The ERAS fast-track protocol is safe and effective for patients undergoing liver resection. It allows early oral intake, promotes faster postoperative recovery and reduces hospital stay.

No abstract

Over a 9-year period, major resection was successfully performed on 51 occasions with total vascular exclusion using supra- and infrahepatic caval and portal vein clamping. The main indications for hepatic resection were centrally located tumor in liver metastases (62%) and hepatocellular carcinoma with no evidence of co-existing cirrhosis (25%). Major resections included extended and regular right hepatectomy, extended left hepatectomy, and segmentectomy. The mean duration of vascular exclusion was 46.5 +/- 5.0 minutes (range 20 to 70 minutes) and mean blood transfusion requirement was 1.4 +/- 0.4 units during vascular exclusion. There were significant correlations between postoperative fall in factor II levels and the number of segments removed (r = 0.37, p = 0.015) and between serum alanine aminotransferase levels at day 2 and the duration of vascular exclusion (r = 0.35, p = 0.02). One patient died 45 days after the procedure of multi-organ failure and sepsis. Nonfatal complications occurred in 7 patients (14%) and included respiratory infection (7 patients), biliary fistula (3 patients), and collection at the site of hepatic resection (3 patients). Total vascular exclusion is a safe and useful technique in resection of major hepatic lesions that involve hepatic veins.

Background. Current methods to predict survival duration of patients with pancreatic cancer are limited. The aim of this study was to determine whether certain nutritional indices and the acute‐phase protein response are prognostic factors independent of disease stage for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Methods. Variables at the time of diagnosis of 102 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer were entered into a Cox's proportional hazards model. Included in the analysis were the serum concentration of C‐reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, the extent of weight loss, age, sex, and disease stage (International Union Against Cancer criteria). Results. A multivariate analysis in which each factor was adjusted for the influence of the other factors revealed the patient age, disease stage, serum albumin, and serum CRP to be independent predictors of survival. The presence of an acute‐phase protein response was the most significant independent predictor of survival duration. The median survival of those with an acute‐phase protein response (CRP > 10 mg/L, n = 45) was 66 days compared with 222 days for those with no acute‐phase protein response (n = 57, P = 0.001, Mann‐Whitney U test). Conclusion. The acute‐phase protein response is a useful prognostic indicator for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the metabolic disturbances associated with an acute‐phase protein response of patients with pancreatic cancer may be a worthwhile therapeutic target.

Background-Abdominal aortic aneurysms are a major cause of death. Prediction of aneurysm expansion and rupture is challenging and currently relies on the simple measure of aneurysm diameter. Using MRI, we aimed to assess whether areas of cellular inflammation correlated with the rate of abdominal aortic aneurysm expansion. Methods and Results-Stable patients (nϭ29; 27 male; age, 70Ϯ5 years) with asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms (4.0 to 6.6 cm) were recruited from a surveillance program and imaged using a 3-T MRI scanner before and 24 to 36 hours after administration of ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO). The change in T2* value on T2*-weighted imaging was used to detect accumulation of USPIO within the abdominal aortic aneurysm. Histological examination of aneurysm tissue confirmed colocalization and uptake of USPIO in areas with macrophage infiltration. Patients with distinct mural uptake of USPIO had a 3-fold higher growth rate (nϭ11, 0.66 cm/y; Pϭ0.020) than those with no (nϭ6, 0.22 cm/y) or nonspecific USPIO uptake (nϭ8, 0.24 cm/y) despite having similar aneurysm diameters (5.4Ϯ0.6, 5.1Ϯ0.5, and 5.0Ϯ0.5 cm, respectively; PϾ0.05). In 1 patient with an inflammatory aneurysm, there was a strong and widespread uptake of USPIO extending beyond the aortic wall. Conclusions-Uptake of USPIO in abdominal aortic aneurysms identifies cellular inflammation and appears to distinguish those patients with more rapidly progressive abdominal aortic aneurysm expansion.