1/5. Choledochocele--a rare cause of necrotising pancreatitis in childhood.Recurring complaints of unknown origin in the upper abdomen during childhood are not frequent. Choledochoceles, or type III choledochal cysts, are rare congenital abnormalities of unclear aetiology. They are rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of upper abdominal symptoms in childhood. Only 130 cases of choledochoceles have been reported in world literature to date. Only 20% of these patients were children or adolescents. The symptoms do not specifically suggest a choledochocele, and are usually attributed to other disorders of the upper intestinal tract, frequently resulting in a delayed diagnosis. We present the case of a 10-year old girl in whom a congenital choledochocele was diagnosed by gastro-intestinal studies and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) following a 2-years history of recurrent pancreatitis. Various types of choledochoceles are presented in the literature, classified according to morphology and histology. Most authors consider them to be a form of choledochal cyst. Their embryonic development is related to that of congenital duodenal diverticula. Although congenital intraluminal duodenal dilatations are of known oncogenic significance, only two cases of adenocarcinoma arising from a choledochocele have been described to date. Established treatment of large choledochoceles in childhood is transduodenal marsupialization.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = abdomen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/5. Acute pancreatitis possibly due to arginine use: a case report.arginine has been used by millions of athletes over the past 20 years to enhance production of human growth hormone. The effects of arginine supplementation include increased fat burning and muscle building, enhanced immunity, and improvement in erectile function in men. Excessive doses of basic amino acids such as ethionine, methionine and lysine are known to damage the rat pancreas. Recent studies have demonstrated that excessive doses of arginine induce necrotizing pancreatitis in rats. In this article, we report a 16-year-old male patient hospitalized in our clinic because of severe pain in upper abdomen, nausea and vomiting who was suspected to have arginine-induced acute pancreatitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = abdomen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/5. Laparoscopic debridement of recurrent pancreatic abscesses in the hostile abdomen.Recurrent necrotizing pancreatitis in the frozen or hostile abdomen remains a challenge. Percutaneous drainage is useful in these cases but often fails if there is significant pancreatic necrosis. We describe a technique for laparoscopic drainage of necrotic pancreas. The preexisting percutaneous drainage tract was sequentially dilated and a working thoracoscope was placed via a Hasson cannula. A pulsatile irrigation system was used to open the cavity for visualization and to wash away obvious necrotic debris. Working sequentially using the irrigation jet flow for debridement and visualization, we opened the entire tract and debrided a majority of the necrotic tissue. A large drainage tube was placed to allow the egress of any residual infection. Three patients to date have been treated with the above technique with no intraoperative complications. All three patients did well initially postoperatively and had adequate drainage. One patient developed a delayed pancreatic pseudocyst. Laparoscopic debridement via percutaneous drainage tract is a useful technique in the hostile abdomen.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = abdomen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/5. Treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome with subcutaneous anterior abdominal fasciotomy in severe acute pancreatitis.BACKGROUND: Managing the abdominal compartment syndrome associated with severe acute pancreatitis by the open abdomen method is associated with considerable morbidity and resource utilization. methods: A technique of subcutaneous anterior abdominal fasciotomy is described for the first time in two patients with severe acute pancreatitis. RESULTS: Following the procedure, the intra-abdominal pressure decreased from 30 mmHg immediately to 23 mmHg and to a sustained level of 12-14 mmHg in the first patient, and from 35 mmHg immediately to 23 mmHg and to a sustained level of 14-19 mmHg in the second patient. CONCLUSIONS: The subcutaneous anterior abdominal fasciotomy is a promising method for safe and effective abdominal decompression with sustained effect and avoiding the morbidity associated with the alternative open abdomen techniques.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = abdomen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/5. Endoscopic therapy of a splenic abscess: definitive treatment via EUS-guided transgastric drainage.BACKGROUND: Splenic complications of pancreatitis are exceedingly rare, occurring in only 2.2% of cases. patients typically present in a dramatic fashion and often need an urgent procedure to prevent overwhelming infection or hemorrhage. Historically, the procedures involve surgery (distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy) or percutaneous drainage. SETTING: Walter Reed Army Medical Center. PATIENT: A patient with acute or chronic pancreatitis presented with pleuritic chest pain and fever up to 105 degrees F (40.6 degrees C). A CT of the abdomen and the pelvis demonstrated a splenic abscess. INTERVENTION: Because of the technical inability to perform transpapillary drainage, EUS-guided transgastric drainage resolved the splenic abscess. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of a splenic abscess treated definitively with endoscopic therapy. In the face of a worsening clinical picture and reported morbidities up to 79% with surgical and percutaneous drainage procedures, endoscopic therapies should be considered in the management of splenic complications of pancreatitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = abdomen (Clic here for more details about this article) |