Faculty Bibliography

The objective of this study was to determine whether extraperitoneal lymph node dissection for the staging of prostate cancer and extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy could be performed concomitantly with acceptable operative time and morbidity. Sixty patients underwent endoscopic extraperitoneal lymph node dissection (EEPLND) between 1991 and 1996. Eleven of these had 14 hernias repaired with polypropylene mesh. Endoscopic hernia repair added an average of 15 to 20 minutes to the EEPLND, resulting in an average operative time of 127 minutes (range 90 to 182 minutes). There was no difference in postoperative pain between patients undergoing combined operations and those undergoing EEPLND alone. The mean hospital stay after either procedure was 48 hours. There were no complications in the group undergoing herniorrhaphy. We conclude that extraperitoneal endoscopic hernia repair can be safely performed with EEPLND when necessary.

Resident competence in both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been a concern among general surgeons. Laparoscopic surgery was late in coming at many surgical residency programs in the United States, and many residents have graduated with limited experience in LC. We are chief residents who were fortunate enough to start our training when LC was first introduced at our institution in 1990. This report summarizes our experience with LC in our chief year, during which we performed LC on 147 patients. The average operating time was 37 minutes (range, 12-82 minutes). Six patients (4%) required conversion to an open procedure. There were three complications (2 postoperative cystic duct leaks and 1 intraoperative common bile duct injury) for an overall complication rate of 2%. There was no mortality. It is our conclusion that graduating chief residents with 5 years' exposure to LC may perform the procedure with a complication rate comparable to that reported in the current literature. Insuring that graduating chief residents have adequate training in open cholecystectomy may become a more pressing issue in the near future.

Laparoscopic renal surgery usually involves the use of five or six trocars. This report concerns the authors' technique for performing such surgery through only three trocars. Semilateral patient positioning, along with additional table rotation, is utilized to facilitate visceral rotation and optimize exposure of the kidney. Four laparoscopic renal procedures were performed: one renal cyst decortication and three upper pole partial nephrectomies with ureterectomies for duplications of the collecting system. Mean operative time was 148 min with no conversions; there were no intra- or postoperative complications. All patients tolerated a liquid diet on postoperative day 1, and the median hospital stay was 2 days. In selected cases laparoscopic renal surgery may be approached safety through three trocars.

BACKGROUND: There is a certain amount of controversy regarding the need to divide the short gastric vessels (SGV) in laparoscopic fundoplication for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In addition, there is often difficulty in identifying the crural fibers when encircling the lower esophagus. METHODS: We determine whether it is necessary to divide the SGV by trying to appose the gastric fundus to the anterior abdominal wall intraoperatively. If this could be done easily, the SGV are preserved. When their division is required, a posterior gastric approach is employed. We have also found that the injection of methylene blue into the left crural fibers anterior to the esophagus is helpful in identifying the left side when dissection posterior to the gastroesophageal junction is difficult. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 1995 we performed 20 laparoscopic fundoplications for GERD. All patients had at least grade 3 esophagitis (Savary-Miller scale), increased esophageal exposure to acid (median DeMeester score of 195), and decreased lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. The median operative time was 175 min. There were no conversions to open surgery, and there was no mortality. Three patients developed transient postoperative dysphagia and one patient had pneumonia. The median hospital stay was 3 days; all patients were free of reflux symptoms at follow-up ranging from 7 to 42 months. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the techniques described by us aid in intraoperative decision making and allow laparoscopic fundoplication to be both simple and effective.

The Advanced Breast Biopsy Instrumentation (ABBI) system combines a cylindrical single-use biopsy device with digital stereotactic imaging that achieves targeting of radiographic lesions to +/- 1 mm. This allows complete removal of specimens in a one-step procedure that does not involve separate trips to radiology and then surgery. The ABBI system improves on core needle biopsy and fine-needle aspiration and may reduce the need for open biopsy. The authors' initial 34 cases utilizing the ABBI system were reviewed. The accuracy of specimen targeting, the success rate of lesion removal, and operative complications were some of the issues assessed. Six cases were not suitable for the procedure: the mammographic lesion was not visualized in four, and the breast was too thin on compression in two. There was successful removal of the lesion in 27 of the remaining 28 cases. There were no local wound complications, and patient satisfaction was high in all completed biopsies. The ABBI system is an effective new form of minimally invasive breast surgery. It provides complete excision of mammographic abnormalities. Its use of the most direct path to these lesions allows for minimal removal of adjacent normal tissue. In this study there were no complications and very little patient pain.

The role of endoscopic extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (EEPH) in the management of giant scrotal hernias has not been well defined, and the technical details relating to operations on such hernias have not been described. We present our experience with 17 patients undergoing repair of giant scrotal hernias. Foley catheter bladder decompression was routinely employed. The Retzius space was developed early in the procedure and hernia sac contents were reduced in all cases. The inferior epigastric vessels were likewise divided in all patients. The average operative time was 76 min and all patients were discharged home the same day. There have been no recurrences on follow-up. There was no mortality, and morbidity was limited to seroma formation in two patients. We conclude that with certain technical modifications, EEPH can be safely employed for the treatment of giant scrotal hernias.

Pneumothorax was identified as a complication of endoscopic hernia repair in two patients with insufflation pressures of 15 mmHg and operating times exceeding 2 h. These patients also showed intraoperative perturbations in both oxygen saturation and end-tidal CO2 production. A prospective study was undertaken to determine whether similar complications would arise if preperitoneal insufflation pressures were limited to 10 mmHg. Postoperative chest x-rays were obtained on all patients to check for pneumothoraces, even clinically occult ones. Fifty patients were studied, with average operating times of 67 min. No patient demonstrated any hemodynamic or ventilatory changes, and none had any evidence of pneumothorax on x-ray. We conclude that these complications were not present when insufflation pressure was maintained at 10 mmHg and that routine x-ray is not warranted. Larger randomized trials of insufflation pressures are needed.