Surgical endoscopy
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Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy rapidly became the standard of care for the surgical treatment of cholelithiasis, very few other abdominal or cardiac operations are currently performed using minimally invasive surgical techniques. The inherent limitations of traditional laparoscopic surgery make it difficult to perform these operations. We, and others, have attempted to use robotic technology to (a) provide a stable camera platform, (b) replace two-dimensional with three-dimensional (3-D) imaging, (c) simulate the fluid motions of a surgeon's wrist to overcome the motion limitations of straight laparoscopic instruments, and (d) offer the surgeon a comfortable, ergonomically optimal operating position. ⋯ In addition, telepresence permits the telementoring of novice surgeons who are performing new procedures by expert surgeons in remote locations. The studies reviewed here indicate that robotics and telerobotics offer potential solutions to the inherent problems of traditional laparoscopic surgery, as well as new possibilities for telesurgery and telementoring. Nonetheless, these technologies are still in an early stage of development, and each device entails its own set of challenges and limitations for actual use in clinical settings.
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Comparative Study
Hand-assisted laparoscopic gastric bypass does not improve outcome and increases costs when compared to open gastric bypass for the surgical treatment of obesity.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (Hand-Lap GB) has been adopted by some surgeons to treat morbid obesity because it is easier to perform than the total laparoscopic procedure, but to date no study has compared the outcomes of patients undergoing the Hand-Lap GB to those obtained with the open procedure (Open GB). We hypothesized that patients undergoing Hand-Lap GB would lose a similar amount of weight when compared to Open GB patients, while experiencing no increase in complications, a shorter hospital stay, and lower overall costs of care, in part as a result of fewer incisional hernias requiring subsequent surgery. ⋯ The Hand-Lap GB yielded good weight reduction in a population of morbidly obese patients, but at a higher cost for hospital care than Open GB. There was no decrease in the incidence of incisional hernias with the Hand-Lap GB procedure. Although Hand-Lap GB appears to be safe and effective, its failure to provide a decrease in hospital stay or risk of incisional hernia requiring subsequent surgical repair is significant. The primary role for the Hand-Lap GB procedure should therefore be to aid surgeons in developing skills to climb the steep learning curve for total laparoscopic gastric bypass, since Hand-Lap GB does not improve patient outcome and increases cost in comparison to the open GB procedure.
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Acute left-side colonic obstruction is a surgical emergency whose management is controversial. Recently metallic expandable stents have been used to relieve obstruction either to palliate the condition or to prepare for an elective surgical resection. ⋯ Malignant colonic obstruction can be managed by a sequential minimally invasive endolaparoscopic approach with an excellent postoperative outcome, good patient comfort, and a short hospital stay without the need for diverting stomas. A study involving a larger number of patients is needed to determine whether this approach is superior to traditional open surgery in terms of morbidity, mortality, quality of life, and recurrences.