Laparoscopic versus open surgery for the repair of congenital duodenal obstructions in infants and children.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic repair of congenital duodenal obstruction (LCDO) was described more than 15 years ago. However, studies comparing outcomes of LCDO with open repair (OCDO) are rare. Standardized assessments of complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) and the comprehensive complication index (CCI) are not available. METHODS: All patients undergoing OCDO or LCDO between 2004 and 2017 were identified from the institutional database by retrospective analysis. Postoperative outcomes were assessed, including all complications using the CDC and the CCI. RESULTS: Forty-seven consecutive patients were identified; 27 patients underwent LCDO and 20 patients had OCDO. Both groups did not differ regarding demographics, associated congenital anomalies, intraoperative pathologic findings, and operative procedures. LCDO was associated with a longer operative time [mean (SD), 202 (89) vs. 112 (41) min, P < 0.0001], shorter time to initiation of feeds [median (range), 1 (0-4) vs. 3 (1-12) days, P = 0.0027], and shorter time to full feeds [mean (SD), 8.2 (4.1) vs. 12.2 (6.4) days, P = 0.0243] compared to OCDO. Shorter length of postoperative hospital stay in LCDO group was achieved for patients without cardiac anomalies [mean (SD), 9.4 (3.1) days in LCDO group vs. 17.2 (9.4) days in OCDO, P = 0.0396] and patients without other anomalies [median (range), 12 (3-38) days in LCDO group vs. 21 (7-31) days in OCDO, P = 0.0460]. LCDO was associated with a lower CCI [median (range) 0 (0-39.7) vs. 4.3 (0-100), P = 0.0270]. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a longer operative time for LCDO, a number of advantages of LCDO over OCDO were recognized comparing both approaches in the repair of congenital duodenal obstruction. Such advantages include a lower morbidity, reduced time to initiation and completion of full enteral feeds, and shorter length of postoperative hospitalization for patients without concomitant cardiac anomalies and for patients without other anomalies when operated laparoscopic. In view of the present results, LCDO, performed in selected patients, appears to represent a viable alternative to OCDO.

Development of hepatic tissue engineering.

Liver transplantation is still the only treatment for end-staged liver diseases in children. However, donor organ shortage and immunosuppression are major limitations. Thus, approaches of hepatocyte transplantation are under investigation. Using cells might permit mass expansion, cryopreservation, and the ex vivo genetic modification of cells. For the development of cell-transplantation techniques, the use of three-dimensional scaffolds as carrier was shown to be advantageous. Polymeric matrices permit the formation of a neo-tissue and stimulation by the modification of the matrix surface. Another important issue is to define the right cell type for transplantation. Adult hepatocytes have a limited growth and differentiation potential. In contrast, fetal liver cells (FLC) possess an enormous growth and a bipotential differentiation potential. Thus, these cells may be very attractive as a cell resource for developing cell-based liver replacement. A third major issue in this approach is the neo-vascularization. Therefore, the transplantation in a recently developed model using a microsurgically created arterioveno-venous (AV) loop as a central vessel for the neo-tissue was used for transplantation of FLC in a fibrin-matrix. Initial results indicated that the transplantation of FLC using the AV-loop transplantation model may be promising for the development of highly vascularized in vivo tissue-engineered liver support systems.