Ampulla of Vater/pathology* ; Carcinoma/pathology* ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans

The pancreatoduodenal groove is a small area where pathologic processes involving the distal bile duct, duodenum, pancreatic head, ampulla of Vater, and retroperitoneum converge. Despite great advances in imaging techniques, a definitive preoperative diagnosis is challenging because of the complex anatomy of this area. Therefore, surgical intervention is frequently required because of the inability to completely exclude malignancy. We report 3 cases of patients with different groove pathologies but similar clinical and imaging presentation, and show the essential role of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in making a specific preoperative diagnosis, excluding malignancy in the first case, changing diagnosis in the second case, and confirming malignancy in the third case. EUS was a fundamental tool in this cohort of patients, not only because of its ability to provide superior visualization of a difficult anatomical region, but because of the ability to guide precise, real-time procedures, such as fine-needle aspiration.
Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Duodenum ; Head ; Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pathologic Processes ; Pathology ; Ultrasonography

Advances in imaging modalities have provided useful information in diagnosing ampullary lesions such as adenoma and adenocarcinoma. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) have a role in the diagnosis of unexposed intra-ampullarylesion. We report an interesting case of adenocarinoma of the ampulla of Vater presenting as idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis. A 56 years old woman was referred due to idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis for 2 years. She presented abdominal pain and upper abdominal tenderness. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreaticography (MRCP) revealed minimal bile and pancreatic ductal dilatation without obstruction. Subsequent ERCP revealed a small polypoid lesion which was exposed after endoscopic sphincterotomy. Endoscopic biopsy showed papillary adenoma with low grade dysplasia. Additional endoscopic papillectomy was performed. Endoscopic biopsy done 3 months later showed papillary adenoma with high grade dysplasia. Pylorus preserving pancreatoduodenectomy was done and final pathology was well differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient was recovered well but received adjuvant chemotherapy due to metastatic lymph nodes.
Abdominal Pain ; Adenocarcinoma* ; Adenoma ; Ampulla of Vater ; Bile ; Biopsy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Pancreatitis* ; Pathology ; Pylorus ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic

We report herein improved methods for the safe and successful completion of endoscopic papillectomy (EP). Between January 2008 and November 2011, 12 patients underwent double-snare retracting papillectomy for the treatment of lesions of the major duodenal papilla. The main outcomes were en bloc resection rates, pathological findings, and adverse events. All of the patients (mean age, 60.1 years; range, 38 to 80 years) were diagnosed with ampullary adenoma by endoscopic forceps biopsies prior to endoscopic snare papillectomy. En bloc resection by double-snare retracting papillectomy was successfully performed for all lesions (median size, 12.3 mm), comprising six tubular adenomas, one tubulovillous adenoma, three cases of epithelial atypia, one hamartomatous polyp, and one case of duodenitis with regenerative change. Significant hemorrhage and pancreatitis were observed in one case after EP. Adenoma recurrence occurred in three patients during follow-up (median, 28.5 months) at a mean interval of 2 months postoperatively (range, 1 to 3 months). No serious adverse events were observed. Double-snare retracting papillectomy is effective and feasible for treating lesions of the major duodenal papilla. Further treatment experience, including a single-arm phase II study, needs to be accumulated before conducting a randomized controlled study.
Adenoma/pathology/*surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Ampulla of Vater/pathology/*surgery ; Biopsy ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; Dissection/*methods ; Duodenoscopy/*methods ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Treatment Outcome

This pictorial review aims to illustrate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and presentation patterns of anatomical variations and various benign and malignant pathologies of the duodenum, including sphincter contraction, major papilla variation, prominent papilla, diverticulum, annular pancreas, duplication cysts, choledochocele, duodenal wall thickening secondary to acute pancreatitis, postbulbar stenosis, celiac disease, fistula, choledochoduodenostomy, external compression, polyps, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, ampullary carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. MRI is a useful imaging tool for demonstrating duodenal pathology and its anatomic relationships with adjacent organs, which is critical for establishing correct diagnosis and planning appropriate treatment, especially for surgery.
Ampulla of Vater/anatomy & histology/radiography ; Choledochal Cyst/pathology/radiography ; Diverticulum/radiography ; Duodenal Diseases/pathology/*radiography ; Duodenum/*anatomy & histology/radiography ; Humans ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pancreas/abnormalities/anatomy & histology/radiography ; Pancreatic Diseases/radiography

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There are several methods for obtaining tissue samples to diagnose malignant biliary strictures during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). However, each method has only limited sensitivity. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a combined triple-tissue sampling (TTS) method (on-site bile aspiration cytology, brush cytology, and forceps biopsy). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 168 patients with suspicious malignant biliary strictures who underwent double-tissue sampling (DTS; n=121) or TTS (n=47) via ERCP at our institution from 2004 to 2011. RESULTS: Among the 168 patients reviewed, 117 patients (69.6%) were eventually diagnosed with malignancies. The diagnostic sensitivity for cancer was significantly higher in the TTS group than the DTS group (85.0% vs 64.9%, respectively; p=0.022). Furthermore, the combination of brush cytology and forceps biopsy was superior to the other method combinations in the DTS group. With respect to cancer type (cholangiocarcinoma vs noncholangiocarcinoma), interestingly, the diagnostic sensitivity was higher for cholangiocarcinoma in the TTS group than the DTS group (100% vs 69.4%, respectively; p<0.001) but not for the non-cholangiocarcinoma patients (57.1% vs 57.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: TTS can provide an improved diagnostic accuracy in suspicious malignant biliary strictures, particularly for cholangiocarcinoma.
Aged ; Ampulla of Vater/*pathology ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications/diagnosis/pathology ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/*pathology ; Biopsy/*methods ; Biopsy, Needle ; Carcinoma/complications/diagnosis/pathology ; Cholangiocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde/*methods ; Cholestasis/etiology ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: This study addressed the feasibility and effect of surgical treatment of metachronous periampullary carcinoma after resection of the primary extrahepatic bile duct cancer. The performance of this secondary curative surgery is not well-documented. METHODS: We reviewed, retrospectively, the medical records of 10 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for secondary periampullary cancer following extrahepatic bileduct cancer resection from 1995 to 2011. RESULTS: The mean age of the 10 patients at the second operation was 61 years (range, 45-70 years). The primary cancers were 7 hilar cholangiocarcinomas, 2 middle common bile duct cancers, and one cystic duct cancer. The secondary cancers were 8 distal common bile duct cancers and 2 carcinomas of the ampulla of Vater. The second operations were 6 Whipple procedures and 4 pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomies. The mean interval between primary treatment and metachronous periampullary cancer was 20.6 months (range, 3.4-36.6 months). The distal resection margin after primary resection was positive for high grade dysplasia in one patient. Metachronous tumor was confirmed by periampullary pathology in all cases. Four of the 10 patients had delayed gastric emptying (n = 2) or pancreatic fistula (n = 2) after reoperation. There were no perioperative deaths. Median survival after PD was 44.6 months (range, 8.5-120.5 months). CONCLUSION: Based on the postoperative survival rate, PD may provide an acceptable protocol for resection in patients with metachronous periampullary cancer after resection of the extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic* ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Gastric Emptying ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Pancreatic Fistula ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy* ; Pathology ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUNDCarcinomas of the ampulla of Vater (CAV) is a relatively rare malignant gastrointestinal tumor, and its postoperative prognostic factors have been well studied. However, as its first symptom, the impact of jaundice on the prognosis of CAV is not so clear. This study aims to explore the role of jaundice as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing radical treatment for CAV.

METHODSThe clinical data of 195 patients with CAV who were treated in the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, from January 1989 to January 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 170 patients with pathologically confirmed CAV entered the statistical analysis. Jaundice was defined as a total bilirubin serum concentration of ≥ 3 mg/dl. Result Of these 170 patients, 99 (58.20%) had jaundice at presentation. Jaundice showed significant correlations with tumor differentiation (P = 0.002), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.016), pancreatic invasion (P = 0.000), elevated preoperative CA199 (P = 0.000), depth of invasion (P = 0.000), and tumor stage (P = 0.000). There were more patients with pancreatic invasion in the jaundice group than in the non-jaundice group. Also, lymph node metastasis was more common in the jaundice group (n = 26) than in the non-jaundice group (n = 8). The non-jaundice group had significant better overall 5-year disease-free survival (72.6%) than the jaundice group (41.2%, P = 0.013). Jaundice was not significantly correlated with the postoperative bleeding (P = 0.050).

CONCLUSIONSJaundice in patients with CAV often predicts more advanced stages and poorer prognoses. Pancreatic invasion and lymph node metastasis are more common in CAV patients with jaundice. Jaundice is not a risk factor for postoperative bleeding and preoperative biliary drainage cannot reduce the incidence of postoperative complications.

Adult ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Jaundice ; physiopathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Gangliocytic paraganglioma (GP) is a rare, benign tumor which is usually found in the duodenum. We here report four recent cases of GP, with successful endoscopic resection in three cases, including a lesion on the ampulla of Vater. In all cases, each lesion had a stalk that facilitated removal using an endoscopic approach. Endoscopic mucosal resection is a feasible and safe treatment if the location, depth, and lymph node status are all favorable and is also helpful for definite diagnosis of unknown duodenal mass. To avoid morbidity resulting from open surgical resection, careful inspection for the peduncle of the GP will help determine the feasibility of endoscopic resection.
Aged ; Ampulla of Vater/pathology ; Chromogranin A/metabolism ; Colonoscopy ; Duodenal Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intestinal Mucosa/pathology/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuroendocrine Tumors/pathology/surgery ; Paraganglioma/pathology/*surgery ; S100 Proteins/metabolism ; Synaptophysin/metabolism ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Gangliocytic paragangliomas (GPs) are rare tumors of the duodenum, presenting as single sessile or pedunculated polypoid masses. Clinical manifestations of duodenal GPs can vary from an incidental finding at endoscopy to frequent upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by mucosal ulceration and abdominal pain. GPs are considered benign, but the disease can recur and spread to regional lymph nodes. A 41-year-old female presented with abdominal pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a subepithelial tumor of the ampulla of Vater in the second portion of the duodenum. The tumor was resected using the endoscopic mucosal resection technique. The tumor was diagnosed as benign GP of the duodenum using histological and immunohistochemical staining procedures.
Adult ; Ampulla of Vater/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Biopsy ; Duodenal Neoplasms/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Duodenoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Paraganglioma/chemistry/*pathology/surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis