Clinical guidelines for obstetrical practice were first published by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) and the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (JAOG) in 2008, and a revised version was published in 2011. The aims of this publication include the determination of current standard care practices for pregnant women in Japan, the widespread use of standard care practices, the enhancement of safety in obstetrical practice, the reduction in burdens associated with medico-legal and medico-economical problems, and a better understanding between pregnant women and maternity-service providers. These guidelines include a total of 87 Clinical Questions followed by several Answers (CQ&A), a Discussion, a List of References, and some Tables and Figures covering common problems and questions encountered in obstetrical practice. Each answer with a recommendation level of A, B or C has been prepared based principally on "evidence" or a consensus among Japanese obstetricians in situations where "evidence" is weak or lacking. Answers with a recommendation level of A or B represent current standard care practices in Japan. All 87 CQ&As are presented herein to promote a better understanding of the current standard care practices for pregnant women in Japan.

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We have demonstrated the technical details of five types of fluorescence staining techniques. These techniques are safe to perform and facilitate clear visualization of the PV territory in real time, enhancing the efficacy of anatomical removal of such territories.

Background Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has been widely applied in liver surgery since the publication of the first ERAS guidelines in 2016. The aim of the present article was to update the ERAS guidelines in liver surgery using a modified Delphi method based on a systematic review of the literature. Methods A systematic literature review was performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. A modified Delphi method including 15 international experts was used. Consensus was judged to be reached when >80% of the experts agreed on the recommended items. Recommendations were based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations system. Results A total of 7541 manuscripts were screened, and 240 articles were finally included. Twenty-five recommendation items were elaborated. All of them obtained consensus (>80% agreement) after 3 Delphi rounds. Nine items (36%) had a high level of evidence and 16 (64%) a strong recommendation grade. Compared to the first ERAS guidelines published, 3 novel items were introduced: prehabilitation in high-risk patients, preoperative biliary drainage in cholestatic liver, and preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation at least 4 weeks before hepatectomy. Conclusions  These guidelines based on the best available evidence allow standardization of the perioperative management of patients undergoing liver surgery. Specific studies on hepatectomy in cirrhotic patients following an ERAS program are still needed.

Background: The optimal indocyanine green (ICG) administration protocol for fluorescence cholangiography during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has yet to be determined. Methods: A prospective study including 20 cases of ICG fluorescence-navigated LC was conducted. Accordingly, the first 10 patients were administered 2.5 mg of ICG on the day of surgery after intubation (surgery-day group), while the remaining 10 consecutive patients were administered 0.25 mg/kg of ICG on the evening before surgery (one-day-before group). Fluorescence intensity (FI) of each tissue and FI ratios were then compared between both groups. Results: The median interval between observation and ICG administration was 27 minutes and 16 hours 24 minutes in the surgery-day and one-day-before group, respectively. Although FI values for the common bile duct (CBD), liver, and hepatoduodenal ligament (HDL) were significantly lower in the one-day-before group than in the surgery-day group, CBD-Liver contrast (0.7, 0.6-1.2 vs 2.5, 0.9 =-4.8; P < .001), and CBD-HDL contrast (1.7, 1.4-2.4 vs 2.3, 1.5-13.3; P = .038) were significantly higher in the one-day-before group than in the surgery-day group. Conclusion: ICG administration a day before LC may offer better CBD background contrast compared to administration just prior to surgery.