Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Trauma patients with high-energy injuries often present with severe tissue damage that extends beyond the immediate zone of injury and requires recruitment of vascularized tissues from distant sites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap for reconstruction of the traumatically injured lower extremity. METHODS: Prospective data were collected on all patients who underwent lower extremity reconstruction with an ALT flap during a 3.5-year period at a primary adult resource center (PARC). Demographics captured included age, gender, Injury Severity Score, mechanism of injury, and size of defect and complications. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients underwent a total of 59 ALT flap harvests during the study period. The majority of patients were male (75%) and sustained blunt injury (95%). The mean age was 37 +/- 14 years with a mean Injury Severity Score of 17.9 +/- 8. The mean flap size was 20.7 x 8.4 cm, with 64% harvested from the injured limb. Total flap success rate was 91.5%, with four total (6.7%) and one partial flap failure (1.7%). CONCLUSION: The ALT flap is a useful tool for trauma reconstruction in lower extremity salvage. We have shown that the ALT flap can be performed successfully in the traumatically injured patient even when harvested from the ipsilateral lower extremity.

Traumatic maxillary bone loss, if not treated acutely, is accompanied by contracture of the overlying soft tissue envelope and loss of facial projection in three dimensions. Reconstruction aimed at replacing the bony architecture, expanding the soft tissue envelope and establishing a platform for dental rehabilitation can be accomplished in a staged approach. We present two patients who underwent replacement of missing maxillary segments with a free fibula flap, followed by distraction of the free fibula in three dimensions and eventual dental rehabilitation with osseo-integrated implants.

We evaluated a technique for implantation of right kidneys with short renal veins without the need for venous reconstruction. METHOD: The technique of iliac vein transposition was performed in six recipients who received right kidneys with short renal veins. Two cases were living related donors, two were living unrelated, one was an autotransplant, and one was a cadaver kidney recipient. The common and external iliac veins and arteries of the recipient were thoroughly mobilized, allowing for the lateral transposition of the external iliac vein with respect to the external iliac artery. The renal vessels were subsequently implanted in an end to side fashion onto the corresponding transposed external iliac vessels. After implantation, the iliac vein remained lateral with respect to the iliac artery. CONCLUSIONS: The technique described allows for the implantation of right kidneys without the need for venous reconstruction. Such an approach is especially useful in cases of grafts with short veins.

OBJECTIVE: To review a single-institution 6-year experience with laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy detailing the technical modifications, clinical results, as well as the trends in donor and recipient morbidity. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Since 1995, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has had a significant impact on the field of renal transplantation, resulting in decreased donor morbidity, without jeopardizing procurement of a high-quality renal allograft. This technique has become the preferred method of allograft procurement for many transplantation centers worldwide but still remains technically challenging with a steep learning curve. METHODS: Records from 381 consecutive laparoscopic donor nephrectomies were reviewed with evaluation of both donor and recipient outcomes. Trends in donor and recipient complications were assessed over time by comparing the outcomes between four equally divided groups. RESULTS: All 381 kidneys were procured and transplanted successfully with only 8 (2.1%) open conversions. Mean operative time was 252.9 +/- 55.7 minutes, estimated blood loss 344.2 +/- 690.3 mL, warm ischemia time 4.9 +/- 3.4 minutes, and donor length of stay was 3.3 +/- 4.5 days. There was a significant decline in total donor complications, allograft loss, and rate of vascular thrombosis with experience. The rate of ureteral complications declined significantly when comparing our early (Group A) versus later (Groups B-D) experience. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy has remained a safe, less invasive, and effective technique for renal allograft procurement. Over our 6-year experience and with specific refinements in surgical technique, we have observed a decline in both donor and recipient morbidity following laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy

OBJECTIVES: To report our experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy and autotransplantation for the management of a variety of conditions with significant loss of healthy ureteral tissue or ureteral length. Renal autotransplantation has been described as an effective method for addressing this problem, avoiding the need for nephrectomy or complex ureteral replacement. In an effort to decrease the morbidity associated with traditional autotransplantation we elected to perform laparoscopic procurement of the kidney. METHODS: Four patients underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy using a transperitoneal four-port technique and subsequent autotransplantation into the iliac fossa for the treatment of proximal ureteral avulsion (2 patients), ureteral malignancy, and ureteral stricture. All patients had less than 5 cm of viable ureter. RESULTS: All procedures were performed without intraoperative complications. All renal scans on postoperative day 1 demonstrated good perfusion. None of the patients had a postoperative rise in serum creatinine. On postoperative day 1, the mean creatinine value was 0.95 mg/dL. Three patients had an uneventful postoperative course. One patient, however, had loss of the graft because of renal vein thrombosis on postoperative day 7. She was later found to have an undiagnosed thrombophilic disorder (decreased levels of antithrombin III) and to have a recent history of oral contraceptive use. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic nephrectomy with renal autotransplantation is a feasible minimally invasive alternative to treat patients who have significant ureteral loss. This approach avoids the need for an upper abdominal or flank incision, resulting in decreased morbidity. The initial follow-up studies indicated stable renal function. Additional long-term observation is currently under way

We report a case of a 59-year-old man with recurrent bleeding after retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy. Computed tomography and Doppler ultrasonography confirmed an intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm as the source. Angiography 1 month later demonstrated resolution after conservative management.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic ablation of symptomatic renal cysts as minimally invasive therapeutic techniques have largely supplanted open surgical intervention for the treatment of symptomatic renal cysts. METHODS: The records of 32 consecutive adult patients who underwent laparoscopic ablation of renal cysts (11 peripelvic, 21 parenchymal) were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were symptomatic at presentation; 26 had a single cyst, 5 had two cysts, and 1 had four cysts. RESULTS: Twenty patients underwent a transperitoneal laparoscopic approach, and 12 patients underwent a retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach. An average of 3.2 ports were used for each procedure, and no open conversions or transfusions were necessary. When comparing patients with parenchymal and peripelvic cysts, statistically significant differences were noted in the mean operative time (164 versus 233 minutes, respectively; P = 0.003) and mean operative blood loss (98 versus 182 mL, respectively; P = 0.04). Four patients (13%) had complications (one major and three minor), including a persistent ureteral stricture. One patient with negative preoperative aspiration cytology and negative intraoperative frozen section analysis was later found to have malignancy within the cyst wall, necessitating radical nephrectomy and trocar site excision. One patient (3%) developed a recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic ablation of symptomatic renal cysts is a safe and efficacious procedure. We report an overall complication rate of 13% and a recurrence rate of 3% with a mean follow-up of 18.1 months (median 10.0).

OBJECTIVE: Resistance to activated protein C (APC) has been identified as a risk factor for thrombotic disease in adults. In over 90% of cases, the basis for the APC resistance is a mutation in the coagulation factor V gene (factor V Leiden) that renders the protein more resistant to inactivation by APC. We sought to determine the prevalence of the factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation in neonates and children who had experienced an arterial or venous thromboembolic event.Study design: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of 33 neonates and 52 children with thromboembolic disease. Screening for the FVL mutation was performed by DNA analysis, allowing for identification of patients as normal, heterozygous, or homozygous. RESULTS: Of the 85 patients studied, 12 (14.1%) were heterozygous for FVL; none were homozygous. Of the 47 patients who had arterial central nervous system events, 8 (17%) were positive for the FVL mutation, including 6 of 22 (27%) neonates. Of those patients who had a venous thrombosis, 4 of 32 (12.5%) were FVL positive. None of the 85 patients had protein C deficiency, 3.5% had protein S deficiency, 1.2% had antithrombin III deficiency, and 16.5% had anti-phospholipid antibodies. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the FVL mutation plays a role in the development of arterial and venous thrombotic events in neonates and children