Abstract: BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic repair of a large hiatal hernia using simple sutures only for the cruroplasty is associated with a high recurrence rate. The solution was to place synthetic mesh over the cruroplasty thereby decreasing recurrence rates in exchange for complications, such as gastric and esophageal erosions. Our initial report investigated the use of human acellular dermal matrix (AlloDerm) as a more suitable alternative. This study highlights our long-term results > 1 year of cruroplasty reinforcement with AlloDerm in the repair of large hiatal hernias. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This is a retrospective study performed at our university. Between 2005 and 2006, 52 consecutive patients with large hiatal hernias had the cruroplasty site reinforced with AlloDerm. The variables analyzed were age, sex, weight, height, hiatal hernia size, operative time, length of hospital stay, follow-up, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The mean for age was 56.7 years, for weight was 87.9 kg, for height 117 cm, for hernia size was 5.75 cm, operative time was 121 min, and for hospital stay was 1.36 days. Complication included pneumothorax, 3 (5.5%); atelectasis, 1 (1.9%); urinary retention, 1 (1.9%); and recurrence, 2 (3.8%). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair with reinforcement using human acellular dermal matrix can be performed safely with a short hospital stay and low rate of complications, especially a low rate of recurrence.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: A high incidence of bilateral inguinal defects found on laparoscopic evaluation during hernia repair has been reported. However, expectation of bilateral inguinal defects in patients who are diagnosed with pure unilateral hernia might be underestimated. A prospective clinical study was performed to reveal a rate of contralateral occult defects in patients who were diagnosed with unilateral inguinal hernia prior to primary laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) repair. METHODS: One hundred consecutive male patients with primary unilateral inguinal hernias were included in the study. Patients with known bilateral inguinal hernias as well as femoral, giant and combined hernias were excluded. All patients underwent TEP with exploration and evaluation of the contralateral groin. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 24 (4-46) months. Median age was 48 (18-73). Mean operative time was 42.2 (18-167) min. There were 78 (78%) patients with pure unilateral hernias and 22 (22%) patients with bilateral hernias whose contralateral inguinal defect or hernia was revealed only intraoperatively. Of those, 19 (86%) had right and 3 (14%) left occult defects. Minor complications occurred in 17 (17%) patients. There were no major complications. Two patients required a 23-hour stay in the hospital for urinary retention and hypoxia. Median period of returning to normal activity was 7 (5-14) days. There were two (2%) recurrences. Median period of returning to normal activity was 6.2 days after unilateral repair and 8.4 days after bilateral TEP. CONCLUSION: This study revealed 22% occurrence of bilateral inguinal defects in the patients who are diagnosed with pure inguinal hernia before surgery, with higher incidence for those with left inguinal hernia. It appears that routine contralateral groin exploration and evaluation during TEP is valuable. Patients with occult bilateral hernias are benefit from bilateral TEP.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The creation of a floppy and symmetric fundoplication over a bougie has been the standard of care in laparoscopic surgery. The use of a bougie carries a risk of esophageal perforation but lowers the risk of postoperative dysphagia. Intraoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (IEGD) can be used to assess the orientation and position of a properly constructed Nissen. The aim of this study was to determine if IEGD can replace the routine use of a bougie in the creation of a fundoplication. METHODS: One hundred consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication from 2003 to 2005 were entered into a prospective database. IEGD was used in all patients instead of a bougie. Preoperative and postoperative data, including symptom scores, pH studies, manometry, and upper gastrointestinal studies, were analyzed. RESULTS: All 100 patients completed the study for a mean follow-up period of 18 months. The mean surgical time was 102 minutes. The mean intraoperative endoscopy time was 14 minutes. There were a total of 24 (24%) alterations of the fundoplication performed according to endoscopic wrap creation. The most common alteration was removal of a fundoplication stitch in 15 patients with a tight appearance of wrap. There were no major complications. Two patients required esophageal dilatation for mild to moderate dysphagia. CONCLUSIONS: IEGD is a valuable tool for laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. IEGD helps to appreciate the true location of the gastroesophageal junction and allows for fundoplication adjustment based on additional visualization. The creation of a symmetric and floppy wrap during Nissen fundoplication can be facilitated greatly by intraoperative endoscopy and may lead to improved clinical outcomes without the risk of esophageal perforation.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Laparoscopically assisted colon resection has evolved to be a viable option for the treatment of colorectal cancer. This study evaluates the efficacy of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) as compared with totally laparoscopic surgery (LAP) for segmental oncologic colon resection with regard to lymph node harvest, operative times, intraoperative blood loss, pedicle length, incision length, and length of hospital stay in an attempt to help delineate the role of each in the treatment of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Patient charts were retrospectively reviewed to acquire data for this evaluation. Between June 2001 and July 2005, 40 patients underwent elective oncologic segmental colon resection (22 HALS and 18 LAP). The main outcome measures included lymph node harvest, operative times, intraoperative blood loss, pedicle length, incision length, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable in terms of demographics. The tumor margins were clear in all the patients. The HALS resection resulted in a significantly higher lymph node yield than the LAP resection (HALS: 16 nodes; range, 5-35 nodes vs LAP: 8 nodes; range, 5-22 nodes; p < 0.05) and significantly shorter operative times (HALS: 120 min; range, 78-181 min vs LAP: 156 min; range, 74-300 min; p < 0.05). Both groups were comparable with regard to length of hospital stay, pedicle length, and intraoperative blood loss. However, the LAP group yielded a significantly smaller incision for specimen extraction (LAP: 7 cm; range, 6-8 cm vs HALS: 5.5 cm; range, 5-7 cm; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that hand-assisted laparoscopic oncologic segmental colonic resection is associated with shorter operative times, more lymph nodes harvested, and equivalent hospital stays, pedicle lengths, and intraoperative blood losses as compared with the totally laparoscopic approach. The totally laparoscopic technique was completed with a smaller incision. However, this less than 1 cm reduction in incision length has doubtful clinical significance.
Abstract: Background: Unnecessary laparotomy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer may both compromise the quality of life and delay the initiation of more appropriate therapy. Very often, peritoneal small liver metastases and true local status cannot be fully determined without surgery. Laparoscopy may spare laparotomy and decrease morbidity for patients with nonresectable advanced disease. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of laparoscopy in patients with potentially resectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of patients undergoing pancreatic surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center from October 2001 to April 2005. A total of 59 patients were included in the study. All patients were staged radiographically with a high resolution helical computed tomography scan and their tumors were considered resectable. Thirty-seven patients underwent staging laparoscopy while 22 proceeded directly to laparotomy. Results: Of the 37 patients who underwent laparoscopic staging, 9 (24.3%) were detected to have metastatic disease or advanced tumor; the remaining 28 (75.7%) patients with negative laparoscopy proceeded to laparotomy. Of those, 24 patients (85.7%) underwent pancreatic resection with curative intent, while 4 patients had metastatic or locally advanced disease at subsequent laparotomy which was missed on staging laparoscopy (false negative rate of 14.3%). Of the 22 patients who proceeded directly to laparotomy, 16 (72.7%) received curative Whipple resection and 6 (27.3%) were found to have advanced disease and received bypass procedures or biopsy alone. Conclusion: These findings suggest that staging laparoscopy is beneficial in a significant proportion of patients deemed resectable by routine noninvasive preoperative studies. We plan to add intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound to our staging protocol in order to decrease the false negative rate.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernia followed by an antireflux procedure is currently the gold standard therapy for gastroesophgeal reflux disease. However, it is recognized that recurrent hiatal herniation and wrap migration are major sources of operative failures in these patients. Some have described a reduction of such events with the placement of nonbiodegradable prosthetic patches over the primary cruroplasty. This prosthetic material may be associated with transesophageal and gastric erosions and a higher rate of postoperative dysphagia and chest pain when compared with simple suture cruroplasty alone. The aim of this study is to compare hiatal closure with a biodegradable patch (acellular dermal matrix) and simple suture curaplasty in patients undergoing laparoscopic antireflux surgery. METHODS: A total of 44 patients were prospectively enrolled in this study. Twenty-two consecutive patients undergoing large hiatal hernia repair (>5 cm) and fundoplication with primary suture cruroplasty only (group 1) were compared with 22 consecutive patients undergoing the same procedure with suture cruroplasty reinforced with an onlay acellular dermal matrix patch (group 2). The 2 groups were compared with regards to demographics, size of the hiatal hernia, pre- and postoperative symptom scores, pH studies, operative times, and hiatal hernia recurrence. RESULTS: Patients in both groups were well matched by age, weight, height, and size of hiatal hernia. There were similar preoperative values in esophageal manometry, 24-hour pH monitoring, and symptom scoring in both groups. Average operative time was 108 minutes in group 1 and 121 minutes in group 2. There were no major complications in either group. The median period of hospitalization was 1 day in both groups. Postoperative pH studies and symptoms score data were significantly improved in both groups. There was no significant difference in postoperative symptoms scores for dysphagia between the 2 groups. Two patients (one in each group) underwent esophageal dilatation for mild dysphagia postoperatively. In group 1, 2 patients (9%) had Nissen failure with hiatal hernia recurrences 6 months after surgery. There were no recurrences for the follow-up period in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Our early results suggest that hiatal hernia repair reinforced with an acellular dermal matrix patch may reduce the incidence of recurrent herniation and wrap migration. In addition, the increase in postoperative dysphagia, chest pain, and esophageal erosions associated with nondegradable mesh has not been observed in those with an acellular dermal matrix patch to this point in our follow up. However, future investigation of the material for this particular application as well as longer follow-up is necessary.
Abstract: This chapter addresses emergent endoluminal technologies available currently for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). To date, the mainstay of GERD therapy has been achieved with either open or laparoscopic fundoplication, or life-long medical treatment. Endoluminal treatment modalities attempt to augment the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) function by various techniques. We searched the PubMed database from 1980 to 2005 for studies on endoscopic GERD techniques. Product investigators were contacted for data presented mainly in Abstract form. Endoluminal management of GERD includes using radiofrequency energy, injection of biocompatible polymers, and endoluminal sutures to alter the GEJ and reduce reflux. With currently earned and further growing experience, endoscopic treatment of GERD has future promise; however, more experience and perhaps further refinement in techniques and technology must occur before widespread clinical application can be encouraged.
Abstract: 263 experimental studies on 184 rats were carried out. Hepatic tumors were provoked by intraparenchymatous implantation of 0.1 ml 20% tumoral suspension of mucous cancer (RS-I). Treatment was realized on 10-12 day after vaccination. Photodynamic therapy with "Photosense" (PS) and laser irradiation (670 nm, 50-100 Dj, 4-13 mm), and also catalytic therapy (CT) with "Teraftal" (TF) and ascorbic acid (AA) were used. FS and TF were administered by developed selective-occilisive method (SOM). Rapid accumulation of drugs in occluded lobe of liver was revealed in SOM, that permitted to decrease administered dose of TF in 16.5 times. There was no growth of tumor after FDT unlike control group. Same results were obtained after CT with SOM, but there was further growth of tumor after systemic administration of drugs. Developed SOM of drugs administration in FDT and CT lead to good results in treatment of experimental hepatic tumors.
