancer, and distal pancreatectomy was performed. Histopathologically, the tumor showed findings of tubular adenocarcinoma, and the histological response to neoadjuvant therapy was Grade 2. We report a case in which conversion surgery was possible by chemotherapy.

Secondary debulking surgery(SDF)for gynecologic malignancies may improve prognosis. However, recurrent lesions may be invasions of the intestinal tract and observed peritoneal dissemination. SDF can be safely carried out by performing cooperative surgery with a gastroenterological surgeon and gynecologists. Precise cooperation is indispensable for the operation, especially when it comes to aspects such as the contact method and perioperative management at that time. In our hospital, if the gynecologist suspects other organs invasion during a preoperative examination, they contact the gastroenterological surgeon in an elective manner. If other organs invasion is not clear during a preoperative examination or bowel injury occurs during surgery, the gastroenterological surgeon would be contacted urgently. To ensure smooth cooperation, it is necessary to run regular joint conferences. By sharing in planned and combining the expertise of all the department of interest, it is possible to perform highly curative and safe surgery.

The spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in 2020 has had a significant impact on the treatment of cancer worldwide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest challenge for pancreatic surgeons is the difficulty in providing oncological care. In this review article, from the standpoint of surgeons, we explain the concept of triaging of patients with pancreatic tumors under the COVID-19 pandemic, and the actual impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of patients with pancreatic tumors. The most vital points in selecting the best therapeutic approach for patients with pancreatic tumors during this pandemic are (1) Oncologists need to tailor the treatment plan based on the COVID-19 phase, tumor malignant potential, and patients' comorbidities; and (2) Optimal treatment for pancreatic cancer should be planned according to the condition of each patient and tumor resectability based on national comprehensive cancer network resectability criteria. To choose the best therapeutic approach for patients with pancreatic tumors during this pandemic, we need to tailor the treatment plan based on elective surgery acuity scale (ESAS). Newly established ESAS for pancreatic tumor and flowchart indicating the treatment strategy of pancreatic cancer, are feasible to overcome this situation., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors do not have any conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

We discuss the current status of, and possible countermeasures for, acute drug poisoning among adolescents using OTC drugs. In the last 10 years, 36 patients aged <20 years who overdosed on OTC drugs were examined for the type of drug ingested, its active ingredients in cases of lethal dose intake, and the relevant place of purchase. Patients aged <20 years accounted for 30% of all the cases. The ingestion of multi-ingredient common-cold medication was the highest at 23%, and no ingestion of any first-class OTC drugs was observed. Caffeine accounted for 54% of the cases of lethal dose intake. At 80%, the most common method of drug purchase was from drugstores and other OTC vendors. In recent years, the number of adolescents patients who take lethal doses of OTC drugs has been increasing, and new measures are needed to avoid such cases. School pharmacists and vendors play a major role in reducing the incidences of drug poisoning. As drugs can be easily purchased over the counter, increasing the vendors' awareness of the problem throughout society may be the quickest way to reduce the incidences of acute drug poisoning among adolescents.

We present the case of a 66-year-old female diagnosed with gallbladder cancer that was initially discovered with contrast enhanced computed tomography. The primary gall bladder tumor displayed heterogeneous enhancement. The patient underwent cholecystectomy with full-thickness excision of the gallbladder cancer. After 3 rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy with the oral fluoropyrimidine derivative, S-1(administered for 4 weeks at 120 mg/day and then stopped for 2 weeks), a metastasis measuring 15 mm in diameter emerged within hepatic segment 5. The chemotherapy regimen was altered to include 6 months of combination therapy with gemcitabine(1,000 mg/m2)and cisplatin(25 mg/m2)given once every week for 2 weeks and then stopped for 1 week. The hepatic metastasis decreased in size to 8 mm in diameter, and a partial liver resection was performed. After hepatectomy, the patient remains alive and without disease recurrence.

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) is a benign hepatocyte-derived epithelial tumor. HCA is associated with oral contraceptive use among Caucasian populations. We report a case of hepatocellular adenoma with a pedunculated protuberance and high protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) levels, which made diagnosis challenging. The patient was a 22-year-old woman. In a medical check-up, a high γ-GTP level was detected and a 115-mm solid mass was found in her lower abdomen via abdominal ultrasonography. A blood test showed a high PIVKA-II level. Abdominal CT showed a tumor in the lower abdomen. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic artery connecting to the mass, and a blood vessel thought to be the left hepatic vein returning from the mass to the inferior vena cava. In EOB-MRI, uneven enhancement was observed after contrast imaging, but washout in the equilibrium phase was unclear. Parenchymal hepatocyte phases showed a pale, non-uniform, high signal. These findings indicated that the tumor was derived from the left lobe of the liver and was suggestive of HCC. Surgical resection was then performed. A pathological examination led to a diagnosis of HCA, corresponding to unclassified HCA. The WHO classification of tumors of the digestive system based on an immunohistological examination includes HNF1α-inactivated HCA, β-catenin-activated HCA, inflammatory HCA, and unclassified HCA. In summary, our patient had a large HCA with pedunculated protrusion into the extrahepatic pelvic cavity. This case was challenging to diagnose because of abnormally high PIVKA-II levels, and it was resected laparoscopically.

Objectives: Patients who have undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) may experience a long-term decrease in quality of life because of postoperative pancreatic dysfunction (such as digestive and absorption disorders) and fatty liver as a result of combined resection of the duodenum, gallbladder, and bile duct. The present study investigated the usefulness of pancrelipase for the prevention of pancreatic dysfunction after PD., Methods: The data from 73 patients who underwent PD in a single institution were analyzed. Patients who underwent PD during 2007-2011 were administered the low-titer pancreatic enzyme preparations berizym ® and pancreatin ® (first period group), while patients who underwent PD during 2012-2017 were administered the high-titer pancreatic enzyme preparation pancrelipase (second period group). The following measures of the nutrition status were examined before and after PD: serum albumin concentration, total lymphocyte count, serum total cholesterol concentration, body mass index, controlling nutrition status (CONUT) index, Onodera's prognostic nutrition index (PNI), and liver computed tomography values., Results: The second period group had significantly higher serum albumin concentrations at 3 and 6 months postoperatively, serum total cholesterol concentrations at 1 month postoperatively, and Onodera's PNI values at 3 and 6 months postoperatively than the first period group. The CONUT index values at 6 months after PD were significantly lower in the second period group than in the first period group., Conclusions: Pancrelipase is useful in improving the nutrition status and preventing fatty liver after PD., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.