JSLS : Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
-
The necessity for general anesthesia represents an impediment to using a laparoscopic approach for some procedures that are otherwise performed with the patient under local anesthesia using a conventional open technique. Heating and humidifying the insufflation gas reportedly reduces perioperative pain associated with a CO2 pneumoperitoneum, thus enabling awake laparoscopy. ⋯ Heated, humidified CO2 gas insufflation does not reduce pain sufficiently to permit satisfactory performance of laparoscopy with local anesthesia, especially when full volume insufflation is required. Cold, dry helium gas produces no pain. The theory that cold, dry insufflation gas is a source of peritoneal pain during laparoscopy needs to be reassessed.
-
Evaluation and management of abdominal pathology in patients with ventricular assist devices is likely to become increasingly important as the utilization of these devices expands. Ventricular assist devices represent a class of intracorporeal or paracorporeal mechanical devices that augment cardiac output in patients with congestive heart failure. Patients with ventricular assist devices supporting both right and left ventricles (biventricular assist devices) are uniquely challenging to the general surgeon because these devices restrict direct access to the abdominal cavity and because of the perioperative implications of biventricular heart failure. ⋯ Cholecystectomy was performed in this patient for acute cholecystitis that occurred while the patient was awaiting heart transplantation. Our results add weight to the small body of evidence that laparoscopy is well tolerated in ventricular assist devices patients. The unique aspects of the biventricular assist device patient make laparoscopic abdominal intervention particularly suitable in this patient population.
-
Case Reports
Colonoscopic diagnosis of appendiceal intussusception: case report and review of the literature.
Intussusception of the appendix is an extremely rare condition. Although approximately 200 cases of appendiceal intussusception have been reported in the literature, very few have ever been diagnosed preoperatively. ⋯ The case was diagnosed preoperatively by colonoscopy and treated surgically at laparoscopy. We review the literature of appendiceal intussusception and discuss the associated conditions, diagnosis, and a classification scheme for this unusual finding.
-
Case Reports
Torsion of the greater omentum: preoperative computed tomographic diagnosis and therapeutic laparoscopy.
Primary or idiopathic segmental infarction of the greater omentum is a rare surgical condition. We describe a case of omental torsion in an adult patient who was diagnosed preoperatively by contrast-enhanced computed tomography and managed by laparoscopy.