Some Additional Data That Might Be Useful for Diastasis Recti Assessment.

Background: Diastasis recti (DR) is characterized by separation of both rectus muscles and protrusion of the median bulging, but besides median bulging DR can also entail global abdominal bulging. On other note, DR classification is based on the width of divarication, but measurement values are different at rest and at effort due to muscle contraction. Aim of the study is to provide additional features concerning the type of bulging and the width of divarication. Methods: Findings were retrospectively drawn from the data prospectively collected in the records of a continuous cohort of 105 patients (89 females, 16 males) referred for diastasis and concomitant ventral hernia repair. Results: There was a median bulging alone in 45 (42.9%) cases, a global bulging alone in 18 (17.1%) cases, both types combined in 37 (35.2%) cases and no bulging in 5 (4.8%). On 55 patients with a global bulging, 51 were females. Tape measurements values of DR width were closer to the values measured on the CT scan at leg raise than at rest. The differences were significant at rest as well as at leg raise. Though the difference at rest was highly significant (p = 0.000), the difference at effort was not far from being not significant (p = 0.049). Conclusion: Besides median bulging, presence or absence of the global bulging should be included in DR assessment. The difference between width of divarication at rest and on exertion raises the question of which value should be used for DR classification. The question is worth being debated.

Longitudinal cohort study on preoperative pain as a risk factor for chronic postoperative inguinal pain after groin hernia repair at 2-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: To assess the rate of late chronic postoperative inguinal pain (CPIP) after groin hernia repair in patients with different categories of preoperative VRS (Verbal Rating Scale) pain and to make a pragmatic evaluation of the rates of potentially surgery-related CPIP vs. postoperative continuation of preexisting preoperative pain. METHODS: Groin pain of patients operated from 01/11/2011 to 01/04/2014 was assessed preoperatively, postoperatively and at 2-year follow-up using a VRS-4 in 5670 consecutive groin hernia repairs. A PROM (Patient Related Outcomes Measurement) questionnaire studied the impact of CPIP on the patients' daily life. RESULTS: Relevant (moderate or severe VRS) pain was registered preoperatively in 1639 of 5670 (29%) cases vs. 197 of 4704 (4.2%) cases at the 2-year follow-up. Among the latter, 125 (3.7%) cases were found in 3353 cases with no-relevant preoperative pain and 72 (5.3%) in 1351 cases with relevant preoperative pain. Relevant CPIP consisted of 179 (3.8%) cases of moderate pain and 18 (0.4%) cases of severe pain. The rate of severe CPIP was independent of the preoperative VRS-pain category while the rate of moderate CPIP (3.1%, 3.4%, 4.1%, 6.8%) increased in line with the preoperative (none, mild, moderate, and severe) VRS-pain categories. The VRS probably overestimated pain since 71.6% of the relevant CPIP patients assessed their pain as less bothersome than the hernia. CONCLUSION: At the 2-year follow-up, relevant CPIP was registered in 4.2% cases, of which 63.5% were potentially surgery-related (no-relevant preoperative pain) and 36.5% possibly due to the postoperative persistence of preoperative pain. The rate of severe CPIP was constant around 0.4%.

Factors of selection and failure of ambulatory incisional hernia repair: A cohort study of 1429 patients.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory surgery for incisional hernia repair (IHR) is not a widespread practice and is mainly performed for small incisional hernias. AIM: To assess outpatient IHR practice in France and to identify predictive factors of selection and failure of ambulatory procedures. METHOD: Surgeons of the French "Club Hernie" prospectively gathered data concerning IHR over a period of almost 5years within a nationwide database. RESULTS: A number of patients (1429) were operated on during the period of the study. The mean age was 63.3 (22-97) years old. An ambulatory procedure was planned in 305 (21%) patients. Among these, 272 (89%) IHR were effectively performed as one-day procedures. Upon multivariate analysis, predictive factors influencing practitioners for not propose an ambulatory care were increasing age (OR 0.97, P<0.001), body mass index (OR 0.95, P<0.001), ASA grade≥III (OR 0.23, P<0.001), hernia width≥4cm (OR 0.44, P<0.001), recurrent hernia (OR 0.55, P=0.01) and a laparoscopic IHR (OR 0.54, P<0.001). A number of patients (1157) were not selected preoperatively for outpatient IHR mainly because of organizational issues or an ASA grade≥III. Medical or social reasons were the main causes of failure of initially planned ambulatory settings. CONCLUSION: Ambulatory IHR is a safe and feasible practice subject to a good preoperative selection of the patients. Increasing age, body mass index, ASA grade≥III, hernia width≥4cm, recurrent hernia and a laparoscopic IHR were identified to be preoperative factors for not proposing an ambulatory care. One-day surgery for IHR could be systematically proposed for IHR of small incisional hernias (<4cm) in young patients with few comorbidities.

Outpatient groin hernia repair: assessment of 9330 patients from the French "Club Hernie" database.

BACKGROUND: Groin hernia repair (GHR) is one of the most frequent surgical interventions practiced worldwide. Outpatient surgery for GHR is known to be safe and effective. AIM: To assess the outpatient practice for GHR in France and identify predictive factors of failure. METHOD: Forty one surgeons of the French "Club Hernie" prospectively gathered data concerning successive GHR over a period of 4 years within a multicenter database. RESULTS: A total of 9330 patients were operated on during the period of the study. Mean age was 61.8 (1-100) years old and 8245 patients (88.4%) were males. 6974 GHR (74.7%) were performed as outpatient procedures. In 262 patients (3.6%), the outpatient setting, previously selected, did not succeed. Upon multivariate analysis, predictive factors of ambulatory failure were ASA grade ≥ III (OR 0.42, p < 0.001), bilateral GHR (OR 0.47, p < 0.001), emergency surgery for incarcerated hernia (OR 0.10, p < 0.001), spinal anesthesia (OR 0.27, p < 0.001) and occurrence of an early post-operative complication (OR 0.07, p < 0.001). The more frequent complications were acute urinary retention and surgical site collections. 2094 patients (21.5%) were not selected preoperatively for 1-day surgery. CONCLUSION: More than 74% of the patients benefited from outpatient surgery for GHR with a poor failure rate. Predictive factors of outpatient GHR failure were ASA grade ≥ III, bilateral GHR, emergency surgery for incarcerated hernia, spinal anesthesia and occurrence of an early post-operative complication. Ambulatory failures were often related to social issues or medical complications. Outpatient surgery criteria could become less restrictive in the future.

Prevention of parastomal hernia by intraperitoneal onlay mesh reinforcement at the time of stoma formation.

PURPOSE: Parastomal hernia (PSH) is a very frequent complication after creation of a permanent colostomy. The aim of this study is to assess the safety and prophylactic effect of intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) reinforcement of the abdominal wall at the time of primary stoma formation to prevent PSH occurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentre prospective study concerned 20 patients operated for low rectal carcinoma between 2008 and 2010. Those patients had an elective and potentially curative abdominoperineal excision associated with IPOM reinforcement of the abdominal wall with a round composite mesh centred on the stoma site and covering the lateralised colon. There were 8 men and 12 women with a median age of 69 years (range: 44-88) and a body mass index of 27 (range: 21-35). The major outcomes analysed in the study were operative time, complications related to mesh and PSH occurrence. Patients were evaluated 1 month after surgery and then every 6 months with physical examination and computed tomography scan (CT-scan). For PSH, we used the classification of Moreno-Matias. RESULTS: Surgery was performed by laparoscopy in 17 patients and by laparotomy in 3; 12 had an extraperitoneal colostomy, and 8 had a transperitoneal colostomy. The median size of the mesh was 15 cm (range: 12-15). The median operative time was 225 min (range: 175-300), and specific time for mesh placement was 15 min (range: 12-30). One month after surgery, one patient presented with a mild stoma stenosis that was treated successfully by dilatation. With a median follow-up of 24 months (range: 6-42), no other complication potentially related to the use of the mesh was recorded and no mesh had to be removed. On clinical examination, one patient (1/20 = 5 %) had a stoma bulge that appeared a few months after surgery, but was not associated with symptoms. CT-scan evaluation confirmed that all the patients with a normal clinical examination had no PSH and revealed that the patient with the stoma bulge had a stoma loop hernia (type 1a hernia). This patient was followed up for 36 months, no clinical or radiological aggravation of the stoma loop hernia was observed, and he remained totally asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: With 95 % of excellent results, IPOM reinforcement at the time of end colostomy formation in selected patients is a very promising procedure. A drawback of this technique is the possibility of developing a stoma loop hernia due to sliding of the exiting colon between the covering mesh and the abdominal wall. However, this risk is low, and no adverse clinical consequence for the patient was noted in our series.

[Recto-urethral fistula following prostatectomy: surgical repair using a combined perineal and laparoscopic approach. Procedure and results of two cases]. / Fistule recto-urétrale après prostatectomie : cure chirurgicale par double voie d'abord coelioscopique et périnéale. Technique et résultats à propos de deux cas.

PURPOSE: RUF is a rare occurrence usually following radical prostatectomy. We report our short experience and outcomes with the repair of Iatrogenic Recto-urinary fistula using a combined laparoscopic and perineal approach. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of our patients who underwent lately a combined approach using laparoscopic and perineal procedure. Two patients in our unit underwent a RUF repair associating a laparoscopic mobilization of the omentum and a perineal closure. A temporary colostomy was performed at the time of RUF diagnosis and closed few weeks after the RUF repair procedure. Procedure time was 255mn. Blood loss was short and no transfusion was required. RESULTS: All fistulae were closed within a short hospitalization time and an easy outcome. The delay between the diagnosis and the final closure of the colostomy was reduced to 3 months in our short experience. CONCLUSION: The procedure is safe and provides nice exposure and a thick and very well vascularized flap. Shortening the management of this complication after reduces the anxiety of the patients and his medical team.

[Laparoscopic treatment of recurrent inguinal hernia after only mesh]. / Traitement par voie coelioscopique des récidives après mise en place de plaques pour cures de hernies de l'aine.

The recurrences of inguinal hernia after onlay mesh may cause technical difficulties for a new repair. The aim of our study was to assess intraoperative findings, feasibility and results of laparoscopic transpreperitoneal mesh onlay in this indication. Twenty-one repairs were performed. In all cases, direct, internal, inguinal recurrences were observed, associated in two cases with an external or femoral recurrence. In 16 cases, there were no adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. The were no conversions and peritonealisation was always completed. The mean length of hospitalization was 2.7 days. Our study suggests that technical errors during the first procedure, insufficient mesh or wrongly positioned are responsible for recurrence and allow reinsertion of a mesh laparoscopy via transpreperitoneal in this indication.

[Treatment of inguinal hernia by laparoscopy. Four-year results of the transpreperitoneal approach]. / Cure de hernie de l'aine par laparoscopie. Résultats à quatre ans de la voie transprépéritonéale.

The laparoscopic approach to inguinal hernia repair remains controversial. The authors report the results of 790 repairs performed during the first four years of their experience. The complication rate requiring surgical revision was 1.39%. None of these complications was related to the transpreperitoneal approach and all but one of them occurred during the first two years of the authors' experience. The recurrence rate for patients with a follow-up of more than two years was 5.01%. With experience, the size of the meshes has gradually increased. The authors' experience suggests that all types of hernia can be treated via this approach and that the recurrence rate makes this technique competitive compared to the results of other techniques reported in the literature.

[Impact of celioscopic surgery in general and digestive system surgery]. / Impact de la coelioscopie opératoire en chirurgie générale et digestive.

A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of laparoscopic surgery on activity in general and digestive surgery. From May 1990 to December 1994, 2256 laparoscopic procedures were performed for cholecystectomy (36%), appendicectomy (20.4%) or inguinal hernia (19.8%). 23.2% of all procedures performed in 1994 were done laparoscopically. The use of laparoscopy did not, in our experience, added any new indications from 1988 to 1994. The conversion rate was 8.15%. 24% of the conversion cases could not be predicted. Mortality was 0.18% and 1.19% of the patients had to undergo a second operation due to complications of laparsocopic surgery. The impact of laparoscopic procedures, 7 years after the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been great. The results of this surgical technique must be evaluated to determine its medical and economic impact.

[Value of celioscopy in the diagnosis of inguinal hernia]. / Utilité de la coelioscopie pour le diagnostic de hernie de l'aine.

OBJECTIVE: Prospectively compare laparoscopic findings with functional impairment and clinical diagnosis and classification of inguinal hernias. METHODS: Fifty eight consecutive patients (mean age 55.3 years, range 22-87) presenting with 68 symptomatic hernial orifices and undergoing laparoscopic procedures for inguinal hernia were included in the study. Type of hernia was identified according to the Nyhus classification. Clinical examination found 73 hernias and laparoscopy identified 86 hernias. RESULTS: Laparoscopic findings confirmed clinical diagnosis in 20 out of 30 type II hernias, 24 out of 37 type IIIA hernias, 2 out of 3 type IIIB hernias and 13 out of 16 type IV hernias. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic procedures can successfully confirm or refute the clinical diagnosis of inguinal hernia, especially important when the preoperative diagnosis is doubtful. The type of hernia can be clearly identified for adaptation of therapeutic indications.

Laparoscopic gastrectomy for obstructing duodenal ulcer.

A case of bilateral truncal vagotomy and antrectomy for pyloric stenosis is presented. Other procedures for laparoscopic treatment of peptic ulcer disease are discussed.

[Benign serous cystadenoma of the pancreas. Duodenopancreatectomy and segmentary resection of the portal vein]. / Cystadénome séreux bénin du pancréas. D.P.C. et résection segmentaire de la veine porte.

Although the mandatory mesenterico-portal resection in patients with cancer of the pancreas is thought to have no anticancer effect, this wide exeresis does not increase operative mortality significantly. We performed this operation for a large benign tumour englobing the portal vein. The tumour was completely removed with no major per-operative problem with haemostasis. Venous circulation was reestablished by direct suture without prosthesis. The post-operative period was uneventful and the patient was asymptomatic three years later. We emphasize the technical procedure and draw attention to this operation in non-cancer cases.

[Treatments of inguinal hernias by celioscopy. Preliminary results apropos of 162 cases]. / Cures de hernies de l'aine par coelioscopie. Résultats préliminaires à propos de 162 cas.

Mesch insertion is a reliable means for repairing inguinal hernias. Results in 162 patients treated laparoscopically via an intraperitoneal approach are reviewed herein. Analgesics were not required after the first postoperative day in 71% of patients. Fourteen patients were treated on a day-care basis. There were two recurrences due to inadequate fixation of the mesch to Cooper's ligament. The two patients who developed an infection did not require removal of the patch and had a strong, completely healed wall at the follow-up evaluation after four and ten months, respectively. The number of patients and duration of follow-up are still inadequate. However, these preliminary data warrant continued use and evaluation of this technique.

[Tubular gastrostomy using celioscopy]. / Gastrostomie tubulée sous coelioscopie.

Surgical feeding gastrostomy is attended by a significant morbidity and mortality. Today, the percutaneous endoscopic route is regarded as the best method, but it is not feasible in case of pharyngo-oesophageal stenosis and has its own drawbacks. A new method using laparoscopy to perform a Depage-Janeway gastrostomy is presented here. The theoretical advantages of this method are clear: the limited parietal damage should avoid cicatricial complications, and the limited ventilatory aggression should reduce the amplitude of respiratory complications. Moreover, in surgical practice this is a simple, rapid and efficient operation.