Surgical endoscopy
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Comparative Study
Impact of conversion on the long-term outcome in laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer.
Long-term outcome of patients with conversion following laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer has seldom been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of conversion on the operative outcome and survival of patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for colorectal malignancy. ⋯ The disease-free survival and the local recurrence were significantly worse by the presence of conversion in laparoscopic resection for colorectal malignancy. Adoption of a standardized operative strategy may improve the perioperative outcome after conversion.
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Incisional hernias are a common postoperative complication with abdominal surgery. The major risk factors for their development include wound infection, obesity, and age. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of extraction-site location and technique on incisional hernia rates in laparoscopic colorectal surgery. ⋯ In this series, the midline extraction site resulted in a significantly higher incisional hernia rate statistically than the off-midline extraction sites. The authors therefore have adopted an off-midline blunt muscle-splitting extraction site when performing laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
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Comparative Study
A defunctioning stoma significantly prolongs the length of stay in laparoscopic colorectal resection.
Reduction in length of stay has several advantages, including healthcare costs, patient choice, and minimizing hospital acquired infections. Additionally, length of stay is a surrogate marker of rate of recovery from the physiological insult of anaesthesia and surgery and complications thereof. A well-documented short-term benefit of laparoscopic compared to open colorectal resection is reduced length of stay. ⋯ The need for conversion, if performed in a timely and appropriate manner, has little impact on patient outcome compared to those completed laparoscopically, with no significant increase in LOS in our experience. In contrast, a diverting stoma does prolong LOS and some of the benefits of laparoscopic surgery may be lost unless patients requiring a stoma are identified preoperatively and have intensive pre- and postoperative stoma training.
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The authors have used a modified hemi-double-stapling (HDS) technique for reconstruction after laparoscopically assisted distal gastrectomy. The stomach is resected from the greater curvature side using a linear stapler inserted into the stomach from that side at a position vertical to the line of the greater curvature. Resection of the stomach is performed by extending the resection line to the lesser curvature using laparoscopic coagulating shears. ⋯ In many cases, it is difficult to observe the anastomotic site through the small incisional opening. However, under laparoscopy with the temporal abdominal wall-lift method using the Multi Flap Gate, the anastomotic site can be easily and safely observed. One-knot setup HDS combined with the temporal abdominal wall-lift method is considered a safe and simple method for performing Billroth I anastomosis in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.
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Chylothorax after complex abdominal and thoracic procedures remains a challenging complication with a mortality rate reaching 50% if untreated. Iatrogenic trauma accounts for almost 20% of all chyle leaks, and esophagectomy is the most common iatrogenic cause. Consequences of ongoing chyle leak include dehydration, malnutrition, and immunocompromise. ⋯ The authors believe prone thoracoscopic thoracic duct ligation offers significant advantages to the patient in preventing the dangerous consequences of chyle leak in a timely, minimally invasive fashion. Importantly, the prone technique with carbon dioxide insufflation makes the technical challenges of thoracic duct ligation more facile for the surgeon.