PURPOSE: In gastric cancer, metastasis to the paraaortic lymph nodes had been regarded as an incurable factor, but many cases of long term survival have been reported with dissection of metastatic paraaortic nodes. And several reports suggested survival benefit with paraaortic lymph node dissection (D4) in advanced gastric cancer. In patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent paraaortic lymph node dissection we tried to evaluate the factors predisposing metastasis in these nodes and survival data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors analyzed retrospectively pathological features of 95 patients who underwent paraaortic lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer at Kangnam General Hospital Public Corporation from May 1991 to Feb. 1998. And we also analysed survival results of 72 cases among them. We excluded 18 cases of distant metastasis (3 liver metastasis, 15 peritoneal seeding), 2 operative mortalities, 1 other disease mortality, and 2 unknown causes of death in survival analysis. RESULTS: The frequencies of paraaortic lymph node metastasis were 0.0% (0 of 32 cases) in T2, 19.2% (10 of 52 cases) in T3, 18.2% (2 of 11 cases) in T4. And those of paraaortic lymph node metastasis were 5.8% (3 of 52 cases) in antrum, 14.3% (3 fo 21 cases) in body, 20.0% (3 of 15 cases) in cardia, and 42.9% (3 of 7 cases) in whole area. The five-year survival rates (5 YSR's) in relation to the paraaortic lymph node (No16) status was 0.0% in No16 , and 57.8% in No16 with D4 of advanced gastric cancer. The 5 YSR's were 78.1%, 40.8% and 0% in T2, T3 and T4, respectively and 93.8%, 64.2%, 24.2% and 0.0% in n0, n1, n2 and n3, respectively and 88.9%, 80.5%, 57.9% and 0.0% (47.6%) and 0.0% in stage IB, II, IIIA, IIIB and IV, respectively. CONCLUSION: The depth of gastric wall invasion and the location of primary tumor were significant predisposing factors to para-aortic lymph node metastasis in multivariate analysis (p<0.05). Survival of No16 metastasis was very poor. And three factors of T stage, n stage, and Borrmann type were also prognostically significant in terms of five year survival in cases of D4 of advanced gastric cancer in multivariate analysis (p<0.05).
Cardia ; Causality ; Cause of Death ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes* ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatoduodenal ligament lymph node (LN) dissection has been performed as a part of extended LN dissection during the operation for gastric cancer. And additional cholecystectomy has been performed for more radical node dissection and prevention of cholelithiasis in some centers. There are rare studies and reports about the injury of bile duct system with the operation for gastric cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk of biliary tree injury with LN dissection for gastric cancer. METHODS: 254 patients of gastric cancer were treated with gastrectomy with LN dissection at Kangnam general hospital between January 1996 and December 2001. Among this group, 151 patients of advanced gastric cancer underwent extended LN dissection of D2+alpha or D3 including hepatoduodenal ligament LN and 69 patients of early gastric cancer underwent D2. And we routinely conducted cholecystectomy for advanced and early gastric cancer. Of these patients, 5 cases without remained or recurred tumor of bile leakage after operation were reviewed. And we analyzed the changes of liver function tests (LFT) of 15 patients of early gastric cancer and 21 patients of advanced gastric cancer whose LFT follow-up data were available. RESULTS: The rate of bile leakage was 2.3% (5 patients) after LN dissection of hepatoduodenal ligament for gastric cancer. Among this group, 3 patients underwent reoperation due to unexpected bile leakage and 2 patients underwent T tube choledochostomy due to minor injury to common hepatic duct on operation. One patient died of sepsis with continued bile leakage after T tube removal on the postoperative 41st day. The serum alkaline phosphatase was increased after operation especially in advanced gastric cancer without clinical significance and there was no other significant abnormality in LFT after hepatoduodenal LN dissection and cholecystectomy in non-recurrent cases. CONCLUSION: Extended lymph node dissection including hepatoduodenal ligament LN and cholecystectomy may have the possibility of increasing the risk of bile duct injury. It is important to select the patients who will benefit from hepatoduodenal ligament LN dissection and cholecystectomy. And meticulous surgical technique to operate biliary tract and adequate management of biliary injury are needed.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Bile Ducts* ; Bile* ; Biliary Tract ; Cholecystectomy ; Choledochostomy ; Cholelithiasis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Liver Function Tests* ; Liver* ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Reoperation ; Sepsis ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: We compared the clinical results of paraaortic lymph node dissection (PALD) with those of D2 to evaluate the survival gain and disadvantage of paraaortic lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed the clinical data of 196 patients who underwent curative resection and D2 with or without paraaortic lymph node dissection (PALD or D2) for advanced gastric cancer from May 1990 to June 1999. The operative factors (operative time, the amounts of intraoperative transfusion and hospital stay), operative morbidity and mortality and 5 year survival rates were compared between D2 and PALD groups. RESULTS: The operative time of subtotal gastrectomy was significantly longer in PALD group than D2 group. The operative morbidity rates were 9.2% in D2 group and 10.3% in PALD group. There were 3 operative mortalities in D2 group and none in PALD group. The 5 year survival rates (5YSR's) of stage IB, II, IIIA, IIIB, IV were 88.9%, 92.3%, 30.2%, 24.2%, 28.9% in D2 group and 93.3%, 75.5%, 61.0%, 0%, 0% in PALD group. CONCLUSION: The paraaortic lymph node dissection was a rather safe procedure without significant increase of morbidity and mortality. There was no statistically significant difference in survival in any stage of this retrospective study with limited cases and follow-ups.
Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision* ; Lymph Nodes* ; Mortality ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Prophylactic antibiotics have been used in nonperforated appendicitis for preventing infection after an appendectomy. However, the duration of antibiotic administration for surgical prophylaxis in Korea has been noted to be longer than those recommended in other countries. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify the appropriate duration of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in nonperforated appendicitis by comparing the wound infection rates of two different antibiotic regimens, 24 hours of cephalosporin (cefoxitin) alone and 72 hours of cephalosporin (cefoxitin) with aminoglycoside (sissomicin). METHODS: One hundred thirty-four (134) patients of nonperforated appendicitis were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, open trial and were assigned to one of two antibiotic regimens: 1) cefoxitin 1 g every 8 hours given intravenously for 24 hours and 2) cefoxitin 1 g every 8 hours given intravenously plus sissomicin 75 mg every 12 hours given intramuscularly for 72 hours. First doses were given just prior to the induction of anesthesia. RESULTS: Postoperative wound infections were detected in 3 cases (4.5%) of the 72-hour-treated group (n=66) whereas none occurred in the 24-hour-treated group (n=68). However, the difference in the rates of wound infections between the two groups was not statistically significant. Cost analysis identified a saving of 43,470 won per patient in the 24-hour-treated group. CONCLUSION: In nonperforated appendicitis cefoxitin administration alone for 24 hours is sufficient as a surgical prophylaxis.
Anesthesia ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis* ; Cefoxitin ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Humans ; Korea ; Prospective Studies* ; Sisomicin ; Surgical Wound Infection ; Wound Infection

While endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is prevailing for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in modern vascular practice, PURPOSE: we conducted nationwide questionnaire survey to investigate the current status of AAA treatment and their results in Korea. METHOD: We reviewed the replies from 28 hospitals (33 departments) to the questionnaire inquiring annual number, clinical features, mode of treatment and results of AAA patients during the period from Jan. 2000 to Jul. 2004. Results: 980 AAA patients were reported including 292 ruptured AAA (29.8%) and 688 non-ruptured AAA (70.2%). For treatment of AAA, 834 (85.1%) surgical repairs (SRs) and 111 (11.3%) endovascualr aneurysm repairs (EVARs) were performed while 35 patients (3.6%) died of AAA rupture before operation. The locations of AAA were infrarenal in 889 (90.7%), juxtarenal in 62 (6.3%), and suprarenal in 29 patients (3.0%). Among 834 patients undergoing SR, 577 patients (69.2%) had non-ruptured AAAs and 257 patients (30.8%) had ruptured AAAs. Mean operative mortality rate was 4.1% after elective SRs, 30.7% after SR for ruptured AAAs, and 2.3% after EVARs. The reported brand name of stent graft devices were various including domestic custom-made in 56 (50.5%), imported brand in 18 (16.2%) while 37 (33.3%) stent grafts were not reported their brand name. The frequencies of type I and III endoleaks after EVAR were reported 5.8% and 5.8% respectively in 86 patients with an available data. CONCLUSION: SR has been used as a major treatment option in Korea for the treatment of AAA patients while EVAR is increasing. The mortality rate of SR of AAA was comparable to western multi-center trial reports but mortality or morbidity rates of EVAR were unable to know in this questionnaire survey.
Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Endoleak ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Questionnaires* ; Rupture ; Treatment Outcome