Comparison between LigaSure™ and Harmonic® in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Single-Center Experience on 422 Patients.

Background: New laparoscopic devices, such as electrothermal bipolar-activated devices (LigaSure™ (LS)) or ultrasonic systems (Harmonic® scalpel (HS)), have been applied recently to bariatric surgery allowing to reduce blood loss and surgical risks. The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare intraoperative performance of HS and LS, postoperative results, and clinical outcomes in a large cohort of patients undergoing LSG. Methods: Data from 422 morbidly obese patients undergoing LSG in our Bariatric Unit at the Advanced Biomedical Sciences Department of the "Federico II" University of Naples (Italy) between January 2009 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects were divided into two groups (HS and LS), and operative time, intraoperative complications, and postoperative (within 30 days from surgery) complications were compared. Bleeding from the omentum or from the staple line, use of hemostatic clips, and absorbable hemostat were recorded as intraoperative complications; hemorrhages, abscess formation, gastric leaks, fever, and mortality were considered as postoperative complications. Results: Statistical analysis showed no difference in terms of baseline demographics between the two cohorts. Operative time (48 ± 9 vs 49 ± 6 min, p=0.646) and the rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusion: Harmonic® and LigaSure™ are both useful tools in bariatric surgery, and these two advanced power devices are user-friendly and can facilitate surgeon work; from this point of view, the choice of the energy device should be based on the preference of the surgeon and on the hospital costs policy and availability.

Intracorporeal versus extracorporeal anastomosis after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. A systematic review with meta-analysis.

AIM: To perform a systematic review and meta-analyses of studies comparing the totally laparoscopic procedures with intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) to laparoscopic-assisted surgery with extracorporeal anastomosis (EA) in gastric resections. METHODS: We performed a systematic search in the electronic databases. Outcomes analysed were: intraoperative (operative time and intraoperative blood loss), oncologic (harvested nodes, distance of the tumour from proximal and distal margin), postoperative complications (gastric stasis, intraluminal and extraluminal bleeding, leakage and wound infection) recovery (time to first flatus, time to first oral intake and hospital stay). We performed meta-regression analyses after implementing a regression model with the analysed outcomes as dependent variables (y) and the demographic and pathologic covariates as independent variables (x). RESULTS: A total of 26 studies (20 on distal gastrectomy and 6 on total gastrectomy) were included in the final analysis. Regarding distal gastrectomy, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the above-mentioned outcomes, except for intraoperative blood loss (less in IA group, P=0.003), number of harvested nodes (better in the IA group, P=0.022) and length of hospital stay (shorter in the IA group, P=0.037). Regarding total gastrectomy, there was no statistical difference for all outcomes, except for the distal margin (further in the EA group, P=0.040). Meta-regression analysis showed that a lot of variables influenced results in distal gastric resections, but not in total gastric resections. CONCLUSION: We can state laparoscopic gastric resections with IA are safe and feasible when performed by expert surgeons. However, new well-designed studies comparing the two techniques are needed to confirm the benefits of laparoscopic IA.

Predictors of fat-free mass loss 1 year after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is one of the most frequently performed bariatric surgery interventions because of its safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised on its detrimental effect on patient nutritional state that can ultimately lead to the loss of fat-free mass (FFM). There is interest in identifying predictors for the early identification of patients at risk of this highly unwanted adverse because they could benefit of nutritional preventive interventions. Therefore, we investigated whether anthropometric parameters, body composition or resting energy expenditure (REE) measured before surgery could predict FFM loss 1 year after LSG. METHODS: Study design was retrospective observational. We retrieved data on body weight, BMI, body composition and REE before and 1 year after LSG from the medical files of 36 patients operated on by LSG at our institutions. Simple regression, the Oldham's method and multilevel analysis were used to identify predictors of FFM loss. RESULTS: Averaged percentage FFM loss 1 year after LSG was 17.0 ± 7.7% with significant differences between sexes (20.8 ± 6.6 in males and 12.2 ± 6.1% in females, p < 0.001). FFM loss was strongly predicted by pre-surgery FFM and this effect persisted also after correcting for the contribution of sex. CONCLUSIONS: High FFM values before surgery predict a more severe FFM loss after LSG. This factor could also account for the higher FFM loss in men than in women. Our finding could help in the early identification of patient requiring a nutritional support after LSG.

Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic wedge gastrectomy for large gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Although the feasibility of minimally invasive resection of small gastric GISTs is well established, less is known about safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgery for large tumors. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed, using a prospectively maintained comprehensive database. Patients were divided into two groups according to tumor size: Case group with tumors > 5 cm and control group with tumors <5 cm. Hospital charts were reviewed, and various outcome measures recorded, including operative time, estimated operative blood loss, post-operative leak, stasis, infection and recurrence. RESULTS: No tumors were ruptured during surgical manipulation and no major morbidity or mortality occurred in either group. Operative time (75,8 ± 33,1 min in large cases vs 75,8 ± 33,1 min in small cases) was similar in both groups (p = 0,61). The incidence of post-operative complications did not differ between the two groups. In details there were 21 out of 25 (84%) uncomplicated cases among small GISTs versus 17 out of 24 (70,8%) uncomplicated cases among large GISTs (p = 0,32). CONCLUSION: This matched-pair case control study demonstrates that laparoscopic wedge resection for large gastric GISTs is safe and effective, as demonstrated for small tumors.

Retrieval of the gastric specimen following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Experience on 275 cases.

Severe obesity leads to a high incidence of complications and a decrease in life expectancy, especially among younger adults. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) first intended as the first step of biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch is gaining a per-se procedure role because of its effectiveness on weight loss and comorbidity resolution. Different techniques have been described for specimen extraction in LSG. In this article we report the technique adopted in 275 LSGs performed in our department. In the first 120 LSGs performed from 2007, the specimen was extracted through a mini laparotomy. In the following 155 cases the technique has been simplified: the grasped specimen has been withdrawn through the 15 mm trocar site. We registered in the fist group six cases of wound infection (5%), ten cases of hematoma (8.3%) and four cases of port site hernia (3.3%). In the second group only one case of hematoma (0.6%, p = 0.01) but no cases of wound infection (p = 0.01) or port site hernia, (p = 0.03) although we registered a specimen perforation during retrieval in 16 patients, were reported. The technique described in the 155 cases of the control group has shown to be more effective than the technique we used in the case group, allowing significantly lower operative time (112.9 ± 1.0 vs 74.9 ± 9.1 p < 0.001) and complications, and providing unchanged costs.

Minimally invasive approach for adrenal lesions: Systematic review of laparoscopic versus retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy and assessment of risk factors for complications.

In the last decades, minimally invasive transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy has become the standard of care for surgical resection of the adrenal gland tumors. Recently, however, adrenalectomy by a mininvasive retroperitoneal approach has reached increasingly popularity as alternative technique. Short hospitalization, lower postoperative pain and decrease of complications and a better cosmetic resolution are the main advantages of these innovative techniques. In order to determine the better surgical management of adrenal neoplasms, the Authors analyzed and compared the feasibility and the postoperative complications of minimally invasive adrenalectomy approaches. A systematic research of the English literature, including major meta-analysis articles, clinical randomized trials, retrospective studies and systematic reviews was performed, comparing laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy versus retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy. Many studies support that posterior retroperitoneal adrenalectomy is superior or at least comparable to laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy in operation time, pain score, blood loss, hospitalization, complications rates and return to normal activity. However, laparoscopic transperitoneal adrenalectomy is up to now a safe and standardized procedure with a shorter learning curve and a similar low morbidity rate, even for tumors larger than 6 cm. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to objectively evaluate these techniques, excluding selection bias and bias related to differences in surgeons' experiences with this approaches.

Great saphenous vein stripping and nerve injury: the role of stripping direction.

AIM: Although saphenous nerve (SN) injury represents a complication of great saphenous vein (GSV) stripping, little is know about the techniques to minimize the risk of nerve injury. This is still controversial if the stripping direction could be related to the incidence of nerve injury. METHODS: A prospective comparative study to compare upwards and downwards total GSV stripping during saphenectomy with regard to the occurrence of postoperative SN injury has been designed. Electroneurogram measurement and clinical identification of nerve injury have been performed 1 day before surgery, 1 week, 12 weeks and 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Although clinical evaluation of nerve injury was found to be similar among upwards and downwards stripping both at one and 12 weeks after surgery, ENG measurement showed a higher incidence of lesions after the downwards stripping both at one and 12 weeks after surgery. No clinical or ENG findings of nerve injury was found 1 year after surgery. CONCLUSION: Upwards method is less traumatic than downwards total GSV stripping in terms of incidence of SN injury, as confirmed by electrophysiological nerve studies.

A technical modification of video-assisted ablation for recurrent pilonidal sinus.

AIM: The study evaluated, in a proof of concept, the usefulness of a prosthesis (plug) in addition to video assisted ablation of pilonidal sinus (VAAPS) for treatment of recurrent pilonidal sinus. METHOD: This is a case series of recurrent complex pilonidal sinus treated by VAAPS plus plug positioning. RESULTS: Four patients were analysed. All were successfully treated by this new approach. No difficulties in inserting the plug were identified. Complete healing was achieved in all cases. No infection or recurrence was reported during a limited follow-up. CONCLUSION: This new technique allows a minimally invasive scarless approach to recurrent pilonidal sinus.

A decade of bariatric surgery. What have we learned? Outcome in 520 patients from a single institution.

BACKGROUND: Today a variety of bariatric surgical procedures is available and, currently, it is difficult to identify the most effective option based on patient characteristics and comorbidities. Aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy of four different techniques; Intragastric Balloon (IB), Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB), Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) and Laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass (LMGB), performed in our unit along ten years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Starting from January 2005, 520 patients, 206 men (39.6%) and 314 women (60.4%) were treated at our institution. Among patients candidate to bariatric surgery 145 underwent IB, 120 underwent LAGB, 175 underwent LSG and 80 underwent LMGB. Follow up rate was 93.1% for IB at 6 months; 74.1% and 48% for LAGB at 36 and 60 months respectively; 72.8% and 58.1% for LSG at 36 and 60 months respectively; and 84.2% for LMGB at 36 months. RESULTS: The period 2005-2014 has been considered. Mortality was 1/520 patients (0.19%). The excess weight loss rate (EWL%) has been 32.8 for IB at six months, 53.7 for LAGB and 68.1 for LSG, at 60 months respectively and 79.5 for LMGB at 36 months. Early major postoperative complications requiring surgery were 0.6% for IB and 1.1% for LSG whereas late major postoperative complications were 1.2% for IB, 4.1% for LAGB and 0.5% for LSG. Diabetes resolution rate was 0 for LAGB, 76.9% for LSG and 80% for LMGB at 36 months. CONCLUSIONS: If more invasive procedures as LSG or LMGB may entail higher operative and peroperative risks, conversely, in skilled hands their efficacy remains undisputed, especially in the long term, presenting a very low rate of major complications. In general, the efficacy of a bariatric surgery unit seems improved by the capability to offer both different primary procedures and re-do surgery.

An early onset of acute renal failure in a young woman with obesity and infertility who underwent gastric balloon positioning. A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Although intragastric balloons have been in use for several years to achieve weight reduction in obese patients, acute renal failure after gastric balloon positioning is reported in few studies CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old white infertile woman undergone Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) positioning in an attempt to weight loss and improve her fertility status. After only six days of persisting vomiting acute renal failure was found. A complete recovery of renal function was obtained after 14 days. CONCLUSION: Acute renal failure was due to persistent vomiting leading to dehydration. Physicians involved in BIB patients management must consider the possibility of major complications in all hyperemetic subjects. BIB removal, with a concomitant intravenous fluid replacement and minerals or vitamins supplementation has to be taken into account as an emergency procedure.

The laparoscopic mini-gastric bypass: the Italian experience: outcomes from 974 consecutive cases in a multicenter review.

BACKGROUND: Due to the failure of the "old Mason loop," the mini-gastric bypass (MGB) has been viewed with skepticism. During the past 12 years, a growing number of authors from around the world have continued to report excellent short- and long-term results with MGB. METHODS: One university center, three regional hospitals, and two private hospitals participated in this study. From July 2006 to December 2012, 475 men (48.8 %) and 499 women (51.2 %) underwent 974 laparoscopic MGBs. The mean age of these patients was 39.4, and their preoperative body mass index was 48 ± 4.58 kg/m(2). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affected 224 (22.9 %) of the 974 patients, whereas 291 of the 974 patients (29.8 %) presented with hypertension. The preoperative gastrointestinal status was explored in all the patients through esophagogastroduodenoscopia. The major end points of the study were definitions of both MGB safety and efficacy in the long term as well as the endoscopic changes in symptomatic patients eventually produced by surgery. RESULTS: The rate of conversion to open surgery was 1.2 % (12/974), and the mortality rate was 0.2 % (2/974). The perioperative morbidity rate was 5.5 % (54/974), with 20 (2 %) of the 974 patients requiring an early surgical revision. The mean hospital length of stay was 4.0 ± 1.7 days. At this writing, 818 patients are being followed up. Late complications have affected 74 (9 %) of the 818 patients. The majority of these complications (66/74, 89.1 %) have occurred within 1 year after surgery. Bile reflux gastritis was symptomatic, with endoscopic findings reported for 8 (0.9 %) and acid peptic ulcers for 14 (1.7 %) of the 818 patients. A late revision surgery was required for 7 (0.8 %) of the 818 patients. No patient required revision surgery due to biliary gastritis. At 60 months, the percentage of excess weight loss was 77 ± 5.1 %, the T2DM remission was 84.4 %, and the resolution of hypertension was 87.5 %. CONCLUSIONS: Despite initial skepticism, this study, together with many other large-scale, long-term similar studies from around the world (e.g., Taiwan, United States, France, Spain, India, Lebanon) demonstrated the MGB to be a short, simple, low-risk, effective, and durable bariatric procedure.

Outpatient surgical procedures: which is the ideal teaching procedure for a resident surgeon?

AIM: The aim of our study is to evaluate which surgical procedures can be considered the ideal teaching procedure for a resident surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study. A chart review was performed on all patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair, saphenectomy, excision of pilonidal sinus and hemorrhoidectomy at our institution, between September 2000 and July 2011, and have at least 1 year of follow-up. We evaluated operative time and complications comparing the results obtained by resident or attending surgeon. RESULTS: We obtained a higher operative time among the procedures performed by resident surgeons for all evaluated interventions. Whereas the occurrence of complications after hernia repair and excision and primary closure of pilonidal sinus were similar in case and control subjects (p = 0,1 and p = 0,1), the occurrence of complications after hemorrhoidectomy and saphenectomy was significantly higher in the case group (p = 0,08 and p = 0,1). CONCLUSION: Hernia repair and excision and primary closure of pilonidal sinus have to be considered the ideal teaching procedure in a residency program, giving to the young surgeon the opportunity of reach several skills that he needs to master most difficult surgical procedures. Saphenectomy and hemorrhoidectomy should be considered safe only if performed by a senior resident surgeon.

Safety and efficacy of saphenectomy in elderly patients.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate safety and efficacy of saphenactomy in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 358 patients with varicose veins of the lower limbs treated between January 2001 and December 2011. 213 of these were patients under 65 years old and 145 patients were over this age. We have evaluated short- and long-term complications to compare the results among young and elderly patients. RESULTS: Postoperative complications that occurred were: infection, haematoma, nerve injury (paresthesia and pain) and deep vein thrombosis. Although a trend towards better results was observed among the young patients, no significant differences were shown in our experience. CONCLUSION: Elective saphenectomy has a good outcome also in the elderly patients. The slightly higher rate of complications that occurred in older patients is not significant and does not support advising against the use of this surgical approach in the elderly. So in our opinion saphenectomy is quite safe and feasible also in patients over 65 years.

The role of drainage after excision and primary closure of pilonidal sinus: a meta-analysis.

We carried out a systematic review of the literature to identify the association between the use of drain and the incidence of infections and recurrences after surgery. MEDLINE, SCOPUS and ISI databases were searched up to September 2012. The two outcomes of this meta-analysis were wound infection and recurrence. Postoperative wound infection occurred in 50 of the 604 (8.28 %) patients who underwent drainage and in 68 of the 598 (11.4 %) patients who did not, with a resulting odds ratio (OR) of 0.71 (95 % CI: 0.48-1.03). Recurrence of pilonidal sinus occurred in 41 of the 604 (6.79 %) patients who underwent drainage and in 50 of the 598 (8.36 %) patients who did not, with a resulting OR of 0.80 (95 % CI: 0.52-1.23). The results suggest that, despite a trend toward a reduction in infectious complications and recurrence, drainage was not associated with a better outcome. However, because of the present literature's limitations, further studies are needed to address this issue.

Outpatient inguinal hernia repair under local anaesthesia: feasibility and efficacy of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this prospective randomized study was to determine the utility of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block to improve the efficacy of conventional local anaesthesia for hernia repair in order to achieve an adequate anaesthesia and to evaluate its post-operative analgesic effectiveness. METHOD: Hundred and fifty consecutive male patients undergoing outpatient hernia repair (Lichtenstein technique) were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly allocated to undergo a combined TAP block and local anaesthesia (case group) or single conventional local anaesthesia (control group). The study was designed to obtain a 1:2 case-control ratio. The primary outcome was the evaluation of the proportion of patients achieving an adequate anaesthesia. The secondary outcome was the evaluation of pain on movement, pain at rest, rescue analgesia need, nausea and satisfaction. RESULTS: An adequate anaesthesia was achieved in 8 % case and in 36 % control subjects (p = 0.001). At the 6 and 12 h post-operative evaluations, patients enrolled in the case group reported significantly less pain (evaluated by VAS score) both at rest and on movement (p always = 0.001). Moreover, the need of rescue analgesia resulted significantly higher in the control group (14 vs. 32 %, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that, as compared with conventional local anaesthesia, the combination of TAP block with local anaesthesia showed a higher efficacy in the obtainment of an adequate anaesthesia and in the post-operative pain control for hernia repair.

Late micronutrient deficiency and neurological dysfunction after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a case report.

Although the micronutrient deficiencies and the related neurological manifestations are widely reported after malabsorbitive weight loss surgery, little is known about cerebral dysfunction secondary to micronutrient impairment in subjects undergoing restrictive interventions (that is, sleeve gastrectomy). We describe a case of a 27-year-old woman with a late development of a Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) and of severe polyneuropathy following a sleeve gastrectomy without any sleeve stenosis. The impact of WE after bariatric surgery is significantly underestimated. Such a risk should be taken into consideration also after restrictive weight loss surgery. Thus, surgeon/clinicians involved in bariatric patients management must be aware of neurological sequelae related to this intervention.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid from extruded linseed influences the fatty acid composition and sensory characteristics of dry-cured ham from heavy pigs.

Twenty-four barrows (78.1 +/- 1.7 kg of initial BW) were fed a control diet (2.5% sunflower oil) or an experimental diet containing 5% whole extruded linseed. Both diets were supplemented with 170 mg of vitamin E/kg of feed. At slaughter (160 +/- 9.2 kg of BW), 6 hams were collected per group and delivered to Stazione Sperimentale per l'Industria delle Conserve Alimentari of Parma for seasoning. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of diet on the physicochemical characteristics of dry-cured ham. The linseed diet increased (P < 0.05) the content of n-3 PUFA in trimmed fat (green ham), semimembranosus muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and the whole slice (dry-cured ham). Moreover, there was a decrease in the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio from 12 to 3 in all of those tissues. In contrast, the greater alpha-linolenic acid content in linseed caused an increase in the iodine value of green hams to a value that is not accepted by the Parma Ham Consortium. A sensory consumer test indicated that linseed-enriched dry-cured ham had the least acceptance score for odor, taste, and overall acceptability descriptors. These data suggest that the use of extruded linseed for pig feed is an acceptable way to improve the nutritional quality of long-cured pork products but could be limited by negative effects on the sensory characteristics of dry-cured ham.