Evaluation of serum cytokine release in response to hand-assisted, laparoscopic, and open surgery in a porcine model.

BACKGROUND: Although the immunologic benefits of laparoscopic surgery have been established, effects from hand-assisted (HA) surgery have not been investigated thoroughly. We hypothesized that the HA approach maintains the immunologic advantage of laparoscopic surgery compared with the open (O) approach. METHODS: Six O, HA, and laparoscopic (L) transabdominal left nephrectomies were performed on pigs. Blood samples were taken preoperatively, perioperatively, and postoperatively, and serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels were measured. RESULTS: At 24 hours after surgery, interleukin-6 levels were significantly higher in the O group vs the HA and L groups (82.2 vs 37.5 and 29.9 pg/mL, respectively; P < .05). Similar trends were seen at all time periods for both IL-6 and C-reactive protein. No significant differences in postoperative cytokine levels were detected between the HA and L groups. CONCLUSIONS: The HA approach mimics the immunologic effects of laparoscopic surgery. These data suggest that the HA technique resulted in a reduced systemic immune activation in the early perioperative period when compared with open surgery. In addition to clinical benefits of minimal access, the HA approach also may afford patients an immunologic advantage over laparotomy.

Use of laparoscopy in evaluation and treatment of penetrating and blunt abdominal injuries.

Use of laparoscopy in penetrating trauma has been well established; however, its application in blunt trauma is evolving. The authors hypothesized that laparoscopy is safe and feasible as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality in both the patients with penetrating and blunt trauma. Trauma registry data and medical records of consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopy for abdominal trauma were reviewed. Over a 4-year period, 43 patients (18 blunt trauma / 25 penetrating trauma) underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy. Conversion to laparotomy occurred in 9 (50%) blunt trauma and 9 (36%) penetrating trauma patients. Diagnostic laparoscopy was negative in 33% of blunt trauma and 52% of penetrating trauma patients. Sensitivity/specificity of laparoscopy in patients with blunt and penetrating trauma was 92%/100% and 90%/100%, respectively. Overall, laparotomy was avoided in 25 (58%) patients. Use of laparoscopy in selected patients with blunt and penetrating abdominal trauma is safe, minimizes nontherapeutic laparotomies, and allows for minimal invasive management of selected intra-abdominal injuries.

Optimizing laparoscopic task efficiency: the role of camera and monitor positions.

BACKGROUND: Alterations of video monitor and laparoscopic camera position may create perceptual distortion of the operative field, possibly leading to decreased laparoscopic efficiency. We aimed to determine the influence of monitor/camera position on the laparoscopic performance of surgeons of varying skill levels. METHODS: Twelve experienced and 12 novice participants performed a one-handed task with their dominant hand in a modified laparoscopic trainer. Initially, the camera was fixed directly in front of the participant (0 degrees) and the monitor location was varied between three positions, to the left of midline (120 degrees), directly across from the participant (180 degrees), and to the right of the midline (240 degrees). In the second experiment monitor position was constant straight across from the participant (180 degrees) while the camera position was adjusted between the center position (0 degrees), to the left of midline (60 degrees), and to the right of midline (300 degrees). Participants completed five trials in each monitor/camera setting. The significance of the effects of skill level and combinations of camera and monitor angle were evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures using restricted maximum likelihood estimation. RESULTS: Experienced surgeons completed the task significantly faster at all monitor/camera positions. The best performance in both groups was observed when the monitor and camera were located at 180 degrees and 0 degrees, respectively. Monitor positioning to the right of midline (240 degrees) resulted in significantly worse performance compared to 180 degrees for both experienced and novice surgeons. Compared to 0 degrees (center), camera position to the left or the right resulted in significantly prolonged task times for both groups. Novice subjects also demonstrated a significantly lower ability to adjust to suboptimal camera/monitor positions. CONCLUSION: Experienced subjects demonstrated superior performance under all study conditions. Optimally, the camera should be directly in front and the monitor should be directly across from a surgeon. Alternatively, the monitor/camera could be placed opposite to the surgeon's non-dominant hand. The suboptimal camera/monitor conditions are especially difficult to overcome for inexperienced subjects. Monitor and camera positioning must be emphasized to ensure optimal laparoscopic performance.

Advantages of laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal herniorrhaphy in the evaluation and management of inguinal hernias.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) herniorrhaphy provides an opportunity to definitively evaluate both inguinal areas without the need for additional dissection. We aimed to establish the rates and contributing patient factors to errors in the preoperative assessment. METHODS: A retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic TAPP herniorrhaphy at 2 tertiary-care centers. Preoperative history and physical examination were used to classify the presence of hernia as "definite," "questionable," or "negative." Any discrepancies between preoperative and intraoperative findings were viewed as errors in preoperative assessment. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-two patients underwent 328 laparoscopic TAPP hernia repairs. Of the 283 hernias diagnosed as "definite" preoperatively, 276 were confirmed at operation (97.8%). An additional 19 of 173 (11.0%) clinically unrecognized hernias were repaired at the time of surgery. Overall, our approach avoided unnecessary groin explorations and/or repairs in up to 16.4% patients and may have prevented inappropriate delays of herniorrhaphy in up to 19.8% of patients. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of the clinical assessment of inguinal hernia were 94.5%, 80%, and 88.9%, respectively. Symptom and/or examination findings of inguinal mass were the only significant independent predictor of accuracy (P < .001). CONCLUSION: A high rate of discordance exists between the preoperative clinical assessment and true presence of inguinal hernias. Given the unique ability of laparoscopy to accurately evaluate the contralateral side and the limited added morbidity of bilateral repair, TAPP herniorrhaphy is beneficial in avoiding unnecessary explorations and allowing timely repairs in patients with occult inguinal hernias.

Benefits of laparoscopic adrenalectomy: a 10-year single institution experience.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to compare the outcomes of laparoscopic and open adrenalectomies and to assess the impact of the availability of advanced laparoscopy on adrenal surgery at our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data of all patients who underwent adrenalectomy at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center over a 10-year period. RESULTS: Sixty-four consecutive patients underwent adrenalectomy during the study periods. There were 19 open (OA) and 45 laparoscopic (LA) adrenalectomies performed. There was no significant difference between the average size of adrenal masses removed for the LA and the OA groups [4.3 vs. 5.5 cm, respectively (P=0.23)]. LA proved superior to OA, resulting in shorter operative times (171 vs. 229 min, P=0.02), less blood loss (96 vs. 371 mL, P<0.01), shorter time to regular diet (1.9 vs. 4.4 d, P<0.001), and shorter hospital stay (2.5 vs. 5.8 d, P=0.02). In addition, the average annual number of adrenalectomies increased significantly since the establishment of our advanced laparoscopic program (10.0 vs. 2.0, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: LA offers superior results when compared to OA in terms of operative time, blood loss, return of bowel function, duration of hospital stay, and functional recovery. The availability of advanced laparoscopy has resulted in a significant increase in the number of adrenalectomies performed at our institution without a shift in surgical indications.

Immunologic effects of hand-assisted surgery on peritoneal macrophages: comparison to open and standard laparoscopic approaches.

BACKGROUND: Exaggerated activation of peritoneal immunity after major abdominal surgery activates peritoneal macrophages (PMs), which may lead to a relative local immunosuppression. Although laparoscopy (L) is known to elicit a smaller attenuation of peritoneal host defenses, compared with open (O) surgery, effects of the hand-assisted (HA) approach have not been investigated to date. METHODS: Eighteen pigs underwent a transabdominal nephrectomy via O, HA, or L approach. PMs were harvested at 4, 12, and 24 hours through an intraperitoneal drain and stimulated in vitro with lipopolysaccharide. The production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by the purified macrophage cultures was measured with the use of a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Statistical comparison was performed by using analysis of variance and Student t test. RESULTS: In vitro lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-6 and TNF-alpha production by PMs increased over the 24-hour period in all 3 groups. Stimulated PMs harvested at 12 and 24 hours postoperatively secreted higher levels of IL-6 in the O group, compared with both the HA group (P = .02, P = .01) and L group (P = .04, P = .001). PMs harvested at 4, 12 and 24 hours postoperatively also produced more TNF-alpha in O group, compared with both the HA group (P = .03, P = .03, and P = .01) and L group (P = .01, P = .05 and P = .03). There was no significant difference between H and L groups in production of either cytokine. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal surgery attenuates peritoneal host defenses regardless of the surgical approach employed. However, for the first time, we demonstrated that the HA approach, similar to laparoscopy, is superior to open surgery in the degree of PM activation. Overall, in addition to clinical benefits of minimal access, HA surgery may confer an immunologic advantage over laparotomy.

Advantages of mini-laparoscopic vs conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy: results of a prospective randomized trial.

HYPOTHESIS: The use of smaller instruments during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been proposed to reduce postoperative pain and improve cosmesis. However, despite several recent trials, the effects of the use of miniaturized instruments for LC are not well established. We hypothesized that LC using miniports (M-LC) is safe and produces less incisional pain and better cosmetic results than LC performed conventionally (C-LC). DESIGN: A patient- and observer-blinded, randomized, prospective clinical trial. SETTING: A tertiary care, university-based hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-nine patients scheduled for an elective LC who agreed to participate in this trial were randomized to undergo surgery using 1 of the 2 instrument sets. The criteria for exclusion were American Society of Anesthesiologists class III or IV, age older than 70 years, liver or coagulation disorders, previous major abdominal surgical procedures, and acute cholecystitis or acute choledocholithiasis. INTERVENTION: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed with either conventional or miniaturized instruments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients' age, sex, operative time, operative blood loss, intraoperative complications, early and late postoperative incisional pain, and cosmetic results. RESULTS: Thirty-three C-LCs and 34 M-LCs were performed and analyzed. There were 8 conversions (24%) to the standard technique in the M-LC group. No intraoperative or major postoperative complications occurred in either group. The average incisional pain score on the first postoperative day was significantly less in the M-LC group (3.9 vs 4.9; P = .04). No significant differences occurred in the mean scores for pain on postoperative days 3, 7, and 28. However, 90% of patients in the M-LC group and only 74% of patients in the C-LC group had no pain (visual analog scale score of 0) at 28 days postoperatively (P = .05). Cosmetic results were superior in the M-LC group according to both the study nurse's and the patients' assessments (38.9 vs 28.9; P<.001, and 38.8 vs 33.4; P = .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely performed using 10-mm umbilical, 5-mm epigastric, 2-mm subcostal, and 2-mm lateral ports. The use of mini-laparoscopic techniques resulted in decreased early postoperative incisional pain, avoided late incisional discomfort, and produced superior cosmetic results. Although improved instrument durability and better optics are needed for widespread use of miniport techniques, this approach can be routinely offered to many properly selected patients undergoing elective LC.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery.

The introduction of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) has occurred in several surgical specialties. It allows the laparoscopic surgeon to insert a hand into the peritoneal cavity, through a small incision, while maintaining pneumoperitoneum. This technique has been made possible through the engineering of several unique devices. By returning the hand to the peritoneal cavity, the surgeon is allowed the return of tactile sensation, atraumatic retraction, blunt dissection, and digital vascular control. Proper device placement is mandatory. The principles include port-site triangulation, conversion to a convenient open incision if necessary, location away from bony prominences, and placement to minimize hand fatigue. Application and advantages of HALS can be shown in several procedures; specifically, laparoscopic splenectomy in cases of splenomegaly, laparoscopic live-donor nephrectomy, and laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy for diverticular disease. Its use in these procedures does not appear to be detrimental to the benefits associated with a completely laparoscopic technique, and may offer advantages. It may alter the learning curve regarding advanced laparoscopic procedures for the neophyte laparoscopic surgeon, and allow them to perform operations they otherwise would not attempt. For the experienced laparoscopic surgeon, it may allow them to complete operations laparoscopically they might otherwise have to convert. In time, HALS may have a larger role in many advanced surgical procedures.