Subclinical paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum:A case report

BACKGROUND Paraganglioma(PGL)located in the retroperitoneum presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to its hidden location,lack of specific symptoms in the early stages,and absence of distinctive manifestations on imaging.CASE SUMMARY A 56-year-old woman presented with a left upper abdominal mass discovered 1 wk ago during a physical examination.She did not have a history of smoking,alcohol consumption,or other harmful habits,no surgical procedures or infectious diseases,and had a 4-year history of hypertension.Upon admission,she did not exhibit fever,vomiting,or abdominal distension.Physical examination indicated mild percussion pain in the left upper abdomen,with no palpable enlargement of the liver or spleen.Laboratory tests and tumor markers showed no significant abnormalities.Enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the upper abdomen revealed a cystic solid mass in the left epigastrium measuring approximately 6.5 cm×4.5 cm,with inhomogeneous enhancement in the arterial phase,closely associated with the lesser curvature of the stomach and the pancreas.The patient underwent laparoscopic resection of the retroperitoneal mass,which was successfully removed without tumor rupture.A 12-month postoperative follow-up period showed good recovery.CONCLUSION This case report details the successful laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal subclinical PGL,resulting in a good recovery observed at the 12-month follow-up.Interestingly,the patient also experienced unexpected cure of hypertensive disease.

Pay attention to the application of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technology in laparoscopic liver cancer resection

Traditional laparoscopic liver cancer resection faces challenges,such as difficultiesin tumor localization and accurate marking of liver segments,as well as theinability to provide real-time intraoperative navigation.This approach falls shortof meeting the demands for precise and anatomical liver resection.The introductionof fluorescence imaging technology,particularly indocyanine green,hasdemonstrated significant advantages in visualizing bile ducts,tumor localization,segment staining,microscopic lesion display,margin examination,and lymphnode visualization.This technology addresses the inherent limitations oftraditional laparoscopy,which lacks direct tactile feedback,and is increasinglybecoming the standard in laparoscopic procedures.Guided by fluorescenceimaging technology,laparoscopic liver cancer resection is poised to become thepredominant technique for liver tumor removal,enhancing the accuracy,safetyand efficiency of the procedure.

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of heterotopic pancreas

Heterotopic pancreas,a rare congenital malformation,manifests outside the normal pancreas.Research suggests that abnormal embryonic development is linked to the presence of heterotopic pancreas.Three prevailing theories explain its mechanism:Dislocation theory,metaplasia theory,and totipotent stem cell theory.Clinical presentations of heterotopic pancreas are often nonspecific,with most patients being asymptomatic and incidentally discovered during unrelated surgeries or examinations.Endoscopic ultrasound,computed tomography,and magnetic resonance imaging are commonly employed diagnostic tools for heterotopic pancreas.However,the accuracy of diagnosis based on these methods is not consistently high,necessitating histopathological confirmation in many cases.Treatment options for heterotopic pancreas typically involve endoscopic resection,surgical resection,or observation through follow-up.

Efficiency and safety of laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy: A study of intrathecal vs extrathecal Glissonean pedicle techniques

BACKGROUND Selective hemihepatic vascular occlusion is utilized in both right and left hemihepatectomies to preserve blood supply to the intact lobe,maintain hemo-dynamic stability,and mitigate surgical risks.While this technique encompasses both intrathecal and extrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection methods,there is a lack of systematic comparative reports on these two approaches.AIM To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)undergoing laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy in our hospital to explore the feasibility,safety,and short-and long-term efficacy of extrathecal and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection methods in laparo-scopic left hemihepatectomy.METHODS A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 49 HCC patients who underwent laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy from January 2019 to December 2022 in our hospital.These patients were divided into extrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection(EGP)group(n=24)and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle transection(IGP)group(n=25)according to the different approaches used for selective hemihepatic vascular occlusion.The perioperative indicators,liver function indexes,complications,and follow-up findings were compared between these two groups.RESULTS The surgeries were smooth in both groups,and no perioperative death was noted.The hepatic pedicle transection time and the operation time were(16.1±2.3)minutes and(129.6±19.0)minutes,respectively,in the EGP group,which were significantly shorter than those in the IGP group[(25.5±2.4)minutes and(184.8±26.0)minutes,respectively],both P<0.01.There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss,time to anal exhaust,hospital stay,drain indwelling time,and postoperative liver function between the two groups(all P>0.05).The incidence of postoperative complications showed no significant difference[16.67%(4/24)vs 16.0%(4/25),P>0.05].All the 49 HCC patients were followed up after surgery(range:11.2-53.3 months;median:36.4 months).The overall survival rate and disease-free survival rate were not significantly different(both P>0.05).CONCLUSION Both extrathecal and intrathecal Glissonean pedicle approaches are effective and safe hepatic inflow occlusion techniques in laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy for HCC.However,the extrathecal approach simplifies the hepatic pedicle transection,shortens the operation time,and increases the surgical efficiency,making it a more feasible technique.

Advances in minimally invasive treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice

Malignant obstructive jaundice(MOJ)encompasses a range of diseases stemming from malignant tumors such as cholangiocarcinoma,pancreatic cancer,and primary liver cancer,among others,which cause obstruction in both intra-and extra-hepatic bile ducts.This obstruction may lead to elevated bilirubin levels,hepatic function impairment,and a low rate of successful surgical resection in clinical settings.There are various minimally invasive treatment options for MOJ,including endoscopic biliary drainage,ultrasound-guided procedures,and percutaneous biliary tract puncture drainage.

Circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for severe acute pancreatitis associated with acute lung injury

AIM To identify circulating micro(mi)RNAs as biological markers for prediction of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP) with acute lung injury(ALI).METHODS Twenty-four serum samples were respectively collected and classified as SAP associated with ALI and SAP without ALI, and the mi RNA expression profiles were determined by microarray analysis. These mi RNAs were validated by quantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction, and their putative targets were predicted by the online software Target Scan, mi Randa and Pic Tar database. Gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(commonly known as KEGG) were used to predict their possible functions and pathways involved.RESULTS We investigated 287 mi RNAs based on microarray data analysis. Twelve mi RNAs were differentially expressed in the patients with SAP with ALI and those with SAP without ALI. Hsa-mi R-1260 b, 762, 22-3 p, 23 b and 23 a were differently up-regulated and hsa-mi R-550 a*, 324-5 p, 484, 331-3 p, 140-3 p, 342-3 p and 150 were differently down-regulated in patients with SAP with ALI compared to those with SAP without ALI. In addition, 85 putative target genes of the significantly dysregulated mi RNAs were found by Target Scan, mi Randa and Pic Tar. Finally, GO and pathway network analysis showed that they were mainly enriched in signal transduction, metabolic processes, cytoplasm and cell membranes.CONCLUSION This is the first study to identify 12 circulating mi RNAs in patients with SAP with ALI, which may be biomarkers for prediction of ALI after SAP.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the liver:A case report

BACKGROUND Squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)of the liver is rare,and is more commonly found in the skin,rectum,cervical or inguinal lymph nodes.CASE SUMMARY A 73-year-old man had been experiencing right upper quadrant discomfort for some weeks.He had a 50-year history of smoking and drinking.On average,he smoked 20 cigarettes and consumed 200 galcoholdaily.He didn’t have a history of hepatitis or surgery.Fever,vomiting,jaundice,dysuria,chills,and abdominal distention were not observed at the time of admission.Tenderness in the right upper quadrant was found on physical examination,but there was no palpable abdominal mass.No obvious abnormalities in laboratory tests and tumor markers were found.The plasma retention rate of indocyanine green(ICG)at 15 min was 1.35%.Subsequent abdominal ultrasonography showed a mixed echoic mass approximately 3.8 cm diameter in the left caudate lobe of the liver.Abdominal computed tomography confirmed a 3.0 cm×3.5 cm irregular mass with inhomogeneous density and moderate delayed enhancement in the left caudate lobe of the liver.Laparoscopic left caudate lobectomy was performed to remove the liver mass.Intra-operative findings confirmed a non-cirrhotic liver,with a 3 cm×3.5 cm white tumor mass in the left caudate lobe with no tumor rupture and no hemoperitoneum.The resection margin was 1.0 cm in width.CONCLUSION We describe the first case of SCC in the left caudate lobe of the liver,which was successfully treated by surgical resection and postoperative immunotherapy.No tumor recurrence was observed during the 8-mo follow-up.