Hepatoma

A hepatoma is a cancer that starts in the liver. It is the most common type of cancer
originating in the liver.

Symptoms

The first signs of the disease may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss
• Large mass that can be felt in the upper right section of the abdomen

People who have had cirrhosis for a long time may also experience:

• Sudden feeling of illness

• Fever
• Sudden abdominal pain and shock (very low blood pressure) caused by a
rupture or bleeding of the tumor

Diagnosis

At first, symptoms may not offer clues that the disease is present. When the person
has had cirrhosis for a long time and a tumor can be felt in the abdomen, the doctor
will suspect hepatoma.

Other ways to detect the disease include:

• Ultrasound
• Computed tomography (CT) scans
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)scans
• Liver biopsy. For this, a small sample of tissue is taken for examination under
a microscope.

Treatment

The survival rate for people with hepatoma is poor. This is because the tumor is
usually discovered at a later stage.

Treatment options include:

• Surgery, if the tumor is small

• Chemotherapy. This can slow the growth of the tumor but not cure the cancer.

Cholecystography is an x-ray procedure used to examine the gallbladder when

gallstones are suspected. A contrast dye is swallowed prior to the procedure. The
contrast dye allows for better visualization of gallstones and other abnormalities of
the gallbladder that cannot be seen on a standard x-ray of the abdomen.radiography
of the gallbladder and bile ducts, using a radiopaque dye as contrast medium.

Gastrojejunostomy
A surgical procedure where the stomach in surgically connected to the jejunum
(small intestine). This may be performed in cases of obstructing cancers (for
example pyloric carcinoma) of the gastrointestinal tract.

Junction of gastric and intestinal mucosa at the surgical anastomosis is seen as the
capsule passes through. View from the gastric side at LEFT and from the intstinal
side at RIGHT.

Gastroduodenostomy

A gastroduodenostomy is a surgical reconstruction procedure by which a new

connection between the stomach and the first portion of the small intestine
(duodenum) is created.

Purpose

1. A gastroduodenostomy is a gastrointestinal reconstruction technique. It may

be performed in cases of stomach cancer, a malfunctioning pyloric valve,
gastric obstruction, and peptic ulcers.
2. As a gastrointestinal reconstruction technique, it is usually performed after a
total or partial gastrectomy (stomach removal) procedure. The procedure is
also referred to as a Billroth I procedure. For benign diseases, a
gastroduodenostomy is the preferred type of reconstruction because of the
restoration of normal gastrointestinal physiology. Several studies have
confirmed the advantages of the procedure, because it preserves the
duodenal passage. Compared to a gastrojejunostomy (Billroth II) procedure,
meaning the surgical connection of the stomach to the jejunum,
gastroduodenostomies have been shown to result in less modification of
pancreatic and biliary functions, as well as in a decreased incidence of
ulceration and inflammation of the stomach (gastritis). However,
gastroduodenostomies performed after gastrectomies for cancer have been
the subject of controversy. Although there seems to be a definite advantage
of performing gastroduodenostomies over gastrojejunostomies, surgeons
have become reluctant to perform gastroduodenostomies because of possible
obstruction at the site of the surgical connection due to tumor recurrence.

Gastroduodenostomy
 A surgical procedure where the doctor creates a new connection between
the stomach and the duodenum. This procedure may be performed in
cases of stomach cancer or in the case of a malfunctioning pyloric valve