[Effects of the SARS-CoV­2 pandemic on the otolaryngology university hospitals in the field of research, student teaching and specialist training]. / Auswirkungen der SARS-CoV­2-Pandemie auf die universitäre Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde im Bereich der Forschung, Lehre und Weiterbildung.

BACKGROUND: From spring 2020, SARS-CoV­2 began to spread worldwide, with what is now known as the first wave of the pandemic, starting in March 2020. This resulted in restructuring and shift of resources at many hospitals. The aim of our work was to detect the effects of the pandemic on the german Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (ORL) university hospitals in terms of research, student teaching and further specialist training. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The chairmen of the 39 ORL university hospitals in Germany were asked about the effects of the pandemic on research, student teaching and ORL specialist training (residency) in the period from March to April 2020 using a structured online survey. RESULTS: All 39 chairmen took part in the survey. Of these, 74.4% (29/39) stated that their research activities had deteriorated as a result of the pandemic. In 61.5% (24/39) pandemic-related research issues were addressed. All hospitals reported a restriction for in-house teaching and 97.5% (38/39) introduced new digital teaching methods. During the observation period, 74.4% of the chairmen did not see ORL specialist training (residency)at risk. CONCLUSION: Our results provide an insight into the heterogeneous effects of the pandemic. The fast processing of pandemic-related research topics and the introduction of innovative digital concepts for student teaching impressively demonstrates the great innovative potential and the ability of the ORL university hospitals to react quickly in order to maintain their tasks in research, student teaching and ORL specialist training in the best possible way even during the pandemic.

[Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the otorhinolaryngology university hospitals in the field of medical care]. / Auswirkungen der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie auf die universitäre Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde im Bereich der Krankenversorgung.

INTRODUCTION: Since December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been rapidly spreading worldwide. In Germany, an exponential increase in the number of infections was registered at the beginning of March 2020 and led to a call of the Ministry of Health to create more capacity for intensive medical treatment in hospitals. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (ORL) university hospitals regarding patient care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey was sent out to all chairmen of the 39 ORL university hospitals in Germany. The answers to the questions referred to the defined period from March 15th to April 15th 2020 and were carried out using the online survey tool "SurveyMonkey". 87 questions focused on general information, health care, and structural effects in the respective institution. RESULTS: All chairmen of the 39 university hospitals in Germany participated in the survey. The collected data prove the considerable impact on organizational, structural and medical aspects of patient care. For example, the surveyed clinics reported a decrease in outpatient cases by 73.8 % to 26.2 ±â€Š14.2 % and in surgical treatments by 65.9 % to 34.1 ±â€Š13.9 %. In contrast, emergency treatment remained unchanged or even increased in 80 % of the facilities and surgical treatment of emergency patients remained unchanged or even increased in more than 90 %. Emergency outpatient and surgical treatment of patients was provided throughout the pandemic in all facilities. In total, about 35 000 outpatients and about 12 000 surgical cases were postponed. As a result of the acute structural changes, the potential danger of falling below current treatment standards was seen in individual areas of patient care. DISCUSSION: The assessment of the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is heterogeneous. The majority of the chairmen are critically aware of the risk of falling below current medical treatment standards or guidelines. In the phase of an exponential increase in the number of infections, significant changes in treatment processes had to be accepted for understandable reasons. However, with the currently significantly reduced number of infections, falling below treatment standards and guidelines should not be allowed to remain constant and tolerated. SUMMARY: This study shows a differentiated picture with regard to the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on outpatient, inpatient and operative patient care at the ORL university hospitals in Germany and illustrates the importance of these institutions for ensuring patient care during this critical phase.

Development of a home-based auditory training to improve speech recognition on the telephone for patients with cochlear implants: A randomised trial.

OBJECTIVES: Speech recognition on the telephone poses a challenge for patients with cochlear implants (CIs) due to a reduced bandwidth of transmission. This trial evaluates a home-based auditory training with telephone-specific filtered speech material to improve sentence recognition. DESIGN: Randomised controlled parallel double-blind. SETTING: One tertiary referral centre. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 20 postlingually deafened patients with CIs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was sentence recognition assessed by a modified version of the Oldenburg Sentence Test filtered to the telephone bandwidth of 0.3-3.4 kHz. Additionally, pure tone thresholds, recognition of monosyllables and subjective hearing benefit were acquired at two separate visits before and after a home-based training period of 10-14 weeks. For training, patients received a CD with speech material, either unmodified for the unfiltered training group or filtered to the telephone bandwidth in the filtered group. RESULTS: Patients in the unfiltered training group achieved an average sentence recognition score of 70.0%±13.6% (mean±SD) before and 73.6%±16.5% after training. Patients in the filtered training group achieved 70.7%±13.8% and 78.9%±7.0%, a statistically significant difference (P=.034, t10 =2.292; two-way RM ANOVA/Bonferroni). An increase in the recognition of monosyllabic words was noted in both groups. The subjective benefit was positive for filtered and negative for unfiltered training. CONCLUSIONS: Auditory training with specifically filtered speech material provided an improvement in sentence recognition on the telephone compared to training with unfiltered material.

Histologic study of the effects of chemoembolization with preloaded doxorubicin beads in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of tumor necrosis in surgical specimens of hepatocellular carcinomas treated with microspheres preloaded with doxorubicin and to analyze the relationship between the degree of necrosis and a) morphologic factors and b) imaging biomarkers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied the livers of 21 patients who had undergone selective arterial chemoembolization with DC beads (Biocompatibles, UK) before receiving liver transplants. RESULTS: Imaging techniques detected 43 nodules (mean size, 25 mm). Angiography showed 25 hypervascularized nodules, 12 slightly vascularized nodules, and 6 avascular nodules. A total of 81 hepatocellular carcinomas (mean size, 15 mm) were detected in the specimens: two were capsular and two had vascular infiltration. The mean degree of necrosis after chemoembolization was 39%; necrosis was greater than 60% in 28 hepatocellular carcinomas and less than 60% in 52. The degree of necrosis correlated significantly with the time elapsed between the last chemoembolization treatment and liver transplantation (the degree of necrosis decreased as time increased), with the number of nodules in the specimen, and with capsular infiltration. When imaging techniques detected 1 or 2 nodules, there was a greater probability of achieving greater than 90% necrosis. No relation with the degree of necrosis achieved was found for the size of the nodules detected at imaging, the enhancement pattern, or the number of chemoembolization treatments. CONCLUSION: The degree of necrosis achieved depends on the time spent on the waiting list, on the number of nodules in the specimen, and on whether capsular infiltration is present.

Fractionated external beam radiotherapy of skull base metastases with cranial nerve involvement.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Skull base metastases frequently appear in a late stage of various tumor entities and cause pain and neurological disorders which strongly impair patient quality of life. This study retrospectively analyzed fractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) as a palliative treatment approach with special respect to neurological outcome, feasibility and acute toxicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 30 patients with skull base metastases and cranial nerve disorders underwent EBRT with a mean total dose of 31.6 Gy. Neurological status was assessed before radiotherapy, during radiotherapy and 2 weeks afterwards categorizing orbital, parasellar, middle fossa, jugular foramen and occipital condyle involvement and associated clinical syndromes. Neurological outcome was scored as persistence of symptoms, partial response, good response and complete remission. Treatment-related toxicity and overall survival were assessed. RESULTS: Before EBRT 37 skull base involvement syndromes were determined with 4 patients showing more than 1 syndrome. Of the patients 81.1 % responded to radiotherapy with 10.8 % in complete remission, 48.6 % with good response and 21.6 % with partial response. Grade 1 toxicity of the skin occurred in two patients and grade 1 hematological toxicity in 1 patient under concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Median overall survival was 3.9 months with a median follow-up of 45 months. CONCLUSION: The use of EBRT for skull base metastases with symptomatic involvement of cranial nerves is marked by good therapeutic success in terms of neurological outcome, high feasibility and low toxicity rates. These findings underline EBRT as the standard therapeutic approach in the palliative setting.

[Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting with covered stents in children: a preliminary study of safety and patency]. / TIPS recubierto en niños. Estudio preliminar sobre su seguridad y permeabilidad.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the safety and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS) using covered stents in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present 6 children (mean age, 10.6 years; mean weight, 33.5kg) who underwent TIPS with 8mm diameter Viatorr(®) covered stents for acute (n=4) or recurrent (n=2) upper digestive bleeding that could not be controlled by endoscopic measures. Five of the children had cirrhosis and the other had portal vein thrombosis with cavernous transformation. We analyzed the relapse of upper digestive bleeding, the complications that appeared, and the patency of the TIPS shunt on sequential Doppler ultrasonography or until transplantation. RESULTS: A single stent was implanted in a single session in each child; none of the children died. The mean transhepatic gradient decreased from 16mmHg (range: 12-21mmHg) before the procedure to 9mmHg (range: 1-15mmHg) after TIPS. One patient developed mild encephalopathy, and the girl who had portal vein thrombosis with cavernous transformation developed an acute occlusion of the TIPS that resolved after the implantation of a coaxial stent. Three children received transplants (7, 9, and 10 months after the procedure, respectively), and the patency of the TIPS was confirmed at transplantation. In the three remaining children, patency was confirmed with Doppler ultrasonography 1, 3, and 5 months after implantation. None of the children had new episodes of upper digestive bleeding during follow-up after implantation (mean: 8.1 months). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that TIPS with 8mm diameter Viatorr(®) covered stents can be safe and efficacious for the treatment of upper digestive bleeding due to gastroesophageal varices in cirrhotic children; our findings need to be corroborated in larger series.

Lymphatic drainage of sinonasal malignancies and the role of sentinel node biopsies.

BACKGROUND: Locoregional recurrence is a critical factor in the prognosis of sinonasal malignancies. Due to the rarity of these tumours, as well as the heterogeneity of histologies and anatomical subsites, there is little evidence regarding the rate and location of regional metastases in sinonasal malignancies. Elective regional lymph node dissection in the therapy of sinonasal malignancies has become controversial. On the one hand, elective regional lymph node dissection is considered to be an overtreatment in the cN0 cases. On the other hand, undetected occult lymphatic metastases are associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, we discuss the role of sentinel lymph node biopsy as a minimally invasive procedure in the treatment of sinonasal malignancies based on our two years of practical experience and the currently available data. RESULTS: This is a descriptive, monocentric, retrospective study, including 20 cases of cN0 malignant sinonasal neoplasm, that underwent a surgical therapy between 2020 and 2022. The following aspects were investigated: tumour entity, localisation of the primary tumour, tumoral stage, localisation of the sentinel lymph nodes, and postoperative complications. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequently diagnosed tumour entity (50%), followed by adenocarcinoma (20%) and malignant melanoma (15%), adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Sentinel lymph nodes were most frequently found in the ipsilateral neck region I (45%), followed by the ipsilateral neck region II (40%). In all cases, the removed lymph nodes were free of malignancy. There were no postoperative complications due to lymph node biopsy. There were no recurrences during the study period. CONCLUSION: Sentinel node biopsy could add more safety to the management of cN0 sinonasal malignancies due to its low morbidity. Whether SNB could provide an alternative to elective neck dissection in the management of SNM should be investigated in further studies.

Case Report of an exceptional spontaneous abdominal heterotopic pregnancy with superfetation: Diagnosis and treatment: Heterotopic pregnancy with superfetation (8+1 WG & 5+4 WG).

Heterotopic pregnancy is an extremely rare condition in which an intrauterine and an extrauterine pregnancy co-exist. In spontaneous conceptions, heterotopic pregnancy occurs in only 1/30 000 pregnancies. The treatment of heterotopic pregnancy must be as minimally invasive as possible to preserve the development of the intrauterine pregnancy. Superfetation, defined as the coexistence of 2 or more foetuses of different gestational ages, remains particularly exceptional and poorly explained (second ovulation? embryonic diapause?). Here, we present an extremely rare case of a spontaneous heterotopic evolutive pregnancy with superfetation, consisting of an embryo in the pouch of Douglas estimated at 8 + 1 weeks of gestation (WG) and a progressive intrauterine pregnancy estimated at 5 + 4 WG. We treated the extrauterine pregnancy with an intra-cardiac injection of potassium chloride echo-guided via the vaginal route, and the patient then underwent exploratory laparoscopy 9 days later and lavage and aspiration of the abdominal heterotopic pregnancy due to pain and biological inflammatory syndrome probably caused by pelvic mass syndrome and peritoneal irritation from the foetal necrosis. She has not yet given birth and is currently at 36 WG.

[CT-assisted navigation for retrosigmoidal implantation of the Bonebridge]. / CT-gestützte Navigation zur retrosigmoidalen Implantation der Bonebridge.

The Bonebridge is an active bone conduction implant (BCI) that is primarily indicated in patients with conductive and combined hearing loss. However, many of these patients present with a radical cavity as a result of previous surgery. In these cases, the implant should not be introduced into the mastoid region, but rather via a retrosigmoid approach to maintain separation from the pathological alteration. To ensure the best possible acoustic transduction, the Bone Conduction-Floating Mass Transducer (BC-FMT) should be positioned near to the cochlea. This requires precise identification of the sigmoid sinus, which cannot be achieved accurately enough using external anatomical landmarks. We thus report on two patients in whom the Bonebridge was implanted via a retrosigmoid approach using CT-guided navigation.

A proof of concept that experience-based management of endometriosis can complement evidence-based guidelines.

Background: Management of endometriosis should be based on the best available evidence. The pyramid of evidence reflects unbiased observations analysed with traditional statistics. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the clinical interpretation of these data by experts. Unfortunately, traditional statistical inference can refute but cannot confirm a hypothesis and clinical experience is considered a personal opinion. Objectives: A proof of concept to document clinical experience by considering each diagnosis and treatment as an experiment with an outcome, which is used to update subsequent management. Materials and Methods: Experience and knowledge-based questions were answered on a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale (VAS) by surgery-oriented clinicians with experience of > 50 surgeries for endometriosis. Results: The answers reflect the collective clinical experience of managing >10.000 women with endometriosis. Experience-based management was overall comparable as approved by >75% of answers rated ≥ 8/10 VAS. Knowledge-based management was more variable, reflecting debated issues and differences between experts and non-experts. Conclusions: The collective experience-based management of those with endometriosis is similar for surgery-oriented clinicians. Results do not conflict with EBM and are a Bayesian prior, to be confirmed, refuted or updated by further observations. What is new?: Collective experience-based management can be measured and is more than a personal opinion. This might extend EBM trial results to the entire population and add data difficult to obtain in RCTs, such as many aspects of surgery.

[Botulinum toxin A after microvascular ALT flap in a patient with (corrected) squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue]. / Botulinumtoxin A gegen Hypersalivation. Einsatz bei Wundheilung nach Resektion eines Zungenkarzinoms.

We report the case of a 23-year-old man presenting with a cT4 cN1 M0squamous cell carcinoma of the right tongue. After tumor resection and covering of the defect with a microvascular anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap, the patient showed distinct drooling without any substantial regression after anticholinergic therapy. For this reason 75 units of Botox® were injected into the submandibular and parotid glands. After the intraglandular injections, good reduction of saliva secretion was achieved. The treatment improved flap healing, aspiration and patient satisfaction. Injection of botulinum toxin A into the salivary glands is a sufficient therapy for postoperative hypersalivation.

Prostasomes: inhibitors of capacitation and modulators of cellular signalling in human sperm.

Seminal fluid inhibits sperm capacitation mainly because of its high cholesterol content. Prostasomes are the main source of cholesterol in seminal fluid. They are known to have numerous protective properties and are able to transfer proteins and lipids to spermatozoa, but their impact on capacitation and acrosome reaction (AR) is not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of prostasomes on human sperm capacitation and AR. After 80% Percoll selection, freshly ejaculated human spermatozoa were incubated for 3 h under capacitating conditions with prostasomes, phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-iso-butyl-methylxantine (IBMX), or a combination of prostasomes and IBMX. Physiological concentration of prostasomes significantly decreased tyrosine phosphorylation levels of human sperm capacitation markers P110 and P80 (p < 0.01), and the proportions of capacitated (p < 0.05) and acrosome-reacted spermatozoa (p < 0.05). Prostasomes significantly increased the proportion of spermatozoa that did not incorporate propidium iodide and significantly attenuated the effect of IBMX on P110 tyrosine phosphorylation. Prostasomes had no effect on the pH(i) increase associated with capacitation. They significantly increased intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP](i)) and, when prostasomes and IBMX were present together, [cAMP](i) was further increased. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show clearly that prostasomes inhibit capacitation and spontaneous AR.

Complications after surgery for deeply infiltrating pelvic endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the complications after surgery for deep endometriosis. DESIGN: retrospective study. SETTING: data from the CHU Estaing database and patients' charts between January 1987 and December 2007. SAMPLE: all women given surgical treatment for deep endometriosis. METHODS: women who underwent surgery for deep endometriosis were reviewed for intra- and postoperative complications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: primary outcomes were rates of intra- and postoperative complications. Complications were compared according to the procedure performed. RESULTS: a total of 568 women were included in the study, with a mean age of 32.4 years. The mean estimated diameter of the nodule felt by vaginal examination was 1.8 cm (ranging from 0.5 to 7 cm). Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 560 women (98.6%), and conversion was required in 2.3%. The mean operative time was 155 minutes. Intraoperative complications occurred in 12 women (2.1%), including six minor (1.05%) and six major (1.05%) complications. Postoperative complications developed in 79 women (13.9%), including 54 minor (9.5%) and 26 major (4.6%) complications (one woman had both minor and major postoperative complications). The overall major postoperative complication rate for women who underwent any type of rectal surgery (shaving, excision and suture, or segmental resection) was 9.3% (21 out of 226), compared with only 1.5% for the other women (five out of 342) (P < .01). Shaving presented less major postoperative complications compared with segmental resection (24 versus 6.7%; P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: surgery for deep endometriosis is feasible, but it is associated with major complications, especially when any type of rectal surgery must be performed.

Intravesical repair of vesicovaginal fistula guided by cystoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF) are an unusual problem that may significantly affect a patient's quality of life. The main causes for this condition are labour complications (mostly in developing countries) and pelvic surgeries (in industrialised countries). Treatment may be conservative or surgical. Regarding surgical treatment, there is still debate about the best approach and surgical technique. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a correction of a VVF guided by cystoscopy using intravesical laparoscopic instruments. METHODS: Case report and surgical video of a recurrent VVF treated with a hybrid technique involving direct transvesical insertion of 3 mm laparoscopic trocars and instruments guided by cystoscopy. As far as we know, although there are some reported techniques that use a combination of transvesical laparoscopic instruments and cystoscopy, this is the least invasive and most ergonomic technique described. RESULTS: Two years after surgery, the patient remains asymptomatic and with no fistula recurrence. CONCLUSION: The transvesical approach guided by cystoscopy seems to be an effective, safe and ergonomic minimally invasive procedure for VVF repair.

Classification of endonasal HHT lesions using digital microscopy.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent spontaneous epistaxis is the most common clinical manifestation and the most debilitating symptom in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) patients. To this date, there exist only a classification of HHT patients by different genetic mutations. There is no standard classification for the mucocutaneous endonasal manifestations of HHT. The aim of the present study was to document the variety of endonasal HHT lesions using digital microscopy and to propose a clinical classification. METHODS: We recorded the endonasal HHT lesions of 28 patients using a digital microscope. We reconstructed the 3D images und videos recorded by digital microscope afterwards and classified the endonasal lesions of HHT in two classes: Grade A, presence of only flat telangiectasias in the mucosa level and Grade B, (additional) presence of raised berry or wart-like telangiectasia spots. We investigated also Haemoglobin level by routine laboratory procedures, plasma VEGF level by ELISA, Severity of epistaxis by epistaxis severity score (ESS) and quality of life by a linear visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: We found a higher quality of life and a lower severity of epistaxis in Grade A patients in comparison to Grade B patients. No difference in plasma VEGF level and in Haemoglobin between Grad A patients and Grade B patients could be detected. Plasma VEGF levels showed no gender specific differences. It could also not be correlated to the extranasal manifestation. CONCLUSION: The classification for endonasal manifestation of HHT proposed in this study indicates severity of epistaxis und quality of life. Digital microscopy with the ability of 3D reconstruction of images presents a useful tool for such classifications. The classification of endonasal HHT lesions using digital microscopy allows to evaluate the dynamic of HHT lesions in the course of time independent of examiner. This allows also to evaluate the efficacy of the different treatment modalities by dynamic of HHT lesions. Moreover digital microscopy is very beneficial in academic teaching of rare diseases.

Monocarboxylate transporter-1 (MCT1) protein expression in head and neck cancer affects clinical outcome.

Treatment of locally advanced, unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often yields only modest results with radiochemotherapy (RCT) as standard of care. Prognostic features related to outcome upon RCT might be highly valuable to improve treatment. Monocarboxylate transporters-1 and -4 (MCT1/MCT4) were evaluated as potential biomarkers. A cohort of HNSCC patients without signs for distant metastases was assessed eliciting 82 individuals eligible whereof 90% were diagnosed with locally advanced stage IV. Tumor specimens were stained for MCT1 and MCT4 in the cell membrane by immunohistochemistry. Obtained data were evaluated with respect to overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Protein expression of MCT1 and MCT4 in cell membrane was detected in 16% and 85% of the tumors, respectively. Expression of both transporters was not statistically different according to the human papilloma virus (HPV) status. Positive staining for MCT1 (n = 13, negative in n = 69) strongly worsened PFS with a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.1 (95%-confidence interval 1.6-5.7, p < 0.001). OS was likewise affected with a HR of 3.8 (2.0-7.3, p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression confirmed these findings. We propose MCT1 as a promising biomarker in HNSCC treated by primary RCT.

Equipment failures in laparoscopic surgery: Causes and consequences.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess incidence, causes and consequences of equipment failures in a high volume, advanced endoscopic surgery department. METHODS: This is a prospectical observational single centre study between April and July of 2019 in the Gynecological surgery department of the Estaing University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France. During the study period, 171 laparoscopies were observed. Data were collected real time by three supernumerary observers. RESULTS: In total, 66 (38.6%) laparoscopies were complicated by equipment failures. The bipolar cable and forceps accounted for 31% of the total amount of malfunctions in laparoscopy. Causes of malfunctions were in 45% due to the instrument per se and in 43% due to the incorrect combination of elements. Less commonly, the equipment was not available or a mismatched was reported. The total length of the surgery increased by 1.35% due to the malfunctions. Human error was identified in 50% of cases. No morbility, neither mortality was reported in this series; however we observed 34 malfunctions that could have led to serious consequences for the patients and 3 incidents induced a real consequence on the operation workflow. CONCLUSIONS: Equipment failure is a common event in endoscopy. On the opposite, time wasted for the malfunctions is low in laparoscopy, as it only accounts for 1.35% of the overall surgical time. Human decisions contributed to malfunctions in almost half of cases. This alarming finding may advise for intensification in training on instruments of the whole surgical team.

Augmented Reality Guided Laparoscopic Surgery of the Uterus.

A major research area in Computer Assisted Intervention (CAI) is to aid laparoscopic surgery teams with Augmented Reality (AR) guidance. This involves registering data from other modalities such as MR and fusing it with the laparoscopic video in real-time, to reveal the location of hidden critical structures. We present the first system for AR guided laparoscopic surgery of the uterus. This works with pre-operative MR or CT data and monocular laparoscopes, without requiring any additional interventional hardware such as optical trackers. We present novel and robust solutions to two main sub-problems: the initial registration, which is solved using a short exploratory video, and update registration, which is solved with real-time tracking-by-detection. These problems are challenging for the uterus because it is a weakly-textured, highly mobile organ that moves independently of surrounding structures. In the broader context, our system is the first that has successfully performed markerless real-time registration and AR of a mobile human organ with monocular laparoscopes in the OR.

Does prevention of intraperitoneal spillage when removing a dermoid cyst prevent granulomatous peritonitis?

In this retrospective study of 314 patients undergoing surgery for ovarian dermoid cysts, conducted over a 20-year period, we evaluated the impact of the routine use of laparoscopic surgery without recourse to laparotomy to retrieve the specimen, using an endoscopic retrieval bag placed under the cyst to prevent intraperitoneal spillage of cyst contents, and subsequent postoperative granulomatous peritonitis. Accidental cyst rupture was more frequent when a total laparoscopic approach was used (26/174 or 15% versus 39/140 or 28%; P = 0.005), but there were no cases of intraperitoneal spillage when an endoscopic bag was used. Two cases of granulomatous peritonitis developed out of 26 women with intraperitoneal spillage of cyst contents (8%). We conclude that the risk of granulomatous peritonitis can be minimised by undertaking laparoscopic removal of dermoid cysts with the routine intraoperative use of an endoscopic retrieval bag to prevent intraperitoneal spillage of cyst contents.

Human fibrinogen patches application reduces intra-abdominal infectious complications in pancreas transplant with enteric drainage.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to analyze the incidence of intra-abdominal infectious complications after the application of a fibrinogen sealant to the duodenojejunal anastomosis in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants (SPK) with enteric drainage. METHODS: Results of 68 SPKs with enteric drainage were prospectively assessed. A fibrinogen and thrombin sheet was applied to the duodenojejunal anastomosis in 34 patients, who were compared to a control group of 34 patients. The incidence and severity of intra-abdominal infectious complications and the 1-year patient and grafts survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients experienced intra-abdominal infectious complications. Grade 1a complications occurred in the study group, whereas surgery was required only in patients from the control group: complications grade 3a (15%) and complications grade 3b (18%) (p = 0.003 vs. study group, respectively). The overall rate of anastomotic leakage (complications grade 2b and 3b) was 10%, all of which occurred in the control group. The length of hospital stay was higher in the control group was 34.6 ± 11.3 days vs. 22.8 ± 11.1 days (p = 0.03). There were no significant differences in 1-year patient and graft survival between groups. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the application of fibrinogen and thrombin sheets was associated to a decrease in the number and severity of intra-abdominal infectious complications.