Minimal access surgery of corrosive and thermal strictures of the foregut.

Background and Aim: : Conventional surgery for caustic/thermal strictures (CS/TS) entails considerable trauma, which may be mitigated by minimal access surgery (MAS). Experience with its use in CS/TS is both heterogeneous and limited, hence, warrants a comprehensive review. Methods: : Medical literature/indexing databases were systematically searched for pertinent articles published in English, from 1990 to 2021, and analysed. Results: : Fifty relevant articles, pertaining to over 200 patients, were found. They showed that MAS is feasible in CS/TS management. It reduces the access damage in chest and abdomen whilst facilitating resection or bypass of the affected gut segment through different combination of operations, sequence of steps, conduits and routes. The procedures range from completely minimal access to hybrid ones, with reduced complications and faster recovery. Hybrid procedures prove as expeditious as open ones. Conclusions: : MAS proves efficacious in restoring alimentary continuity in corrosive/thermal strictures of the foregut.

Applications of hepatic round ligament/falciform ligament flap and graft in abdominal surgery-a review of their utility and efficacy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite their ubiquitous presence, easy availability and diverse possibilities, falciform ligament and hepatic round ligament have been used less frequently than their potential dictates. This article aims to comprehensively review the applications of hepatic round ligament/falciform ligament flap and graft in abdominal surgery and assess their utility and efficacy. METHODS: Medical literature/indexing databases were searched, using internet search engines, for pertinent articles and analysed. RESULTS: The studied flap and graft have found utility predominantly in the management of diaphragmatic hernias, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, peptic perforations, biliary reconstruction, venous reconstruction, post-operative pancreatic fistula, post-pancreatectomy haemorrhage, hepatic cyst cavity obliteration, liver bleed, sternal dehiscence, splenectomy, reinforcement of aortic stump, feeding access, diagnostic/therapeutic access into portal system, composite tissue allo-transplant and ventriculo-peritoneal shunting where they have exhibited the desired efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic round ligament/falciform ligament flap and graft are versatile and have multifarious applications in abdominal surgery with some novel and unique uses in hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery including liver transplantation. Their evident efficacy needs wider adoption to realise their true potential.

Laparoscopic ligation of internal ring-three ports versus single-port technique: are working ports necessary?

BACKGROUND: From three ports, technical refinements in laparoscopy have facilitated the ligation of the internal ring (IR) with a single port. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine whether, when, and where working ports are needed by assessing the differences in outcome between the three-port technique (TPT) and the single-port technique-subcutaneous endoscopically assisted ligation (SEAL). METHODS: Short-term outcomes of 163 children operated on by either technique (51 with TPT, and 112 with SEAL) were audited. Technical difficulties, operation time, intra- and postoperative complications, and postoperative stay were studied. RESULTS: IR could be ligated faster by SEAL than TPT (unilateral: 15 vs. 25 minutes; P = 0.0005; bilateral: 25 vs. 40 minutes; P = 0.001). SEAL proved cosmetically more appealing (one 5-mm vs. three 5-mm scars). Complication rates, recovery, and hospital stay were similar. Recurrences were marginally higher following SEAL (4.8 vs. 2.98%; P = 0.49). Intracorporeal suturing and knotting were the limiting steps in TPT, while wide rings (>10 mm) and thick abdominal wall were the limitations of SEAL. CONCLUSIONS: Both TPT and SEAL are safe and efficacious day-care procedures. In the ligation of average-sized IR of thin patients, working ports may not be necessary, as SEAL proves cosmetically and temporally efficacious over TPT. However, patients with wide rings and thick anterior abdominal walls may need the placement of working ports for successful laparoscopic repair.

Pediatric inguinal hernia: laparoscopic versus open surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Herniotomy/open surgery (OS) has been the time honored treatment for pediatric inguinal hernia (PIH). Laparoscopic surgery (LS) has recently emerged as an alternative in its management. However, controversy is rife on its feasibility and wider adoption. The present need is to know whether a significant difference exists in the surgical outcomes following either technique. METHODS: In a prospective study between January and December 2006, 85 children underwent either LS (51) or OS (34) for PIH. Operation time, intra- and postoperative complications, postoperative pain, postoperative stay, cosmesis, and the size of testis were recorded and compared for differences in outcome. Patients were followed up for an average of 3.5 months. RESULTS: All in the open group had unilateral (UL) hernias. The laparoscopy group had 6 (11.8%) bilateral (BL) hernias, and 10 (22.2%) contralateral patencies of processus vaginalis (CPPV) were detected intraoperatively and repaired simultaneously. Bilateral repairs were excluded from comparative analysis. LS was slightly quicker than OS to perform [25.31 min vs 30.65 min (P=0.06)]. The difference in pain perception, between LS and OS, was insignificant. Immediate postoperative recovery was delayed in more children undergoing LS (P=0.02), but the duration of hospital stay was similar (P=0.37). Complication rates were similar (P=0.96). Cosmesis in LS was superior to that in OS. CONCLUSIONS: Well-performed conventional herniotomy yields results similar to those of laparoscopic repair. Cosmesis and the ability to detect and simultaneously repair CPPV are the 2 main advantages of LS over OS. Keeping in mind the low incidence of meta-chronicity in UL hernias, insignificance of cosmesis over the groin, and the constraints of the developing world, conventional open herniotomy can justly be performed for UL hernias, as the standard of care, in centers lacking laparoscopy.

Minimal access surgery of pediatric inguinal hernias: a review.

Inguinal hernia is a common problem among children, and herniotomy has been its standard of care. Laparoscopy, which gained a toehold initially in the management of pediatric inguinal hernia (PIH), has managed to steer world opinion against routine contralateral groin exploration by precise detection of contralateral patencies. Besides detection, its ability to repair simultaneously all forms of inguinal hernias (indirect, direct, combined, recurrent, and incarcerated) together with contralateral patencies has cemented its role as a viable alternative to conventional repair. Numerous minimally invasive techniques for addressing PIH have mushroomed in the past two decades. These techniques vary considerably in their approaches to the internal ring (intraperitoneal, extraperitoneal), use of ports (three, two, one), endoscopic instruments (two, one, or none), sutures (absorbable, nonabsorbable), and techniques of knotting (intracorporeal, extracorporeal). In addition to the surgeons' experience and the merits/limitations of individual techniques, it is the nature of the defect that should govern the choice of technique. The emerging techniques show a trend toward increasing use of extracorporeal knotting and diminishing use of working ports and endoscopic instruments. These favor wider adoption of minimal access surgery in addressing PIH by surgeons, irrespective of their laparoscopic skills and experience. Growing experience, wider adoption, decreasing complications, and increasing advantages favor emergence of minimal access surgery as the gold standard for the treatment of PIH in the future. This article comprehensively reviews the laparoscopic techniques of addressing PIH.

How we "SEAL" internal ring in pediatric inguinal hernias.

"Subcutaneous endoscopically assisted ligation" is a novel technique in minimal access surgery of pediatric inguinal hernias. We describe our modifications of subcutaneous endoscopically assisted ligation, which confer greater ease, safety, speed, and success to this operation.

Feasibility and safety of laparoscopic management of hydatid disease of the liver.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopic treatment of hydatid disease of the liver produces encouraging results, though its feasibility and safety have been questioned. We evaluated the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic management of hydatid disease of the liver. METHODS: Consecutive patients with this disease reporting to our department from August 1998 to January 2002 were offered laparoscopic management. Our protocol included preoperative albendazole for 4 weeks, laparoscopic cyst evacuation after its sterilization, and deroofing and suction drainage of the cavity, addition of omentoplasty if required, and a follow-up exceeding 6 months. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (M11:F7) with 22 liver hydatid cysts underwent laparoscopic surgery. The mean cyst size was 7.4 cm (range, 5.6 cm to 16.6 cm). Two patients needed conversion to an open operation. Spillage of cyst contents occurred in 5 patients. True recurrence of hydatid disease occurred in the original site in 2 patients (11%), and false recurrence was seen in 2 patients (11%), all within 6 months. CONCLUSION: With proper patient selection, laparoscopic management of hydatid cysts of the liver is a feasible option with low rates of conversion. Both true and false recurrences are common with conservative laparoscopic options, and undetected ectocysts may be the cause of true cyst recurrence.

Intestinal lipoma: a rare cause of lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage.

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding from submucosal lipomas of the intestine is very rare. We report our experience with 3-patients presenting with lower gastrointestinal haemorrhage who were detected to have no cause other than intestinal lipomas. In two of these patients, the lipoma was in the small intestine and presented with chronic blood loss or recurrent episodes of bleeding. The third patient presented with massive haematochyzia and had a number of lipomas in the cecum and right colon. The diagnosis was established by laparotomy and intraoperative enteroscopy in 2 cases, and by colonoscopy and laparotomy in the third. Surgical excision of the lipoma led to cure in all the patients. We conclude that when laparotomy and intraoperative enteroscopy fail to show any cause for bleeding other than an innocuous-looking lipoma, it should be excised. The literature has been reviewed.