[Laparoscopic treatment of abdominal incisional hernias]. / Traitement laparoscopique des éventrations de la paroi abdominale.

Current management of incisional hernias is based on the tension free parietoplasty with prosthesis. This option is considered as the gold standard leading to a recurrence rate lower than 10%. Laparoscopic approach involves the placement of a composite intraperitoneal prosthesis obstructing the wall defect without anatomic reconstruction or peritoneal excision. This article describes the standard technique of the laparoscopic insertion of a prosthesis.

Classification and surgical treatment of incisional hernia. Results of an experts' meeting.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of incisional hernia (IH) is a current problem in modern surgery. Many important aspects of incisional hernia surgery are yet to be answered, especially the choice of surgical technique and its adaptation to the individual patient. The aim of this experts' meeting was to resolve some current questions in incisional hernia surgery and to organise an international hernia register. METHODS: An international panel of ten experts met under the auspices of the European Hernia Society (GREPA) to investigate the classification and therapeutic alternatives for incisional hernia. Prior to the conference, all experts were asked to submit their arguments in the form of published results. All papers received were weighted according to their scientific quality and relevance. The information from this correspondence was used as a basis for panel discussion. The personal experiences of the participants and other aspects of individualised therapy were also considered. RESULTS: The expert panel suggested a new classification of incisional hernia based on localisation, size, recurrences and symptoms. All experts agreed that the fascia duplication and the fascia adaptation should only be used for small incisional hernias. Fascia duplication is of value only in the horizontal direction. The technical details and the pros and cons of each procedure were discussed for prosthetic implantation using onlay and sublay techniques and the technique of autodermal hernioplasty. CONCLUSIONS: The management of incisional hernia is currently not standardised. In order to answer relevant questions of incisional hernia surgery, an international hernia register should be established.

Replacement of a tracheal segment by a mixed graft (aorta and prosthesis): an experimental study in rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new graft and to verify its technical feasibility, viability, and ability to reduce the risk of infection by interposition of an aortic segment between the airway and the prosthetic component of the graft. DESIGN: Experimental study. SETTING: Multicentre study, France. ANIMALS: 38 New Zealand rabbits. INTRODUCTION: A 1 cm aortic segment was obtained from the thoracic aorta of a rabbit and cryopreserved or stored at +4 degrees C. The aortic segment, surrounded by a ringed expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) prosthesis was used to replace 1 cm of cervical trachea in two groups of rabbits, either with cryopreserved or fresh aorta. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Macroscopic, microbiological, and histological studies four months later. RESULTS: 12/20 animals in the cryopreserved group survived and 13/18 in those had had fresh aorta inserted. Partial or total necrosis of the aortic muscular layer was replaced by connective tissue, which was a guide for epithelialisation from the anastomoses. CONCLUSION: This new graft is worthy of further investigation, as it is technically feasible and easy to insert.

The abdominal linea alba: an anatomo-radiologic and biomechanical study.

Traditionally, the linea alba represents the principal route of approach in abdominal surgery and in consequence it is the commonest site of incisional hernia. The aim of this study was to review its morphology and to study its mechanical parameters of resistance, deformation and elasticity in order to compare these with the prosthetic materials most often used in the treatment of incisional hernia. Forty fresh cadavers were dissected and tests with a dynamometer and "bursting strength tester" were performed on samples taken from the linea alba at three levels: supra-umbilical, subumbilical and umbilical. Forty abdomino-pelvic scans were analysed. The morphologic results allowed definition of diastasis of the rectus mm. in terms of subject age: below 45 years of age diastasis was considered as a separation of the two rectus mm. exceeding 10 mm above the umbilicus, 27 mm at the umbilical ring and 9 mm below the umbilicus; above 45 years of age the corresponding values were 15 mm, 27 mm and 14 mm respectively. In the biomechanical study the subumbilical region exhibited a coefficient of elasticity greater than that of the supra-umbilical portion, but no significant difference in resistance was found between the different parts studied. The biomechanical results are compared with the corresponding data for prosthetic materials.

Magnetic resonance angiographic analysis of atlanto-axial rotation: anatomic bases of compression of the vertebral arteries.

The aim of this study was to identify the functional anatomic factors involved in the maintenance or disturbance of flow in the vertebral aa. during atlanto-axial rotation. Fourteen healthy volunteers were studied by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) by a three-dimensional sequence in phase contrast centered on the vertebral aa. at the level of the cranio-cervical junction before and after left rotation of the head. A decrease in the signal intensity of the arterial flow was sought for. The results were compared to the posterolateral development of the loop of the vertebral a. in its atlanto-axial segment in neutral position, and to the measurement of the angular opening between the atlas and axis in dynamic position. Seven subjects also had a three-dimensional CT study (3D CT) of the bony relations of C1 and C2 after rotation. In 4 subjects a disturbance of flow in the right vertebral a. was observed in the transverse foramen of C2. This occurred when two factors were combined: an under-developed atlanto-axial arterial loop and a C1-C2 angle exceeding 35 degrees in maximal rotation. In the other subjects a well-developed arterial loop and/or a C1-C2 angle of less than 35 degrees in maximal rotation were factors preserving the arterial flow. The risk factor associated with the C1-C2 angle seemed correlated in 3D CT with loss of the usual asymmetric character of rotation. A clinical application is reported with a case combining chronic rotational dysfunction of the cranio-cervical junction as shown by 3D CT and complete compression of the vertebral a. in MRA, confirmed by conventional angiography. A knowledge of this physiopathologic mechanism allows clinical detection and evaluation of the risk of any effect of pathology of the cranio-cervical junction on the vertebral a.

[Abdominal wall prostheses. Biomechanic and histological study]. / Les prothèses pariétales abdominales. Etude biomécanique et histologique.

The best prosthetic material is one which provides the best mechanical resistance with the best biological tolerance. In order to assess the mechanical and histological properties of abdominal wall prostheses, we performed experimental tests in animal models comparing four materials: polypropylene, dacron, polyglactine 910 and a dacron-polyglactine 910 composite. One hundred thirty rabbits were used including 10 controls and 120 test animals. A medial laparotomy was closed with an antemuscular aponevrotic prosthesis in the test animals. Animals were sacrificed at one, two and three months after the operation. Abdominal wall and prosthesis samples were tested to determine resistance to pressure and extension, deformability and elasticity. Histology tests were also done to determine resistance quality and biological tolerance. Dacron was tolerated best and was less resistant than polypropylene, though resistance was satisfactory. There was no advantage with polyglactine compared with non-resorbable prostheses; its only indication would be a septic site. The composite material tested had a resistance comparable with that of dacron but was less well tolerated.

Anatomic basis of venous drainage in gastric tubular esophagoplasty.

This study was made with the aim of specifying the general architecture of the venous system of the stomach and its mode of drainage under normal conditions, and also of investigating the role of the venous drainage in the origin of disunion, anastomotic fistula and structure after tubular esophagoplasty pedicled on the right gastroepiploic vessels. Sixty stomachs removed from fresh cadavers were studied by injection-corrosion, using colored Altufix P10 as the injection mass. 35 specimens were injected globally via the superior mesenteric v., 15 by the same route but after clamping of the splenic, left gastric and right gastric vv., which corresponds to the technique of gastrolysis performed in esophagoplasty, and 10 were injected simultaneously with media of four different colors via the left gastric, right gastric, superior mesenteric and splenic vv. to define their respective territories. Also studied were the origin, course, termination, territory and caliber of the main gastric veins. Analysis of the results confirmed the richness of the venous anastomoses of the stomach, effected on the one hand between the two extraparietal arches at the greater and lesser curvatures, and on the other by intraperitoneal communications arranged perpendicular to these two arches. It emerges that the right gastroepiploic v. cannot always ensure drainage of the entire stomach. The factors involved are discussed. The risk of venous stasis in gastric esophagoplasty must always be borne in mind.

Three-dimensional CT analysis of atlantoaxial rotation: results in the normal subject.

A three-dimensional analysis of atlantoaxial rotation was made by computed tomography in ten healthy subjects. The method described allowed study of spatial relations between C1 and C2 interspace under both static and dynamic conditions, using a projection in a fixed transverse plane. The results demonstrated an axis of rotation for C2 slightly anterior to that for C1. Asymmetric rotation was observed, the separation between the transverse foramina of C1 and C2 being less marked on the side opposite to the direction of rotation of the head. This use of CT and these anatomic findings may be useful in the study of disorders of atlantoaxial rotation and their effect on the vertebral arteries.

The venous drainage of the pancreas.

With the aim of clarifying certain contradictory aspects of the description of the venous drainage of the pancreas, a review of the literature and an anatomic study were carried out. Fifty duodeno-pancreatic blocks were studied by the injection-corrosion technique, of which 45 were available for study of the right pancreas and 37 for that of the left pancreas. The venous drainage of the duodeno-pancreas is effected via two territories: a posterosuperior and an anteroinferior, the former draining toward the portal v. and the second into the superior mesenteric v. The borderline between the two is represented by the inferior posterior pancreatico-duodenal (IPPD) v. Four veins ensure duodeno-pancreatic drainage: the superior anterior, inferior anterior, superior posterior and inferior posterior pancreatico-duodenal vv. (SAPD, IAPD, SPPD and IPPD). The major vein of the ventral aspect is the SAPD; that of the dorsal aspect is the SPPD. Two arches, anterior and posterior, were found in the majority of cases. The left pancreas drains into the splenic v. via several collateral branches. Other veins participate in the venous drainage of the isthmus, body and tail of the pancreas, including the inferior or transverse pancreatic v.

Radioanatomic study of the gastrocolic venous trunk.

The mode of formation, measurements and frequency of occurrence of the gastrocolic venous trunk were studied by the injection-corrosion technique in a series of 54 anatomic specimens and by the analysis of 50 CT studies in patients without hepatic or pancreatic disease. The gastrocolic trunk was found in 51 of the 54 anatomic specimens and in 27 of the 50 CT studies. The great variability in its formation, whether bipodal, tripodal or quadripodal, was noted. With a mean diameter of 4.9 mm, it opened into the anterior, right or antero-left aspects of the superior mesenteric v. at a mean distance of 15 mm below the inferior border of the spleno-mesenteric confluence. The value of preliminary CT assessment before an operation for portal hypertension or a pancreatic tumor or in the diagnosis of a splenic thrombosis is emphasised.

[Extensive ulceronecrotizing anorectitis caused by abuse of analgesic suppositories]. / Ano-rectite ulcéronécrosante extensive par utilisation abusive de suppositoires contenant des produits antalgiques.

Usually considered as totally unoffensive, antalgic suppositories can, under certain conditions, lead to extensive anorectal injury with anatomic, functional and legal implications which we evaluated on the basis of two cases and a review of the literature. Clinicians, surgeons, pathologists and pharmaceutical firms should be aware of these pathophysiological events. Consumer information is required to reduce the risk of self-medication. There are characteristic psychologic situations and "dose-dependent" toxic effects which, as the saying goes "errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum". Careful use of scientific knowledge and wise decisions by both experts and judges are required to avoid misinterpreting the pathogenesis of this particular anatomoclinical entity.

Anatomic basis of the physiopathology of the epicondylalgias: a study of the deep branch of the radial nerve.

Compression of the deep branch of the radial n. during its passage through Fröhse's arcade in the supinator m. is one of the classical explanations advanced for epicondylalgia. The object of this study was to define the anatomy of the deep branch of the radial n. from its origin up to the origin of the branches to the lateral epicondylar mm. 34 upper limbs were dissected and three segments of the deep branch of the radial n. were distinguished: segment I, from its origin to its entry into the supinator m.; segment II, corresponding to its passage through the supinator m.; and segment III, extending from its exit from the supinator m. to the origin of the nn. to the lateral epicondylar mm. The lengths of these three segments were defined, as well as the level of division of the radial n. in relation to the joint-line, the thickness of the arcade of the supinator m., and the number of nerve branches to the supinator m. It was found that segment III is closely related to the radial head, around which it winds in supination and extension. The three nerve segments thus defined were studied separately microscopically for evidence of lesions. The results were as follows. Segment I: absence of any marked histologic lesions; segment II: marked fibrous thickening of the perineurium and the interstitial connective tissue, replacing certain nerve fibers; segment III: persistence of moderate interstitial fibrosis. These findings appeared constant in all the specimens examined. These results indicate that the deep branch of the radial n. is most affected during its passage through the supinator m.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rotation of the cervical spinal column: a computed tomography in vivo study.

The functional anatomy of the spinal column has mainly been studied in the cadaver. The aim of our study was to determine in vivo the normal axial rotation of the cervical column using computed tomography (CT). Sixty subjects, divided into decades from 20 to 80 years of age were studied. The CT protocol comprised an axial cut at the level of the skull base (C0) and at each vertebral level in the neck, in the neutral position (with the nasal septum vertical) and during rotation of the head. To reduce the exposure to irradiation the subjects were divided into two groups: 40 were studied from C0 to the fifth cervical vertebra (C5) with unilateral rotation at C0 of 10 degrees, 20 degrees and 40 degrees (20 rotations to the left and 20 to the right), and 20 subjects were studied from C0 to the first thoracic vertebra (T1) with a maximum rotation at C0 to left and right. The angular position of a vertebra was defined as the anteroposterior axis with reference in the neutral position to the axis of C0, and in rotation was related to its original axis. At each vertebral level the mean angle of rotation and its standard deviation were calculated (n = 30) for the successive intermediate and maximum rotations at C0 level. The rotation of the cervical spine took place mainly at two levels: 58% between C1 and C2 and 24% between C3 and C6. The pairs of vertebrae C0/C1 and C2/C3 provided functional couples where the rotation was minimal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arterial vascularisation of the extrahepatic biliary tract.

The aim of this study was to establish a plan of the arterial distribution to the main supraduodenal biliary tract in order to draw practical conclusions for biliary surgery, especially in bilio-alimentary and bilio-biliary anastomoses and liver transplantation. It was based on a study of 60 fresh subjects and was carried out using four different methods: dissection after injection of colored latex into the superior mesenteric a. (10 subjects), radiography and dissection after injection of Micropaque into the celiac trunk (10), dissection after injection of Indian ink into the common hepatic a. (10) and radiography and dissection after selective injection of the right hepatic a. or the gastroduodenal a. (30). Analysis of the results leads to definition of three types of vascularisation and two territories, superior and inferior, overlapping at the level of the mouth of the cystic duct. The practical implications for biliary surgery and liver transplantation are discussed.

Fetal development of the pyloric muscle.

The fetal development of the pyloric muscle was studied in five human embryos (crown-rump length 5 to 31 mm) and in ten fetuses aged 3 to 9 months. Samples of pyloric muscle were obtained during operation for pyloric stenosis in two infants aged six weeks. Anatomo-radiologic, morphologic and immunohistochemical studies were made on this material, from which it emerged that the pylorus is identifiable by means of specific markers from the 40th day. Its two-layered muscular structure is described in detail. The mechanism of sphincteric function is reviewed. This study assumes clinical importance in the context of the etiopathogenesis of hypertrophic stenosis of the pylorus.

[Recurrent inguinal hernia]. / Récidives herniaires.

Inguinal hernias that recur after parietal herniorraphy are still frequent, the mean recurrence figures obtained from a review of the literature being 7.3, 5.2 and 1.1 percent respectively after the Bassini, Mc Vay and Shouldice repair techniques. The variability of bibliographical data and the factors which facilitate recurrence are analyzed; the choice of the approach route and of the most reliable repair technique is discussed. Although the present tendency is increasingly towards the use of preperitoneal prostheses, there is still room for reoperative surgery by the inguinal route, combining herniorraphy with hernioplasty, and without prosthesis.

[Treatment of neuralgia after surgical repair of inguinal hernia. Apropos of 47 cases]. / Traitement des névralgies après cure de hernie inguinale. A propos de 47 observations.

A semiologic study is performed and therapeutic proposals are made on the basis of the anatomical and physiopathological data relating to residual neuralgia after the cure of a hernia. A series of 47 patients, 41 of whom were treated at the Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Center of Avicenne Hospital (Bobigny) is analysed. The results are the following: 16 cures, 22 improvements, 6 failures, 3 patients lost to follow-up. The authors emphasize the difficulties of treatment, the poor effectiveness of second surgery as a rule, and the necessity of a general management.