Role of indo-cyanine green (ICG) fluorescence in laparoscopic adrenalectomy: a retrospective review of 55 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Indo-Cyanine Green Fluorescence is an emerging technology with more frequent use in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. It relies on near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence to demonstrate tissue perfusion with demarcation of tissue planes and vascular pedicles. The aim of the study is to evaluate the role of this technology in laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA). METHODS: 55 patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy using NIR Fluorescence enabled laparoscope. All cases received a standard initial dose of 5-mg dye to aid tissue visualization. Surgery proceeded with "fluorescence mode" demonstrating real-time NIR images superimposed on standard white-light imaging. The timing, number of doses were dictated by the operating surgeon, which were recorded and correlated with intra-operative fluorescence visualization. RESULTS: 54 patients underwent successful LA, with one conversion in a case of large pheochromocytoma due to difficult hemostasis. The lag between ICG administration and visualization of adrenal fluorescence varied between 30 and 75 s. The total duration of adrenal parenchymal fluorescence after a single dose did not exceed 15 min in our series. Average total administered dose was 14.4 mg. We suffered no mortality. There were no adverse effects due to the dye. 5 patients suffered Grade I complications, with one patient suffering Grade II and IV complication each, as per Clavien-Dindo Classification. Final histopathology demonstrated pheochromocytoma, adrenocortical adenoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, cushing's adenoma, aldosteronoma, and myelolipoma. CONCLUSION: We describe our initial positive experience with ICG fluorescence in LA, with a detailed description of dye administration in our study. The technology offers real-time differentiation of tissues and identification of vascular structures, providing immediate guidance during surgery. Further evaluation of its role in adrenocortical malignancy is warranted. NIR fluorescence is a safe, useful addition in laparoscopic adrenalectomy which will undergo further refinement over time.

Oh, My Gauze !!!- A rare case report of laparoscopic removal of an incidentally discovered gossypiboma during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The work has been reported in line with the SCARE criteria. The most common retained foreign body during surgery is woven cotton surgical sponge, which includes both laparotomy pads and smaller sponges. Sponges are easily retained because of their ubiquitous use, relatively small size and when soaked in blood, sponges conform to and can be difficult to distinguish from surrounding tissues. The problem of retained surgical sponge is known as gossypiboma, and also as 'textiloma', 'gauzoma' or 'muslinoma'. The number of preoperatively diagnosed cases treated by laparoscopic approach is rare in the literature and laparoscopic removal of incidentally detected gossypiboma with concomitant laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not yet reported in the literature. PRESENTATION OF CASE: In 40-year-old female with caesarean section 5 years ago, now during elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and umbilical hernia repair, an incidentally detected Gossypiboma was encountered. The Gossypiboma was safely excised by laparoscopic technique followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy and open hernia repair. DISCUSSION: Postoperative complications following surgery are common and mostly unavoidable but some like the gossypiboma are infrequent and avoidable. Most of them are asymptomatic and present in the body for a long period of time. However, once discovered these foreign bodies must be removed for which laparoscopy proves to be a better approach. Most of these cases also are under-reported due to medicolegal implications. CONCLUSION: Gossypiboma is one of the preventable complications of surgery by the compliance of certain measures perioperatively. If detected incidentally, it can be safely managed laparoscopically with a shorter post-operative hospital stay and better cosmetic results.

Role of Hyaluronan in Inflammatory Effects on Human Articular Chondrocytes.

Hyaluronan (HA) fragments have been proposed to elicit defensive or pro-inflammatory responses in many cell types. For articular chondrocytes in an inflammatory environment, studies have failed to reach consensus on the endogenous production or effects of added HA fragments. The present study was undertaken to resolve this discrepancy. Cultured primary human articular chondrocytes were exposed to the inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß, and then tested for changes in HA content/size in conditioned medium, and for the expression of genes important in HA binding/signaling or metabolism, and in other catabolic/anabolic responses. Changes in gene expression caused by enzymatic degradation of endogenous HA, or addition of exogenous HA fragments, were examined. IL-1ß increased the mRNA levels for HA synthases HAS2/HAS3 and for the HA-binding proteins CD44 and TSG-6. mRNA levels for TLR4 and RHAMM were very low and were little affected by IL-1ß. mRNA levels for catabolic markers were increased, while type II collagen (α1(II)) and aggrecan were decreased. HA concentration in the conditioned medium was increased, but the HA was not degraded. Treatment with recombinant hyaluronidase or addition of low endotoxin HA fragments did not elicit pro-inflammatory responses. Our findings showed that HA fragments were not produced by IL-1ß-stimulated human articular chondrocytes in the absence of other sources of reactive oxygen or nitrogen species, and that exogenous HA fragments from oligosaccharides up to about 40 kDa in molecular mass were not pro-inflammatory agents for human articular chondrocytes, probably due to low expression of TLR4 and RHAMM in these cells.