Left-sided appendicitis: diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment.

Intestinal malrotation and situs inversus can have important repercussions if acute abdominal pain develops. Intraabdominal structures can have inverted position and thus may easily mislead the surgeon during physical examination. Fortunately, radiological exams have improved the preoperative diagnosis of these patients. However, in difficult cases when an underlying surgical disease is suspected, laparoscopy remains the gold standard in order to diagnose and treat if possible the suspected disorder. We present a case of acute left-side appendicitis in a child with unknown congenital intestinal malrotation. In addition, this case stressed the value of laparoscopy in daily practice to evaluate patients with atypical abdominal pain.

Radical surgery and IVA-chemotherapeutic regimen to treat embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the urachus: case report.

Although rhabdomyosarcoma is the most frequent soft tissue tumor in children, there are extremely few reports of this tumor arising from the urachus. The authors describe another case in a 6-year-old female associated with constipation and a painless suprapubic mass. The specimen had the pathological criteria used to define urachal sarcoma (cytological, histological, and immunohistochemical findings) and urachal remnants were not observed. After complete resection of the primary tumor the patient was treated with chemotherapy (ifosfamide, vincristine, and dactinomycin) and remains alive at 4 years' follow-up with no signs of recurrence. Nowadays the management of children with urachal rhabdomyosarcoma usually includes surgery and chemotherapy. Multimodal therapy and surgery are constantly evolving and have significantly improved overall survival of these patients especially in R0 resected patients.

Conservative treatment of a huge abdominal wall hematoma after laparoscopic appendectomy.

We report a case of a 30-year-old male patient who presented with a huge abdominal wall hematoma 60 minutes after laparoscopic appendectomy. During surgery there had been no sign of abdominal wall bleeding. We found a lateral abdominal wall hematoma caused by rupture of the abdominal epigastric artery after trocar insertion. We conclude that trocar injury is a potentially preventable complication in laparoscopic surgery if certain precautions are taken. Abdominal wall hematoma secondary to injury of an epigastric vessel can be successfully treated with conservative management.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery for colon and rectal cancer: an initial experience with the technique.

BACKGROUND: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery seems destined to take its place in the evolution of minimally invasive surgery. Although isolated cases have been reported in the literature, no series has yet been published on the use of this approach to treat colorectal cancer. We describe the surgical technique and perioperative outcomes of this approach in 15 patients diagnosed for colorectal cancer. METHODS: We have used several devices to gain transumbilical access to the abdominal cavity, usually working with 3 cannulae to insert the instruments. We used a 5 mm endograsper, and articulated rotating (roticulating) endoscissors and endodissector to assist dissection. Vascular control and section of the rectum were performed using roticulating endostaplers. We combined the use of curved and straight instruments as required for each step during surgery. The dissection technique performed was the same as the one we normally use in conventional laparoscopy. Specimens were extracted through the umbilical incision. RESULTS: The most commonly performed procedure was sigmoidectomy (n=7), followed by high anterior resection of the rectum (n=5). The mean surgical time was 185±44.9 minutes. The mean hospital stay was 6.2±4.7 days. Three cases (20%) were converted to conventional laparoscopy. Surgery was curative in all of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Single-access transumbilical laparoscopic surgery is feasible and safe for treating colorectal carcinoma when performed by surgeons with ample experience in laparoscopic colorectal resection. Further studies are needed to determine the advantages and drawbacks of this procedure.

Congenital aorto-azygous fistula treated with coil embolization: case report and review of the literature.

Arteriovenous fistulas between the aorta and the azygous vein usually manifest as a continuous audible murmur mimicking a patent ductus arteriosus when observed at birth. Symptoms when present during childhood are related to dyspnea or cardiac insufficiency. Embolotherapy of congenital vascular malformations is possible. However when this less invasive treatment fails, surgical treatment is sometimes necessary. We describe the case of a 12-year-old child with a large thoracic arteriovenous fistula between the descending thoracic aorta and the azygous vein, which was closed successfully by coil embolization. Available data in the literature suggest that coil embolization of aorto-azygous fistulas is usually successful.

The use of preoperative endoscopic tattooing in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery for endoscopically advanced tumors: a prospective comparative clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic India ink marking techniques are often used for the intraoperative location of colonic polyps and early stage neoplasms. The aim of this study was to compare how effective this technique is compared with conventional localization methods, as well as its influence on the results of colorectal laparoscopy (LSCRC) for endoscopically advanced tumors. METHODS: From January 2003 to January 2005, 47 patients with colorectal carcinomas were included in the study. In one group, lesions were localized preoperatively by endoscopic India ink tattooing (n = 21; tattooed group, TG), while conventional methods were used in the others (n = 26; non-tattooed group, NTG). Patients' perioperative clinical and pathoanatomical data were prospectively collected. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable in age, sex distribution, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, body mass index (BMI), technique performed, tumor size and proportion of patients who had previous abdominal surgery. Three patients presented ink spillage without clinical repercussions. Visualization of the correct resection site was higher in the TG (100% vs. 80.8%, P = 0.03). Operative time (147.3 +/- 46.2 vs. 187.0 +/- 52.7 minutes, P = 0.02) and blood loss (99.3 +/- 82.8 vs. 163.6 +/- 96.6 cc, P = 0.03) were lower in the TG. There were no differences between groups regarding peristalsis, introduction of oral intake, hospital stay or intra- and postoperative complication rates. No differences were observed amongst pathoanatomical data studied. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative endoscopic tattooing is a safe and effective technique for intraoperative localization of advanced colorectal neoplasms, improving the operative results of LSCRC.

Left-sided appendicitis: diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment / Left-sided appendicitis: diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment.

Intestinal malrotation and situs inversus can have important repercussions if acute abdominal pain develops. Intraabdominal structures can have inverted position and thus may easily mislead the surgeon during physical examination. Fortunately, radiological exams have improved the preoperative diagnosis of these patients. However, in difficult cases when an underlying surgical disease is suspected, laparoscopy remains the gold standard in order to diagnose and treat if possible the suspected disorder. We present a case of acute left-side appendicitis in a child with unknown congenital intestinal malrotation. In addition, this case stressed the value of laparoscopy in daily practice to evaluate patients with atypical abdominal pain.