The initial experience of robot-assisted transabdominal transversalis fascial and preperitoneal repair for small ventral hernia.

PURPOSE: Despite the widespread of ventral hernia repairs globally, the approach method, dissection planes, defect closure, and the choice and placement layer of mesh are an ongoing debate. We reported the details of surgical techniques, safety and feasibility for robot-assisted transabdominal transversalis fascial and preperitoneal repair (R-TATFPP) for small ventral hernia. METHODS: This study included 5 cases of R-TATFPP repair among 22 cases performed by robot-assisted ventral hernia repair from 2018 to 2023 with the approval of the Institutional Review Board at St. Luke's International University and clinical ethical committee at St. Luke's International Hospital (19-R147, 22-012). RESULTS: There were four males and one female, with mean age of 64.4 ± 10.0 years, inclusive of two umbilical and three incisional hernias. Mean height, weight, body mass index (BMI), hernia defect length, width, operation time, console time, and hospital stay were 171.2 ± 11.8 cm, 82.4 ± 13.4 kg, 28.0 ± 2.1 kg/m2, 2.8 ± 1.4 cm, 3.0 ± 1.3 cm, 180 min, 133.8 min, and 2.4 days, respectively. No conversion nor complication was observed except for one acute urinary retention. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted transversalis fascial and preperitoneal repair was safe and feasible for small ventral hernia with the minimal disruption to the abdominal wall architecture and structures.

Safety and short-term outcomes of robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair for inguinal hernia in pioneering hospitals in Japan: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to evaluate the safety and short-term outcomes of robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair for inguinal hernia in 12 pioneering hospitals in Japan. METHODS: Clinical data of patients who underwent robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair between September 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021 were collected. Primary outcome measures were intra-operative adverse events and post-operative complications, whereas secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes, including chronic pain, recurrence, and learning curve. RESULTS: In total, 307 patients were included. One case of inferior epigastric arterial injury was reported; no cases of bowel or bladder injury were reported. Thirty-five seromas were observed, including four (1.3%) cases that required aspiration. The median operative time of a unilateral case was 108 minutes (interquartile range: 89.8-125.5), and post-operative pain was rated 1 (interquartile range: 0-2) on the numerical rating scale. In complicated cases, such as recurrent inguinal hernias and robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy-associated hernias, dissection and suture were safely achieved, and no complications were observed, except for non-symptomatic seroma. All patients underwent robotic procedures, and there was no chronic post-operative inguinal pain, although one case of hernia recurrence was reported. Regarding the learning curve, plateau performance was achieved after 7-10 cases in terms of operative time (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Robotic-assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair can be safely introduced in Japan. Regardless of the involvement of many surgeons, the mastery of robotic techniques was achieved relatively quickly. The advantage of robotic technology such as wristed instruments may expand the application of minimally invasive hernia repair for complicated cases.

The endoscopic-assisted or endoscopic mini- or less-open preperitoneal (E/MILOP) approach for primary and incisional ventral hernia repair.

INTRODUCTION: The endoscopic-assisted or endoscopic mini- or less-open sublay (E/MILOS) concept describes a contemporary approach of trans-hernial repair of ventral hernia via sublay mesh placement. The term sublay often causes confusion, and preperitoneal placement of mesh should be considered as a distinctive approach. We hereby present our experience of a novel approach, the E/MILOP approach, for the repair of primary and incisional ventral hernias. METHODS: All patients who underwent E/MILOP between January 2020 and December 2022 were identified and their preoperative and perioperative characteristics, as well as postoperative outcomes, were retrospectively analyzed. The surgical procedure entailed an incision over the hernia defect and careful entrance into, and development of, the preperitoneal space trans-hernially. A synthetic mesh was placed in the preperitoneal space and the defect was closed with sutures. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients with primary and/or incisional ventral hernias who underwent E/MILOP were identified. Three patients (11.5%) presented with two coexistent types of hernias, and out of a total of 29 hernias, there were 21 (72.4%) umbilical, four epigastric (13.8%) and four incisional (13.8%) hernias. The mean defect width was 2.7 ± 0.9 cm. All cases utilized a mesh with a mean mesh-to-defect ratio of 12.9. The mean postoperative stay was 1.9 days. Surgical site occurrence was observed in eight (30.1%) patients, but none required intervention. No recurrence was observed during a mean follow-up period of 286.7 days. CONCLUSION: The E/MILOP approach is a novel alternative for primary and incisional ventral hernia repair.

Arteriovenous malformation of the spermatic cord mimicking reducible inguinal hernia.

Arteriovenous malformations are a vascular anomaly most often found in the central nervous system; however, they can present ubiquitously in any organs or tissues. We present the case of a 55-year-old man who developed a tender, reducible inguinal bulge and underwent laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair under the clinical diagnosis of an inguinal hernia. Intraoperative observation revealed no hernia sac, but a poorly defined spermatic cord mass, appearing to be responsible for the patient's symptoms, was found and removed. The pathology of the mass was consistent with the diagnosis of an arteriovenous malformation of the spermatic cord. Surgeons should keep in mind the small possibility of arteriovenous malformations in patients with clinical presentation of an inguinal hernia, as they may cause massive bleeding during and after the operation unless handled appropriately.

The first case of robotic-assisted transabdominal retrorectus repair for incisional hernia in Japan.

Extraperitoneal mesh repair for ventral hernia has garnered attention and its rate has been increasing due to concerns for the potential complications of intraperitoneal mesh repair. Recently, robotic-assisted ventral hernia repair is highlighted as a solution to the technically demanding nature of laparoscopic transabdominal or enhanced-view totally extraperitoneal retrorectus ventral hernia repair. A 78-year-old man, who had undergone robot-assisted radical prostatectomy 10 months earlier, presented with an incisional hernia of European Hernia Society Classification M3W2, length 4 cm, width 5 cm with rectus diastasis. A right single-docking robotic-assisted transabdominal retrorectus repair was performed using a 21 by 14 cm self-gripping mesh and anterior wall reconstruction was done by 0 barbed nonabsorbable running suture. There were no complications and recurrence observed during a 7 months postoperative period. Single-docking robotic-assisted transabdominal retrorectus repair was considered a good option for midline moderate-size incisional hernias from the point of view of the ease of suturing, adequateness of dissection and prevention of bowel injury.

Long-term results after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy of a simplified inguinal hernia prevention technique without artificial substance use.

INTRODUCTION: Durable techniques that prevent postoperative inguinal hernia (IH) after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) have not been established. This study evaluated the long-term efficacy of a postoperative IH prevention technique that uses no artificial agents to assess the characteristics of IH occurrence after introducing this technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 201 consecutive patients who underwent RARP at our institution between September 2011 and February 2014. In total, 189 cases were eligible for the study. The non-IH prevention and IH prevention groups comprised 72 and 117 cases, respectively. We compared the incidence of IH between the two groups using Kaplan-Meier curves. Risk factors for IH in the prevention group were determined via multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The rate of IH occurrence was 20.8% (15 cases) in the nonprevention group and 8.5% (10 cases) in the prevention group, with median follow-up periods of 99.5 and 89.9 months, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.011). Only cutting of the vas deferens significantly contributed to reduced occurrence of IH in multivariable analysis (p = 0.047). After reviewing the intraoperative videos, insufficient separation of the vas deferens was considered the main cause of IH in the prevention group. CONCLUSION: Our simple prevention technique with no artificial agents had a durable effect on IH prevention after RARP over a median follow-up period of more than 7 years. Cutting the vas deferens effectively prevented IH after RARP.

Indocyanine green fluorescence-guided laparoscopic removal of infected mesh with chronic sinus formation after inguinal mesh plug repair.

Chronic mesh infection with sinus formation is usually amenable to open method with dye. Recently, intraoperative real-time fluorescent imaging has been applied to various organs but not to mesh infection. A 72-year-old man with the history of two times removal of infected mesh was referred for groin bulge with purulent discharge. Laparoscopy assisted infected mesh removal was undertaken using intraoperative real-time fluorescent imaging with indocyanine green injection via the sinus orifice. We experienced the first case of the infected mesh with chronic sinus formation treated by the help of intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescent. This method is simple and easy to apply for laparoscopic assisted removal of chronic mesh infection with sinus.

Advance Care Planning for Intensive Care Patients During the Perioperative Period: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) may transition into an end-of-life phase during treatment. Advance care planning (ACP) for this population has not been studied comprehensively, and support for its implementation is insufficient. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to clarify the ACP support needs among critical perioperative patients. METHODS: In this qualitative descriptive study, semistructured interviews were conducted with patients previously admitted to the ICU. The survey was conducted from September to November 2019. Participants comprised 13 individuals, who were admitted to the ICU for a period of 3 months to 2 years after surgery. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 63.8 years. The average mechanical ventilation duration following surgery was 24.5 h. The interviews focused on the ACP needs from the preoperative period to discharge. About 90% of the patients thought about the possibility of death before surgery and considered giving advance orders (e.g., "I don't want life-sustaining treatment"). The participants discussed inheritance, work-related matters, and household issues with their families but rarely spoke about treatment and care. Although they examined the content of the advance directives, the medical staff was not informed about them. Patients revealed that they wanted to understand the distinction between life-prolonging and life-saving treatments and discuss it with the medical staff, apart from being educated on ACP. Many patients previously admitted to the ICU are unclear about the difference between life-prolonging and life-saving treatments; this is also true for medical staff. CONCLUSION: Patients who had been admitted to the ICU after high-risk surgery thought they needed help with ACP before surgery. Therefore, patients have the right to know about treatment risks; however, medical staff believes that this is difficult to communicate. Thus, medical staff should consider ways to communicate clearly with patients, including discussing the risks associated with surgery.

[A case of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component that dedifferentiated after chemotherapy].

CASE: A 69-year-old man was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer(well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)was initiated. After two courses of chemotherapy, the patient was judged to have achieved a clinical complete response. The patient then decided against undergoing surgery and opted instead to continue with the chemotherapy, receiving five courses in total. However, the esophageal cancer recurred, and subtotal esophagectomy was performed in January 2011. Squamous cell carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component, which consisted of poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma cells, was observed at the primary site. Metastasis of the cancer to the liver was detected 2 months after surgery. The subsequent administration of four courses of docetaxel to the patient did not result in any beneficial effects, and the patient developed carcinomatous pleurisy and died of this complication in November 2011. The patient survived for a total of 21 months after starting chemotherapy. In this case, the chemotherapy itself may have resulted in the dedifferentiation of a well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma to result in a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with an adenocarcinoma component.

Gastric mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma occurring 50 years after a gastroenterostomy with braun anastomosis.

A 75-year-old man was diagnosed with gastric cancer. Fifty years previously, he had undergone gastroenterostomy with a Braun enteroenterostomy. At present, a distal gastrectomy and small intestinal partial resection were performed. Intraoperatively, the tumor was localized to the previous stomal site. HE staining showed that the tumor comprised two elements: a tubular adenocarcinoma on the gastric side and a neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) on the jejunal side. The final pathologic diagnosis was mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma based on an immunohistochemical analysis of endocrine markers and an elevated Ki-67 labeling index. The risk of later cancer development cancer recurrence near the gastrojejunostomy site is well known. Potentially, chronic enterogastric bile reflux may irritate the gastric mucosa and act as a promoter. Gastric NEC has a strong malignant potential. We suspect that, in the present case, the constant exposure to secondary bile may have induced a gastric mucosal adenocarcinoma, which finally differentiated into a NEC.

Heterozygous loss of NF2 is an early molecular alteration in well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of the peritoneum.

Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of the peritoneum (WDPMP) is a rare disease, and many cases are either benign neoplasms or low-graded malignancies; however, a few cases show rapid progressive clinical courses. No effective therapy has yet been established for WDPMP, and the molecular basis of WDPMP tumorigenesis has never been reported. This study shows the malignant transformation of WDPMP in a Japanese female patient, who was alive for 54 months after the initial diagnosis by a laparoscopic biopsy. A molecular analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which were located in the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene, a tumor suppressor gene assigned to chromosome 22q12.3, revealed the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the NF2 gene. Furthermore, SNP analyses determined that LOH was observed in the IL17RA (22q11.1), CHECK2 (22q12.1), and SHANK3 (22q13.3) genes, thus suggesting that NF2 loss occurred through 22q deletions or monosomy 22. The LOH of the NF2 gene was observed in an early stage of WDPMP, thus indicating that LOH of the NF2 gene is an early molecular alteration, and NF2 loss is a molecular mechanism associated not only with malignant pleural mesothelioma, but also with WDPMP.

[Complete response to S-1/CDDP combination in a patient with obstructive jaundice secondary to lymph node metastasis by gastric cancer - a case report].

A 55-year-old woman was found to have a type-4 lesion centered on the greater curvature of the lower portion of her stomach during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examination.A diagnosis of inoperable advanced gastric carcinoma [type 4, tub 2/por, T3 (SE), N3, H0, P1, cStage IV], complicated by pyloric stenosis, liver dysfunction, and obstructive jaundice untreatable by bile drainage, was made.After obtaining the informed consent of the patient and her family and explain- ing that under the circumstances surgery was not indicated, chemotherapy [S-1 (granules) 80 mg/m2, CDDP 60 mg/m2] was selected. After starting treatment, an improvement in liver dysfunction and jaundice was observed, and at the start of the second course, the patient had become capable of oral feeding.The patient was discharged after completion of the second course. No choices associated with evidence exist for treatment of patients with inoperable advanced gastric cancer (complicated by obstructive jaundice), who are not elderly and have good performance status (PS).We report this case in which improvement of activity of daily living (ADL) was achieved relatively safely by treatment with S-1/CDDP, together with a brief discussion based on the literature.

[Diamine oxidase as blood biomarker in rats and humans to GI tract toxicity of fluorouracil anti-cancer drugs].

Diarrhea is a side effect of a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) anti-cancer drug-induced intestinal mucosal disorder, which sometimes becomes more severe. Blood diamine oxidase (DAO; EC1. 4. 3. 6) activity is reported to be significantly correlated with activity in the small intestinal mucosal tissue, and to be a reliable indicator of small intestinal mucosal integrity and maturity. Here, we investigated whether blood DAO activity can be a biomarker for the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal disorder caused by 5-FU anti-cancer drugs, both in rats and humans. From results of the rat study, the degree of jejunal mucosal disorder caused by the 5-FU anti-cancer drug was well correlated with a decrease in blood DAO activity. Clinically, 12 out of 28 patients (43%) administered 5-FU anti-cancer drug suffered from diarrhea. The plasma DAO activity within one week of the onset of diarrhea significantly decreased compared with that before the administration. Furthermore, before drug administration, plasma DAO activity in patients suffering from diarrhea was higher than those in patients without diarrhea. Although DAO activity differs by the individual, it is a useful biomarker for estimating the degree of intestinal mucosal disorder, and possibly for estimating manifestations of diarrhea induced by 5-FU anti-cancer drug administration.

[A case of effective weekly paclitaxel administration for advanced gastric cancer associated with diabetes mellitus -about the control of blood glucose when dexamethasone for prophylaxis against paclitaxel-associated hypersensitivity reactions to the diabetic has been administered].

A 69-year-old woman had been treated with insulin for diabetes over the last 8 years. Distal gastrectomy (D2) was undertaken for StageIV stomach cancer. CA19-9 showed marked increases after surgery, but returned to normal after administering S-1. After 12 cycles, the treatment was discontinued due to hepatic disorders, and the clinical course was monitored. Weekly paclitaxel therapy was initiated as second-line therapy when CA19-9 rose again to 467 U/mL. Marked efficacy was noted after completion of one cycle. A total of 23 cycles were conducted. CA19-9 returned to normal, and the patient remains recurrence-free. In the treatment with paclitaxel, pre-treatment with dexamethasone (20 mg each time) is made to prevent hypersensitivity reactions. Since the total dose becomes too large in weekly treatment, however, treatment was initiated at 12 mg in our patient, and the dose was reduced stepwise to 8 mg, 4 mg and 2 mg. At the same time, the dose of insulin at bedtime and before breakfast the following morning was increased in increments of 2 units. This made it possible to maintain good control of blood glucose levels and minimize changes in HbA1c. This experience suggests that the dosage regimen needs refinements in diabetic patients such as a reduction in the dose of steroids and increases in the dose of insulin in long-term treatment.

[Case study--an elderly patient with Stage IV advanced gastric cancer achieved good performance status (PS) without subjective symptoms for more than two years by chemotherapy].

An 83-year-old male with Stage IV gastric cancer of performance status 1 (PS 1) was treated with fluoropyrimidine (TS-1) since January 2003 in our department. As the patient exhibited decreased renal function due to his age, we set the basic dose at 80% of the recommended dose of 80 mg/body/week. We administered 11 four-week cycles, each with a two-week drug-free washout period, and six two-week cycles, each with a two-week drug free washout period. The first cycle of chemotherapy ameliorated the subjective symptoms; the level of a tumor marker then returned to normal, and the ascites disappeared. The patient's condition was maintained at a favorable PS level without any subjective symptoms for approximately 20 months. In late September 2004, however, an exacerbation of the primary foci was confirmed by routine endoscopic examination. As second-line chemotherapy, we initiated weekly administration of paclitaxel (PTX). Due to the patient's age and high PS level (PS 2) at the time of intervention, we utilized a reduced dose of 70 mg/body/dose. After a short premedication period, the patient was administered PTX intravenously for one hour once a week for three weeks, then given a one-week drug-free washout period (one cycle). After the first cycle of PTX administration, all subjective symptoms disappeared, the PS level returned to zero,and the patient was discharged. In total, four cycles of the PTX regimen were given. Throughout the treatment period, we did not observe any significant adverse events (grade 2 or higher). Treatment achieved a favorable PS level. To design an effective chemotherapy regimen for elderly patients, it is important to establish an effective dose and dosing method based on the patient's chronologic age and a thorough evaluation of the patient's systemic conditions, including the PS level.