Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Trocar placement presently is mostly empiric. Our goal was to define simple distances from bony landmarks to locate the optimal ergonomic placement of manipulation trocars for access to the lower esophagus and hiatal orifice, for suture placement, and knotting of the gastric fundus and crura. Hypothesizing that the ideal ergonomic principles of a manipulation angle of 60 degrees , an elevation angle (alpha(e)) of 30 degrees to 60 degrees , and an intracorporeal/extracorporeal length ratio (I/E) of working instruments close to 1:1 are interrelated by simple trigonometric functions, the variations of each of these parameters were calculated in a dependent manner for 2 standard lengths of needle holders: 48.5 cm and 58.5 cm. RESULTS: Trocar placement can be calculated easily according to simple formulas dependent on the alpha(e), the distance from the sternoxiphoid junction to the median of the intertrocar span (d) and the vertical distance from the stenoxiphoid junction to the average distance between the apex of the hiatal orifice and the anterior aspect of the esophagus (XH'): when the alpha(e) is 30 degrees : d is XH' radical2 and when alpha(e) is 45 degrees , d is XH'/ radical2. Likewise, when alpha(e) is 30 degrees the intertrocar span (LR) is 2XH', half on either side of the optical axis (d), and when alpha(e) is 45 degrees , LR is XH' radical2, XH'/ radical2 on either side of the optical axis. The most ergonomic solution is to work with an alpha(e) of 40 degrees to 45 degrees by placing the 2 working (manipulation) trocars, between 10 and 14 cm caudad from the sternoxiphoid junction, between 10 and 12 cm on either side of the longitudinal axis corresponding to the optic-target axis. The shorter needle holder works best in this configuration because the I/E ratio will be between .8 and 1. If, however, the surgeon wants to work with an alpha(e) closer to 30 degrees , then the longer needle holder should be used, and the trocars should be placed between 20 and 21 cm from the sternoxiphoid junction, 14.5 to 15 cm on either side of the optical axis. The I/E ratio will vary between 1 and 1.1. When a 1/1 I/E ratio was prioritized, the alpha(e) would be 40 degrees and 32 degrees , for the shorter and longer instruments, respectively. The deeper crural closure requires increasing the alpha(e) by 2 degrees and 3 degrees , respectively. Hyperlordosis, as obtained by placing a cushion under the patient's back, shortens the distances, allowing placement of the trocars closer to the sternoxiphoid junction. CONCLUSIONS: Based on ergonomic principles (manipulation angle, 60 degrees ; alpha(e), 40 degrees -45 degrees ; and an I/E ratio of working instruments, close to 1:1), simple trigonometric considerations allow easy calculation of the ideal placement of trocars corresponding to working instruments in hiatal surgery necessary for ergonomic dissection, suturing, and intracorporeal knotting. Ideal trocar placement is dependent only on the vertical depth of the target organ.

BACKGROUND: Glycemic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains a dilemma to physicians. Although gastric bypass surgery undertaken for morbid obesity has been shown to resolve this disease well, data on the effectiveness of duodenojejunal bypass in improving or resolving T2DM and the metabolic syndrome (MS), especially in nonobese patients are scarce. This study was intended to evaluate the clinical effects of laparoscopic duodenojejunal bypass (LDJB) in patients with T2DM and a body mass index of <35 kg/m(2). METHODS: We conducted a 12-month prospective study on the changes in glucose homeostasis and the MS in seven T2DM subjects undergoing LDJB with similar DM duration, type of DM treatment, and glycemic control. Laboratory values including glycosylated hemoglobin A (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and C-peptide were followed throughout the 12 months. Serum levels of gastric inhibitory peptide and ghrelin were followed for 1 month. Serum levels of gastrin and glucagon-like peptide were followed for 3 months. RESULTS: At 12 months after surgery, all subjects consistently felt relief from fatigue, pain and/or numbness in the extremities, polyuria, and polydypsia. Clinical resolution was obtained for one patient, and the preoperative diabetic medication requirements decreased for most of the other patients. The subjects demonstrated an overall improved HbA1c (from 9.4% to 8.5%) and fasting blood glucose level (from 209 to 154 mg/dl). Although the change in fasting blood glucose approached statistical significance, these measures of glucose homeostasis did not achieve significance. Cholesterol and triglycerides increased slightly, and C-peptide decreased slightly over 1 year. These changes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Although this is a small series, our data show that at 12 months after surgery, clinical improvement was obvious in all of our seven patients, but LDJB may not be effective at inducing remission of T2DM and the MS in certain patients undergoing this operation. This suggests that larger patient studies should be conducted, before concluding that surgery may offer clinical and biochemical resolution to a disease once treated only medically. Longer follow-up is required for better evaluation.

Laparoscopic surgery is a dynamic and integral component of surgical training. In many surgical programs, the surgeon-in-training gradually incorporates the knowledge and skill-sets through a variable spectrum of assistant/ apprentice instruction with different surgical mentors. As a result, this lack of formal and/or standardized instruction may be inconsistent with a structured educational process. In the year 2008, with widespread applications for minimally invasive techniques and technology, contributions from skilled assistants are now increasingly more important for effective and safe operative conduct. Incorporating these challenges into a balanced educational process remains no easy matter. The authors believe the assistant's role is vital to all aspects of laparoscopic surgery, no matter how routine or complex. Laparoscopic assistants should participate and contribute directly in the (a) preoperative evaluation and preparation, (b) patient positioning, (c) operative suite arrangement, (d) trocar placement, plus important (e) intraoperative maneuvers contingent upon acquired mastery of laparoscopic skills. Understanding these principles plus effective administration of various duties allows for the apprentice in training to progress to more complex procedures and eventual primary surgeon responsibility. In this report, the role of the laparoscopic assistant/apprentice is reviewed, with particular attention focused on requisite fundamentals for evolving laparoscopic surgeons. To date, there are few publications within the world literature that directly address these observations. Important considerations delineating the expectations and goals for the assistant/apprentice, as well as the mentor, during laparoscopic training are provided.

Surgical treatment of morbid obesity continues to increase in popularity. The evolution of laparoscopic techniques has in part fueled that popularity. A common obstacle in achieving exposure of the angle of His during a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a massively enlarged liver. Exposure of the angle of His is key to successfully creating the gastric pouch and completing the gastrojejunostomy. Several well-described techniques exist to achieve this exposure but suffer from potential draw backs such as bleeding and the need to insert additional trocars. We describe a technique that allows safe, excellent exposure of the gastroesophageal junction during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.