A 72-year-old man presented with low back pain, intermittent claudication, atrophy of the muscle of the lower extremities, and impotence. Laboratory tests revealed inflammation, and computed tomography showed an abdominal aortic aneurysm with severe stenosis of the terminal aorta. Consequently, we diagnosed an infected aortic aneurysm and antibiotics were administered intravenously. Bacterial culture of the blood on admission demonstrated Listeria monocytogenes. On day 27 after admission, in situ replacement with a rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis and omentopexy were performed. After the surgery, intermittent claudication, atrophy of the muscles of the lower extremities, and impotence improved dramatically. The postoperative course was uneventful. Antibiotics were administered for a long period, and the C-reactive protein levels decreased to a normal range. For 18 months thereafter, the patient has been doing well without any sign of infection.

A 66-year-old woman had hypertensive heart failure and intermittent claudication due to coarctation of the aorta with severe calcification. Consequently, axillo-bilateral iliac artery bypass was performed. Postoperatively, the difference in blood pressure between the upper and lower limbs decreased, the heart failure improved, and the intermittent claudication disappeared. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged without complication 15 days after surgery. There are many case reports of aorto-aortic bypass for this disease ; however, axillo-bilateral iliac artery bypass is an effective and less-invasive procedure. On the other hand, from the perspectives of long-term graft patency and abdominal visceral perfusion, careful postoperative follow-up of upper and lower limb blood pressure and renal perfusion is necessary.

A 72-year-old man presented with low back pain, intermittent claudication, atrophy of the muscle of the lower extremities, and impotence. Laboratory tests revealed inflammation, and computed tomography showed an abdominal aortic aneurysm with severe stenosis of the terminal aorta. Consequently, we diagnosed an infected aortic aneurysm and antibiotics were administered intravenously. Bacterial culture of the blood on admission demonstrated Listeria monocytogenes. On day 27 after admission, in situ replacement with a rifampicin-soaked vascular prosthesis and omentopexy were performed. After the surgery, intermittent claudication, atrophy of the muscles of the lower extremities, and impotence improved dramatically. The postoperative course was uneventful. Antibiotics were administered for a long period, and the C-reactive protein levels decreased to a normal range. For 18 months thereafter, the patient has been doing well without any sign of infection.

A 90-year-old man was referred to our hospital for lower abdominal pain and ecchymotic discoloration around the anus. A laboratory test revealed severe anemia (hemoglobin level, 5.7 g/dl), and computed tomography (CT) showed a ruptured left internal iliac artery aneurysm (diameter, 60×44 mm). Consequently, emergency endovascular stent-grafting treatment was performed. Under local anesthesia, the stent-graft was successfully inserted in the left common and external iliac arteries, covering the ostia of the internal iliac artery. A follow-up CT scan showed complete thrombosis of the left internal iliac artery aneurysm and no evidence of an endoleak. After the procedure, the patient was treated with hemodialysis for acute-on-chronic renal failure and was discharged after 2 months.

A 73-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of a ruptured thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA). Computed tomography (CT) showed a ruptured saccular TAAA (maximum diameter, 70 mm) located just above the celiac trunk. The patient chose to undergo endovascular repair because of the high risk associated with conventional repair, so an emergency endovascular stent-graft treatment was performed. The collateral pathway from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) to the celiac branches via the pancreaticoduodenal arcades was confirmed by selective angiography of the SMA before stent-grafting. The stent-graft was successfully deployed just proximal to the origin of the SMA with intentional coverage of the celiac axis to achieve sealing. Postoperatively, the patient was free from abdominal organ disorder or paraplegia/paraparesis and was discharged from the hospital after 36 days procedure. Follow-up CT scans performed at 1 week, month and 6 months showed patency in the SMA and the celiac branches, and there was no evidence of an endoleak. A less invasive endovascular repair procedure such as this can be an alternative treatment of a ruptured TAAA.

Background/Aims: Endoscopic biliary drainage is the gold standard treatment for cholangitis. The two methods of biliary drainage are endoscopic biliary stenting and nasobiliary drainage. A novel integrated outside biliary stent and nasobiliary drainage catheter system (UMIDAS NB stent; Olympus Medical Systems) was recently developed. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of this stent in the treatment of cholangitis caused by common bile duct stones or distal bile duct strictures. Methods: We conducted a retrospective pilot study by examining the medical records of patients who required endoscopic biliary drainage for cholangitis due to common bile duct stones or distal bile duct strictures, and who were treated with a UMIDAS NB stent, between December 2021 and July 2022. Results: Records of 54 consecutive patients were reviewed. Technical and clinical success rates were 47/54 (87.0%) and 52/54 (96.3%), respectively. Adverse events were observed in 12 patients, with six patients experiencing pancreatitis as an adverse event, following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Regarding late adverse events, five cases of biliary stent migration into the bile duct were observed. Disease-related death occurred in one patient. Conclusions The outside-type UMIDAS NB stent is an efficacious new method for biliary drainage and can be applied to many indications.

We evaluated the therapeutic results of cancers in the bile duct, the pancreas head region and the liver and cirrhosis.
The former two types were examined in a total of 49 cases: 10 cholecystocarcinomas, 18 cholangiocarcinomas, 6 papillocarcinomas, and 15 pancreas head cancers. Radical surgery was performed in only 9 cases: 1 cholecystocarcinoma, 1 cholangiocarcinoma, 5 papillocarcinomas and 2 pancreas head cancers. The surgical success rate was satisfactory 83%(5/6) for papillocarcinoma, yet showed 18.4% overall.
Liver cancer and cirrhosis were examined in 102 cases: 78 cirrhoses and 24 livercancers. Of the former, 15% were viral cirrhosis, 44% alcoholic, 1% specific and 40% unknown. Ofthe latter, 29% were viral liver cancer, 29% alcoholic and 42% unknown.
Treatment of these cancers, with the exception of one type, was unfavorable. To increase the surgical success rate, cancers will have to be discovered earlier using such recent, highly-advanced technological means as endoscopy, ultrasonography, angiography and computerized tomography. At the same time, radical surgery should be actively applied in a broader range of cases.
In cirrhosis, bleeding in the upper digestive tract and complicating liver cancer are increasing in frequency due to prolonged life expectancy. How to manage this increase remains subject for further study in the future.