Ultrasound Еxamination of the Еxtrahepatic Bile Ducts in Children (Literature Review with our own Clinical Observations)

To study the normal sonographic anatomy of extrahepatic bile ducts, a polypositional ultrasound examination of 120 children aged 0 to 17 years was conducted. The technique of hepatoduodenal ligament ultrasound examination is described. The main sonographic visual indicators for studying the anatomical and topographic structure of extrahepatic bile ducts in children are denoted. The normative parameters of the common bile and common hepatic ducts in children of different age groups are presented.

Safety in Electrosurgery as an Essential Skill in the Training of Surgeons

The analysis of 19 videotapes of laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed by accredited on the virtual simulator "LapSim" during the passage of the station "Planned Surgery" within the framework of primary specialized accreditation in the specialty "Surgery" was carried out. The mistakes made by those accredited in the application of high-energy methods at the stage of isolation of the elements of the hepatoduodenal ligament have been studied. Mistakes when using high-energy methods were made by 14 out of 19 accredited. The importance of training surgeons in the basics of electrosurgical safety is emphasized.

Laparoscopic resection of schwannoma in the hepatoduodenal ligament: a case report

Background The occurrence of schwannomas in the hepatoduodenal ligament is rare, and its preoperative accurate diagnosis is difficult. Only few cases have been treated with laparoscopic surgery. Case presentation A 54-year-old man visited our hospital following abnormal abdominal computed tomography findings. He had no complaints, and his laboratory investigations were normal. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a tumor with enhancement at the margin of the hepatoduodenal ligament. The abdominal magnetic resonance imaging findings of the tumor showed hypointensity on the T1-weighted images and mixed hypointensity and hyperintensity on the T2-weighted fat-suppression images. Positron emission tomography showed localized accumulation of fludeoxyglucose only in the hepatoduodenal ligament tumor. The patient underwent laparoscopic tumor resection for accurate diagnosis. Histopathologically, the tumor was mainly composed of spindle cells, which were strongly positive for S-100 protein on immunohistochemical staining. The patient was discharged without any postoperative complications on day 5. Conclusions Complete tumor resection is essential for schwannomas to avoid recurrence. Laparoscopic surgery is useful for schwannomas occurring in the hepatoduodenal ligament and can be performed safely by devising an appropriate surgical method.

Teratoma in the hepatoduodenal ligament: a case report

Background Teratoma of the hepatoduodenal ligament is a rare entity. Only 17 cases of hepatoduodenal ligament teratoma exist in the literature. Case presentation A girl with antenatally detected intraabdominal lesion was brought to us at the age of 3 years for the prime concern of progressive abdominal distension. Evaluation showed that the mass was a teratoma arising likely from the hepatoduodenal ligament. During the excision, there was an inadvertent pin-point perforation of the common bile duct. Primary repair of the common bile duct was performed. The child had an uneventful recovery. Conclusions The significance of anticipating complications and taking adequate measures while dissecting the porta has been emphasized in this kind of rare location of a teratoma.

Castleman’s Disease Arising from the Hepatoduodenal Ligament Mimicking a Duodenal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

Castleman’s disease (CD) arising from the hepatoduodenal ligament is extremely rare. A 32-year-old man was referred to a clinic with nausea. He was found to have an abdominal mass by ultrasonography and consulted our hospital for further examination. Computed tomography revealed an equally enhancing mass, 5.2 cm in diameter, adjacent to the duodenum. On magnetic resonance imaging, the mass revealed a slightly iso-intensity signal equal to smooth muscle on T1-weighted imaging, a slightly high-intensity signal on T2-weighted imaging, and a high-intensity signal on diffusion-weighted imaging. Endoscopic ultrasonography showed a well-demarcated hypoechoic mass adjacent to the duodenum. The Doppler echo pattern indicated abundant blood flow. The preoperative diagnosis was a duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor. The patient underwent laparotomy and tumor excision. The finding of the intraoperative frozen section was CD. Histologically, the lymph follicles were markedly increased in number throughout the cortex and medulla with vascular proliferation and hyalinization in the intra- or extra-follicles. The germinal centers were atrophic and surrounded by concentrically arranged layers of small lymphocytes. The histological findings were the hyaline vascular variant of CD. If a hypervascular solid mass is detected in the abdomen, CD should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with regional lymphadenopathy caused by sarcoid-like reaction: a case report

Background Sarcoid-like reaction (SLR) is a histological pattern of granulomatous inflammation that is clinically differentiated from sarcoidosis. Since SLR is known to occur in several neoplasias and occasionally causes lymphadenopathy and mimics metastatic malignancy, it needs to be considered whether lymphadenopathy is due to metastasis or SLR for the choice of cancer treatment. Few cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with SLR have been reported. Here, a case of HCC with lymphadenopathy diagnosed as SLR without metastasis is presented. Case presentation A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of upper abdominal pain. She tested positive for hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid. Imaging modalities showed an 81 × 65-mm-sized tumor with multiple nodules in segment 3 and a 17 × 12-mm-sized tumor in segment 5 with a common HCC enhancement pattern. In addition, a lymph node in the hepatoduodenal ligament was enlarged at 13 mm in size, suggesting the metastasis of HCC. Hepatectomy of the lateral segment and segment 5 and lymph node dissection in the hepatoduodenal ligament were performed. Both tumors in segments 3 and 5 were pathologically diagnosed as HCC without vessel invasion. The tumors contained necrotic cells and epithelioid cell granulomas with multinucleated giant cells, which is typically observed in sarcoidosis. The dissected lymph nodes also contained epithelioid cell granulomas, as well as giant cells with asteroid bodies. There was no malignancy in the lymph nodes. The pathological findings suggested the coexistence of malignancy and sarcoidosis. However, since the patient did not show any typical findings of pulmonary or cardiac sarcoidosis, the case was diagnosed as HCC with SLR in the primary lesion and regional lymph nodes. Conclusions SLR needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis when a cancer patient develops lymphadenopathy. However, lymphadenopathy due to SLR is indistinguishable from that due to metastasis even when using multiple imaging modalities. Pathological examinations may be helpful for the diagnosis.

Liver lymphatic drainage patterns follow segmental anatomy in a murine model

The liver’s cellular functions are sustained by a hierarchical, segmentally-organized vascular system. Additionally, liver lymphatic vessels are thought to drain to perihepatic lymph nodes. Surprisingly, while recent findings highlight the importance of organ-specific lymphatics, the functional anatomy of liver lymphatics has not been mapped out. In literature, no segmental or preferential lymphatic drainage patterns are known to exist. We employ a novel murine model of liver lymphangiography and in vivo microscopy to delineate the lymphatic drainage patterns of individual liver lobes. Our data from blue dye liver lymphangiography show preferential lymphatic drainage patterns: Right lobe mainly to hepatoduodenal ligament lymph node 1 (LN1); left lobe to hepatoduodenal ligament LN1 + LN2 concurrently; median lobe showed a more variable LN1/LN2 drainage pattern with increased (sometimes exclusive) mediastinal thoracic lymph node involvement, indicating that part of the liver can drain directly to the mediastinum. Upon ferritin lymphangiography, we observed no functional communication between the lobar lymphatics. Altogether, these results show the existence of preferential lymphatic drainage patterns in the murine liver. Moreover, this drainage can occur directly to mediastinal lymph nodes and there is no interlobar lymphatic flow. Collectively, these data provide the first direct evidence that liver lymphatic drainage patterns follow segmental anatomy.