Background/Aims: Immune checkpoint blockade has recently been reported to be effective in treating microsatellite instability (MSI)-high tumors. Therefore, sufficient sampling of histological specimens is necessary in cases of unresectable pancreatic cancer (UR-PC). This multicenter study investigated the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) using a Franseen needle for MSI evaluation in patients with UR-PC. Methods: A total of 89 patients with UR-PC who underwent endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) or EUS-FNB using 22-G needles at three hospitals in Japan (2018–2021) were enrolled. Fifty-six of these patients (FNB 23 and FNA 33) were followed up or evaluated for MSI. Patient characteristics, UR-PC data, and procedural outcomes were compared between patients who underwent EUS-FNB and those who underwent EUS-FNA. Results: No significant difference in terms of sufficient tissue acquisition for histology was observed between patients who underwent EUS-FNB and those who underwent EUS-FNA. MSI evaluation was possible significantly more with tissue samples obtained using EUS-FNB than with tissue samples obtained using EUS-FNA (82.6% [19/23] vs. 45.5% [15/33], respectively; p<0.01). In the multivariate analysis, EUS-FNB was the only significant factor influencing the possibility of MSI evaluation. Conclusions EUS-FNB using a Franseen needle is desirable for ensuring sufficient tissue acquisition for MSI evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Although organotin compounds are widely used as PVC stabilizers, catalysts and biocides, their effects on humans are not well known. However, their acute intoxication is known to cause neurotoxicity in the central nervous system, renal toxicity, and hepatotoxicity. As there has been no previously published case of organotin intoxication in Korea, we report here the first Korean case of acute exposure to organotin. CASE REPORT: A 43-year-old male with disorientation and behavioral change was admitted to a hospital. He had been working as a tank cleaner for several different companies in the previous 8 years and a week before admission, he had cleaned a tank containing dimethyltin (DMT) for 4 days. A day after finishing the job, he suffered decreased memory, behavioral change and progressive mental deterioration when he arrived at the emergency room. The result of spinal tapping was negative but on the 4th day of admission he deteriorated into a state of coma along with metabolic acidosis and severe hypokalemia. High levels of DMT and trimethyltin (TMT) were detected in a highly sensitive urine analysis. After conservative treatment and chelation therapy, the patient showed some clinical improvement but the neurological defects persisted. CONCLUSION: The patient appeared to have been intoxicated from the acute exposure to a high level of organotin while cleaning the tank.
Acidosis ; Adult ; Central Nervous System ; Chelation Therapy ; Coma ; Disinfectants ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Korea ; Male ; Memory ; Organotin Compounds ; Poisoning* ; Spinal Puncture

We report a case of successful one-stage resection of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with extension into the main pulmonary artery. The patient was a 50-year-old woman, who was admitted to our hospital with clinical signs of syncope. Computed tomography (CT) and 3 D helical CT images showed a tumor arising in the left side of the uterus with extension into the pulmonary outflow tract. One-stage radical operation with cardiopulmonary bypass was performed. Because IVL is related to many fields concerning various organs, it is important that general surgeons, gynecologists and cardiovascular surgeons cooperate with each other.

A 44-year-old man was given a diagnosis of severe ischemic heart disease and Leriche's syndrome. He had critical ischemia in the lower extremities and ischemic gangrene in a toe of the left foot. We planned a one-stage operation for these fatal diseases. To prevent irreversible ischemia of the lower limbs after mobilization of internal thoracic arteries or during extracorporeal circulation, we performed aorto-ilio femoral bypass grafting with extra-peritoneal approach first. Then conventional coronary artery bypass grafting was carried out for three coronary arteries with bilateral internal thoracic arteries (ITAs) and the saphenous vein. The postoperative course was uneventful.

The patient was a 52-year-old man with a history of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), renal dysfunction and myasthenia gravis (MG). On May 2, 1998, he had sudden chest pain while sleeping. Enhanced computed tomography revealed acute aortic dissection (DeBakey type I). We performed emergency graft replacement of the ascending aorta and the aortic arch under extracorporeal circulation. Because of perioperative anuria, we used peritoneal dialysis (PD) just after the operation. Two days after the operation, we performed re-intubation nine hours after the extubation of the tracheal tube, and performed re-extubation three days later. For a while, his postoperative course was uneventful, but because of gradual worsening of APS, we administered more prednisolone, but 74 days after the operation, he died of multiple organ failure caused by an opportunistic infection, sepsis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. This was very rare case of acute aortic dissection with MG and APS. After administration of more glucocorticoids, it is important to be wary of opportunistic infections.

The patient was a 63-year-old man with a history of multiple mononeuritis with hypergammaglobulinemia since 1980. The symptoms gradually worsened, and he had been bed-ridden since 1992. On February 28, 1997, he had sudden dyspnea after defecation. Echocardiography demonstrated a large thrombus in the right atrium and the right ventricle. Enhanced chest computed tomography revealed thrombi in the bilateral pulmonary arteries. The patient was considered to have acute pulmonary thromboembolism, and an emergency operation was indicated. Thrombectomy was performed under extracorporeal circulation through a median sternotomy. No thrombi were found in the right atrium or the right ventricle, and thrombi in the bilateral pulmonary arteries were removed completely. Four days after the operation, a Greenfield filter was implanted in the vena cava inferior because venography detected a thrombus in the right common iliac vein. The postoperative course was uneventful. No pulmonary rethromboembolisms were noticed after the operation. The long duration of being bed-ridden seemed to be the chief cause of thrombosis in the deep veins, and hyperviscosity due to hypergammaglobulinemia may have caused hyperthrombogenicity.

Seven patients underwent surgical repair of the distal aortic arch aneurysm from January 1990 to October 1997. They were 5 men and 2 women ranging from 63 to 78 years of age (mean, 72.7 years). All patients were operated with a median sternotomy only. There was one operative death, which was ruptured case. However, there were no major complications in non-ruptured cases. This retrospective study suggests that it is possible to repair the distal aortic arch aneurysm through a median sternotomy approach alone, when 1) descending aorta originates with normal size just distal to sacciform aneurysm, 2) the maximum diameter of the aneurysm is over 70mm and 3) distal involvement of the aneurysm does not extend beyond the bifurcation of the trachea. It is useful to retract descending aorta proximally by three threads with pledget for distal anastomosis in inclusion technique.

Direct coronary artery reimplantation to the aorta and mitral valve repair were successfully performed in a 29-year-old female with Bland-White-Garland syndrome (BWG syndrome). Under cardiopulmonary bypass, the main pulmonary artery was completely transected and the left coronary artery was excised with a cuff of pulmonary artery wall. Then the left coronary artery was directly anastomosed to the ascending aorta. Mitral regurgitation was repaired with valvulo-annuloplasty. The post operative course was excellent.

A 68-year-old male was admitted as an emergency case because of two severe back pain episodes in one week. Chest X-ray showed a marked prominence of the aortic knob. A remarkable bulging of the distal aortic arch and a crescentic low density area along the descending aorta on enhanced chest CT suggested a closing aortic dissection. Operation revealed extensive collapse of the very fragile intima of the aneurysmal wall and extraluminal hematoma along the descending aorta due to bleeding from the ruptured site. The ruptured aneurysm of this type should be accurately differentiated from the DeBakey type III closing aortic dissection which can be followed up medically.

Various types of surgical techniques have been reported for the closure of complicated PDA, since Morrow first described an innovatory operative method. At our institute, extracorporeal circulation has been frequently used as a support measure for these operations to ensure the safety of the operation. Ten patients with complicated PDA were operated under extracorporeal circulation. All patients but one were adults. The reason for use of extracorporeal circulation included age, presence of atherosclerosis or calcification of the ductus, short neck ductus, ductal aneurysms, right sided descending aorta and recanalization after previous ligation. The ductus was approached through the left lateral thoracotomy in 8 patients and median sternotomy in 2. The Morrow procedure was performed in 2 patients. No hospital death occurred, although the mean duration of the hospital stay after the operation was longer in these cases than in cases with simple PDA. We conclude that the use of extracorporeal circulation is safe and effective for the closure of complicated PDA.