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

No abstract available.
Abscess/complications/*diagnosis ; Adenocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis ; Adult ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis/*etiology ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis

Several studies have reported that ABO blood group, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection contribute to the development of pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between these factors and pancreatic cancer in the Korean population. We retrospectively recruited 753 patients with pancreatic cancer and 3,012 healthy controls, matched 4 to 1 with cancer patients for age and sex, between 2001 and 2011, at the National Cancer Center, Korea. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs). The AOR for pancreatic cancer in subjects with non-O blood types (A, AB, and B), compared to blood type O, was 1.29 (95% CI, 1.05-1.58; P = 0.01). Seropositivity for hepatitis B virus surface antigen was not significantly related to pancreatic cancer, either in univariate (odds ratio 1.03; 95% CI, 0.69-1.53; P = 0.91) or multivariate analysis (AOR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.67-1.56; P = 0.93). The AOR for pancreatic cancer in subjects displaying seropositivity for anti-HCV was 2.30 (95% CI, 1.30-4.08; P < 0.01). Our results suggest that the non-O blood types and anti-HCV seropositivity, but not HBV infection, may increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer in Korea, where HBV is endemic.
ABO Blood-Group System ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Hepatitis B/complications/diagnosis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood ; Hepatitis C/*complications/diagnosis ; Hepatitis C Antibodies/blood ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis/*etiology ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic islet cell tumors.

METHODSFifty-one patients with islet cell tumors treated in our department from January 1991 to April 2011 were included in this study. The data of clinical features, diagnosis and treatment were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSAmong the 51 cases, 38 cases showed typical Whipple's triad, and the other 13 cases were non-functional islet cell tumors. In these 13 cases, 5 patients had no specific clinical symptoms, and 8 patients had abdominal distending pain. The positive rates of imaging were: B-ultrasound 43.1%, multi-slice spiral CT 69.8%; MRI 62.5%, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) 64.7% (11/17), and intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) 96.3%, the differences among them were statistically significant (P<0.05). All patients underwent surgical treatment. Postoperative pancreatic leakage happened in 6 cases. Finally all the patients recovered after effective external drainage, anti-infection treatment and nutritional support.

CONCLUSIONSIntraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) has a higher accuracy in the diagnosis of pancreatic islet cell tumors, compared with preoperative B-ultrasonography, CT, MRI, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). The most effective treatment of this disease is surgery.

Adenoma, Islet Cell ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Adult ; Anastomotic Leak ; etiology ; Endosonography ; Female ; Humans ; Insulinoma ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Pancreatectomy ; adverse effects ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies

The most common finding related to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is obesity, but a status of severe malnutrition can also induce the steatohepatitis. The authors report a rare case of steatohepatitis leading to hepatic decompensation caused by malnutrition after pancreaticoduodenectomy. A 68-year-old female patient who had been previously diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy 5 months previously presented with abdominal distension. Routine CT performed 3 months after the surgery revealed severe fatty liver without evidence of tumor recurrence. After undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy her food intake had reduced, and as a result she had lost 7 kg of body weight over 2 months. At this admission, CT revealed moderate amounts of ascites without tumor recurrence. Furthermore, her albumin and lipid profile levels were markedly decreased, and she had a flapping tremor and slurred speech suggestive of hepatic encephalopathy. Her liver biopsy findings were consistent with steatohepatitis and disclosed macrovesicular steatosis without definite fibrosis. After careful nutritional control, her symptoms disappeared and her laboratory findings improved.
Aged ; Ascites/etiology ; Fatty Liver/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Malnutrition/*complications ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/surgery ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hemobilia is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP) is considered to be an excellent diagnostic and treatment modality. Thirty-seven cases of hemobilia with different underlying pathologies were analyzed to illustrate clinical features and to evaluate the role of endoscopic management. METHODS: A total of 37 patients (26 men and 11 women; mean age, 66.2+/-15.3 years) who were confirmed to have hemobilia by ERCP in a single center from 2000 to 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with iatrogenic causes of hemobilia were excluded in this study. RESULTS: The causes of hemobilia were hepatocellular carcinoma in 14, bile duct and gallbladder malignancies in 12, common bile duct stones with cholangitis in 4, acute cholecystitis in 4, and pancreatic cancer in 2 patients. The clinical features of hemobilia were jaundice (89.2%), abdominal pain (78.4%), and melena (13.5%). The cholangiographic findings of hemobilia were amorphous filling defects in 15, tubular filling defects in 6, and cast-like filling defects in 6 patients. Endoscopic management included endoscopic nasobiliary drainage in 26 patients and endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage in 7 patients. Biliary obstruction caused by hemobilia was successfully treated with endoscopic biliary drainages in most cases. CONCLUSIONS: The most common non-iatrogenic causes of hemobilia were hepatobiliary malignancies, and the majority of patients presented with jaundice and abdominal pain. Endoscopic biliary drainage is recommended as the initial management to control biliary obstruction.
Abdominal Pain/etiology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/complications ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis/complications ; Drainage ; Female ; Gallstones/complications ; Hemobilia/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Humans ; Jaundice/etiology ; Liver Neoplasms/complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/complications ; Retrospective Studies

Portal annular pancreas is one of the pancreatic fusion anomalies in which the uncinate process of the pancreas extends to fuse with the dorsal pancreas by encircling the portal vein or superior mesenteric vein. We report two consecutive patients with portal annular pancreas. The first case is a 71-year-old male patient who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm in the head of pancreas. His preoperative computed tomography scan showed the suprasplenic type portal annular pancreas. The second case is a 74-year-old female patient who underwent a laparoscopic anterior radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) for pancreatic body cancer. In operative finding, portal confluence (superior mesenteric vein-splenic vein-portal vein) was encased with the uncinate process of pancreas in both cases. Therefore, they required pancreatic division at the pancreatic neck portion twice. During the postoperative period, grade B and A, respectively, postoperative pancreatic fistulas occurred and were controlled by conservative management. Surgeons need to know about this rare pancreatic condition prior to surgical intervention to avoid complications, and to provide patients with well-designed, case-specific pancreatic surgery.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/diagnosis/surgery ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mesenteric Veins/radiography ; Pancreas/abnormalities ; Pancreatic Diseases/*diagnosis/therapy ; Pancreatic Fistula/etiology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis/surgery ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy/adverse effects ; Portal Vein/radiography ; Splenic Vein/radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

In rare instances, stroke may precede a diagnosis of cancer and be the first clinical evidence of an underlying malignancy.Cerebral infarction mostly complicates lymphomas, carcinomas, and solid tumors. Malignancy-related thromboembolism can present as acute cerebral infarction, nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and migratory thrombophlebitis. It is generally attributed to a cancer-related hypercoagulable period, chronic disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), or tumor embolism. We reported a case of malignancy-related thromboembolism from an undiagnosed pancreatic adenocarcinoma in a 54-year-old man, who presented with recurrent ischemic stroke due to chronic DIC. He died of the underlying malignancy despite the appropriate institution of anticoagulation therapy.This case emphasizes that cerebral infarction may be the first manifestation of an undiagnosed cancer. If there is laboratory or clinical evidence associated with DIC, patients with a cerebral infarct of an unknown etiology should be investigated for a malignant process. The optimal method of anticoagulation in cancer patients with thromboembolic disease (TED) remains unclear.
Adenocarcinoma ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Stroke ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; etiology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: An association between past history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and pancreatic cancer (PC) has recently been reported. We investigated whether HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are associated with the development of PC in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively recruited patients with PC and sex- and, age-matched control patients with stomach cancer (SC) during the previous 5 years. Serum HBsAg and anti-HCV were examined, and data on smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes, and the history of chronic pancreatitis (CP) were collected. RESULTS: A total of 506 PC and 1008 SC were enrolled, with respectively 58.1% and 97.3% of these cases being confirmed histologically. The mean age and sex ratio (male:female) were 63.5 years and 1.5:1 in the PC patients and 63.9 years and 1.5:1 in the SC patients respectively (P>0.05). The odds ratios (95% confidence interval, 95% CI) in univariate analysis were 0.90 (0.52-1.56; P=0.70) for HBsAg, 1.87 (0.87-4.01; P=0.11) for anti-HCV, 2.66 (2.04-3.48; P<0.001) for the presence of diabetes, 2.30 (1.83-2.90; P<0.001) for smoking, 1.14 (0.89-1.46; P=0.31) for alcohol intake, and 4.40 (1.66-11.66; P=0.003) for the history of CP. Independent risk factors for PC were presence of diabetes (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.00-3.56; P<0.001), smoking (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.93-3.21; P<0.001) and history of CP (OR, 4.60; 95% CI, 1.56-13.53; P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant association between seropositivity for HBsAg or anti-HCV and PC. Further studies are warranted to clarify the association between HBV infection and PC in regions where HBV is endemic.
Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Female ; Hepatitis B/*complications/diagnosis ; Hepatitis C/complications/diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/diagnosis/*epidemiology/etiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Biopsy ; methods ; Drainage ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; etiology ; therapy ; Lymph Node Excision ; methods ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; methods ; Salvage Therapy