Laparoscopic aneurysm resection and splenectomy for splenic artery aneurysm in the third trimester of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) are a rare entity most commonly diagnosed incidentally. Their association with pregnancy increases the risk of rupture resulting in a disproportionately high maternal and fetal mortality. Accordingly, elective surgical treatment is recommended in asymptomatic patients with aneurysms less than 2 cm. In this case, we present a patient during her third trimester of pregnancy with a SAA who was treated by laparoscopic aneurysm resection and splenectomy. METHODS: The patient is a 38-year-old multiparous woman, with an incidental diagnosis of a SAA in 2010. Subsequently, the patient became pregnant and at 27 weeks started to develop abdominal pain. Failed embolization was attempted with worsening of the patient's symptoms. A CT angiogram revealed a 1.6 cm distal third SAA without any evidence of rupture. Due to the localization of the lesion, the patient was offered a laparoscopic aneurysm resection and splenectomy. RESULTS: Operating time was 90 min and estimated blood loss was 5 cc. Postoperative fetal monitoring was normal. No perioperative complications were observed. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 3. Two months after laparoscopic splenectomy, the patient delivered a male infant in perfect health. CONCLUSIONS: Although this is a rare disease, the risk of aneurysmal rupture is increased during pregnancy. As a result of high maternal and fetal mortality, elective surgery should be performed. Laparoscopic surgery is the technique of choice.

Single-incision robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy: case report and description of surgical technique.

The introduction of laparoscopic surgery, and more recently of robotics, has increased the number of living donor kidney transplants. This approach has already improved living donor acceptance rates. Even newer developments in the field have now been introduced with the purpose of further reducing postoperative pain and length of hospital stay, while offering better cosmetic results. In particular, single-incision surgery has gained popularity by improving the well-known benefits of minimally invasive surgery. In this case report, we present the first single-incision robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy.

Multipurpose internal retractor for Single-incision surgery (SIS): single-institution case series.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SIS) is less invasive than standard laparoscopic surgery; however, it is more difficult due to restriction of motion and the impossibility to use assistants. To overcome these obstacles, we developed a self-sustaining multipurpose internal retractor by attaching a Lone Star retractor hook to a laparoscopic bulldog clamp. Herein, we report our SIS experience using our novel retractor. Between October 2008 and April 2011, 104 patients underwent SIS using the internal retractor: 67 bandings (43% simultaneous hiatal hernia repair), 8 sleeve gastrectomies, 27 cholecystectomies, and 2 Nissen fundoplication. Mean age was 40 (range, 21 to 85) and mean body mass index was 40 kg/m (range, 20 to 64 kg/m). No intraoperative complications were observed from the use of the retractor but 2 cases required additional retraction due to liver size. This retractor has been successfully used for different SIS procedures showing to be safe, adaptable, and easy to use, lessening some challenges of SIS.