Surgical endoscopy
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During laparoscopic incisional hernia repair, conversion to open surgery is sometimes needed, especially in cases of large complicated incisional hernias. No guidelines exist for determining when conversions should be considered. This study aimed to investigate the safety of a combined technique as an alternative to conversion in the laparoscopic repair of large complicated incisional hernias and to evaluate the impact of early conversion to the combined technique on patient outcome. ⋯ The combined technique proved to be a safe and minimally invasive alternative to conversion in laparoscopic repair of large complicated incisional hernias. Early conversion to the combined technique was associated with less technical difficulty, deceased operative time, lower enterotomy rate, and shorter postoperative hospital stay.
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Comparative Study
Risk of adhesive obstruction after colorectal surgery: the benefits of the minimally invasive approach may extend well beyond the perioperative period.
Risk of adhesive small-bowel obstruction (SBO) is high following open colorectal surgery. Laparoscopic surgery may induce fewer adhesions; however, the translation of this advantage to a reduced rate of bowel obstruction has not been well demonstrated. This study evaluates whether SBO is lower after laparoscopic compared with open colorectal surgery. ⋯ Although the rate of SBO was similar after laparoscopic and open colorectal surgery, the need for operative intervention for SBO was significantly lower after laparoscopic operations. These findings especially in the context of the longer follow-up for laparoscopic patients suggests that the lower incidence of adhesions expected after laparoscopic surgery likely translates into long-term benefits in terms of reduced SBO.
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Case Reports
Laparoscopic repair of a postadrenalectomy left-sided diaphragmatic hernia complicated by chronic colon obstruction.
Iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernias are a rarely reported complication of abdominal surgery. We present a case of an iatrogenic diaphragmatic hernia diagnosed 2 years after an adrenalectomy. ⋯ The patient remained asymptomatic 6 months after the repair. To our knowledge, this is the first such case to be reported.
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Case Reports
Laparoscopic bisegmentectomy 6 and 7 using a Glissonian approach and a half-Pringle maneuver.
Despite accumulated experience and advancing techniques for laparoscopic hepatectomy, surgeons still face challenging resections that require specific and innovative intraoperative maneuvers. The right posterior sectionectomy presents special concerns about its location, the extensive transection area, and the difficult access to the pedicle. The intrahepatic Glissonian approach allows safe en masse control of the portal structures without prolonged dissection. Its association with the half-Pringle maneuver results in less bleeding during parenchymal transection. ⋯ Technical issues initially hindered the development of laparoscopic liver resections [7-10]. Surgeons were concerned about hemostasis, bleeding control, safe and effective parenchymal transection, adequate visualization, and the feasibility of working on deeper regions of the liver. During the past decade, many limitations were overcome, but lesions located on the posterosuperior liver are still considered tough to beat. Large series and extensive reviews show that resections located on the posterior segments still are infrequent. Limited access to the portal triad, difficult pedicle control, and a large transection area and its anatomic location, attached to the diaphragm and retroperitoneum and hidden from the surgeon's view, makes such resections defying. The authors' team has performed 97 laparoscopic hepatectomies, including resection of 6 lesions in the right posterior sector. In their series, half-pedicle clamping was used for 12 patients, and they adopt such a maneuver as an inflow control when operating on peripheric lesions with difficult vascular control (e.g., enucleations or posterosuperiorly located segmentectomies). This technique is safe and useful because it reduces liver ischemic aggression, a very important issue with diseased livers (e.g., steatosis, steatohepatitis, prolonged chemotherapy, cirrhosis). In their series, the authors applied the Glissonian intrahepatic approach in 7 cases (2 left hepatectomies and 5 right hepatectomies). They understand that laparoscopy applies perfectly to oddly (posterosuperior) located tumors and that right posterior sectionectomy can be accomplished safely. In fact, they share the opinion of other specialized hepatobiliary centers, believing that this may be the preferred approach.
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The current trend in surgery toward further trauma reduction inevitably leads to increased technological complexity. It must be assumed that this situation will not stay under the sole control of surgeons; mechanical systems will assist them. Certain segments of the work flow will likely have to be taken over by a machine in an automatized or autonomous mode. ⋯ To gain autonomy in the OR, a variety of assistance systems and methodologies need to be incorporated that endorse the surgeon autonomously as a first step toward the vision of cognitive surgery. Thus, we require establishment of model-based surgery and integration of procedural tasks. Structured knowledge is therefore indispensable.