Citations

AbstractAmong 454 operations done for peptic ulcer between 1956 and 1985 on residents of Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A. in whom ulcer size could be determined accurately, 50 operations (11% of the total) were performed for giant ulcers and 404 (89%) for nongiant ulcers. The annual operation rate per 100,000 residents for giant ulcer did not clearly decline during the 30‐year period in contrast to the dramatic fall in operation rates for nongiant ulcers. Nonetheless, the ratio of operation rates for giant ulcer compared to nongiant ulcer changed relatively little. Giant ulcers required emergency operation for massive bleeding more often than nongiant ulcers. Also, giant ulcers presented with unusual and severe complications such as gastrocolic fistula. Survival after surgery for giant ulcer was poorer than survival after an operation for nongiant ulcer. We conclude that giant ulcers are operated on somewhat less often today than in the past, while operations for nongiant ulcers are much less frequent. The giant ulcers that are operated on, however, are more prone to massive bleeding and are associated with poorer postoperative survival than their nongiant counterparts.

AbstractDuring a 30‐year period (1951–1981), seventeen patients underwent bilateral adrenalectomy for established adrenal medullary disease with catecholamine excess. Fourteen patients had the MEN IIa syndrome and 3 had the MEN IIb syndrome. There was no major operative morbidity and no operative mortality.One patient died 23 months after initial operation because of metastatic pheochromocytoma. The remaining patients were followed for a mean of 129 months and all were personally interviewed. Three patients had 7 uneventful pregnancies. Twelve patients underwent 23 other surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia during the followup period without any morbidity. Two patients have metastatic pheochromocytoma; 3 have clinical metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma; 5 patients have high calcitonin values and 6 patients are in excellent health at intervals of 15, 27, 58, 110, 134, and 373 months following resection. The need for adrenal replacement therapy has not caused significant problems in any patient.The results of this study confirm that bilateral total adrenalectomy is a safe modality for the treatment of adrenal medullary disease in this syndrome and that it does not produce significant long‐term morbidity.

AbstractMost of what has been learned about resection of hepatic metastases comes from the study of colorectal cancer because such lesions are so common. One‐fourth or more of patients who have liver metastases from such lesions have hepatic tumors that can be removed, but only about 25% of these patients will live 5 years or more after such tumors have been removed. When resection so often fails to improve survival, there is a need to know when metastatic lesions should be removed. Study of determinants of prognosis, patterns of failure, and the natural history of the disease have shown that surgical failure is determined by the presence of extrahepatic metastases (even when removed) and limited resective margins. The patient's gender and the locoregional stage of the primary resected lesions influence survival, but not so much as to withhold resective treatment from these less favored groups. Studies of size, site, and number of hepatic metastases removed show therapeutic limitations associated with extremes, but these determinants of prognosis after resection must be studied in better ways. Although, at times, palliation is a reasonable goal, this aspect of resective treatment has not been studied well. When there are no good therapeutic alternatives to resection of hepatic metastases and when risk is low, such palliative operations may be justified. Only with further study will absolute contraindications to surgical therapy be well defined. There is an obvious need for biologic control of cancer.

AbstractThe surgical management of pancreatic islet cell carcinomas poses a complicated set of questions resulting from their rare occurrence and the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis in early cases or, conversely, the problems inherent in dealing with metastatic disease. However, because their biologic behavior is rather indolent, a real opportunity exists not only for cure but also for meaningful palliation. These goals apply both to the tumor itself and the effects of the hormones they may secrete. The challenge facing the multidisciplinary management team in general, and the surgeon specifically, is to achieve the optimal combination of surgical resection and other treatment options. While the precept of aggressive excision applies to most islet cell carcinomas, it is not universally applicable. In contrast to other islet cell tumors, insulinomas are overwhelmingly benign, and are well treated by enucleation or limited pancreatic resection. Although based on relatively few cases, cytoreductive surgery seems beneficial for malignant insulinomas. Advances that have occurred over the past decade in Zollinger‐Ellison syndrome have markedly altered surgical management. Medication which reliably prevents ulcer formation has permitted the surgical perspective to be redirected from end organ ablation to curative tumor excision. Multicentricity and metastases, however, limit the extent to which cure can actually be achieved. Patients with vasoactive intestinal peptide‐producing tumors and glucagonomas are very rare, and when possible, should undergo tumor resection to correct the severe hormonally caused metabolic derangements. Increasingly recognized are islet cell carcinomas that do not produce clinical syndromes. They may be confused with ductal carcinomas, but when resected, lead to distinctly superior survival rates among patients.