Robotic resection of huge presacral tumors: case series and comparison with an open resection.

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical case series and analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of robotic presacral tumor resection compared with conventional open approach. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Conventional open approach for huge presacral tumors in the retroperitoneal space often demands excessive hospitalization and poor cosmesis. Furthermore, narrow surgical field sometimes interrupt delicate procedures. METHODS: Nine patients with huge (diameter >10 cm) presacral tumors underwent surgery. Five patients among them had robotic procedure and the others had open transperitoneal tumor resection. Operation time, blood loss, hospitalization, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Robotic presacral tumor resection showed shorter operation time, less bleeding, and shorter hospitalization. Moreover, there was no complication related to abdominal adhesion. CONCLUSIONS: Although robotic resection for presacral tumor still has limitations technically and economically, robotic resection for huge presacral tumors demonstrated advantages over open resection specifically for benign neurogenic tumors.

Posterior interspinous fusion device for one-level fusion in degenerative lumbar spine disease : comparison with pedicle screw fixation - preliminary report of at least one year follow up.

OBJECTIVE: Transpedicular screw fixation has some disadvantages such as postoperative back pain through wide muscle dissection, long operative time, and cephalad adjacent segmental degeneration (ASD). The purposes of this study are investigation and comparison of radiological and clinical results between interspinous fusion device (IFD) and pedicle screw. METHODS: From Jan. 2008 to Aug. 2009, 40 patients underwent spinal fusion with IFD combined with posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). In same study period, 36 patients underwent spinal fusion with pedicle screw fixation as control group. Dynamic lateral radiographs, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Korean version of the Oswestry disability index (K-ODI) scores were evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: The lumbar spine diseases in the IFD group were as followings; spinal stenosis in 26, degenerative spondylolisthesis in 12, and intervertebral disc herniation in 2. The mean follow up period was 14.24 months (range; 12 to 22 months) in the IFD group and 18.3 months (range; 12 to 28 months) in pedicle screw group. The mean VAS scores was preoperatively 7.16±2.1 and 8.03±2.3 in the IFD and pedicle screw groups, respectively, and improved postoperatively to 1.3±2.9 and 1.2±3.2 in 1-year follow ups (p<0.05). The K-ODI was decreased significantly in an equal amount in both groups one year postoperatively (p<0.05). The statistics revealed a higher incidence of ASD in pedicle screw group than the IFD group (p=0.029). CONCLUSION: Posterior IFD has several advantages over the pedicle screw fixation in terms of skin incision, muscle dissection and short operative time and less intraoperative estimated blood loss. The IFD with PLIF may be a favorable technique to replace the pedicle screw fixation in selective case.

Robot-assisted resection of paraspinal Schwannoma.

Resection of retroperitoneal tumors is usually performed using the anterior retroperitoneal approach. Our report presents an innovative method utilizing a robotic surgical system. A 50-yr-old male patient visited our hospital due to a known paravertebral mass. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-encapsulated mass slightly abutting the abdominal aorta and left psoas muscle at the L4-L5 level. The tumor seemed to be originated from the prevertebral sympathetic plexus or lumbosacral trunk and contained traversing vessels around the tumor capsule. A full-time robotic transperitoneal tumor resection was performed. Three trocars were used for the robotic camera and working arms. The da Vinci Surgical System® provided delicate dissection in the small space and the tumor was completely removed without damage to the surrounding organs and great vessels. This case demonstrates the feasibility of robotic resection in retroperitoneal space. Robotic surgery offered less invasiveness in contrast to conventional open surgery.

Clinical management and outcome of 36 invasive prolactinomas treated with dopamine agonist.

Treatment of invasive prolactinoma, which has several characteristics including invasive growth into cavernous sinuses and formation of giant adenomas compressing adjacent neural structures, resulting in neurological dysfunction, has been very challenging. There are relatively few reports available describing long-term treatment outcome. Herein, we document the results of bromocriptine administration as initial treatment during average 44 months follow-up (up to 12 years) period. We retrospectively categorized 36 patients into four groups according to the results of 3 months of bromocriptine treatment: group 1, tumor volume reduction (TVR) >25% with normalized serum prolactin (NP) (n = 24); group 2, TVR >25% without NP (n = 4); group 3, TVR <25% with NP (n = 5); and group 4, TVR <25% without NP (n = 3). During follow-up, 22 patients (91.7%) in group 1 achieved TVR >50% with NP. Three patients (75%) in group 2 achieved TVR >50% with NP after treatment for 8 months. In group 3, four patients (80.0%) continued medication because of improvement of symptoms and achieved additional TVR (18.8-46.4%). Surgery was performed on five patients (one in group 2, one in group 3, and all three in group 4), and complete resection was achieved in four (80.0%). Overall, 25 (69.4%) of the 36 patients treated with bromocriptine had complete response and 6 (16.7%) had partial response but did not require surgery. Thus, the overall response rate was 86%, with only five patients (14%) requiring surgical debulking. NP was not achieved by surgery alone in all cases, even after total resection of tumor. Patients who achieve TVR >25% with NP with 3 months of bromocriptine administration had a high possibility of showing good long-term response (TVR >50% with NP) to bromocriptine. A higher dose of dopamine agonist (DA) or other DA should be considered for patients who achieve TVR >25% without NP.

Robot-assisted anterior lumbar interbody fusion in a Swine model in vivo test of the da vinci surgical-assisted spinal surgery system.

STUDY DESIGN: the use of the da Vinci Surgical System to perform an anterior lumbar interbody fusion in a swine model to identify the technical properties, processes, merits, demerits, and limitations of a video-assisted robotic surgical system. OBJECTIVE: this study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using a robotic surgical system to perform spinal surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: video-assisted laparoscopic anterior fusion was first reported in 1995 and afterward was spotlighted for several years. However, this technique has not become popular because of technical difficulties and complications associated with video-assisted procedures on the spine. As such, there is a demand for investigations to improve this technology. The da Vinci Surgical System provides 3-dimensional visualization as well as uniquely dexterous instruments that are remarkably similar to human hands. Video-assisted surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System robot has already provided great value to the fields of urology, cardiology, gynecology, and general surgery over the last decade. Preclinical studies for application of this system in spinal surgery have recently been conducted. METHODS: a pig underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion using da Vinci Surgical System assistance, with Tyche expandable cages used for preparation of endplates and cage placement. The setup time, operation time, amount of bleeding, and the number of complications associated with robotic manipulation were recorded. Before euthanasia, the animal underwent radiologic examination to confirm proper placement of cages. RESULTS: the total duration of the procedure took 6 hours, with some complications related to frozen armsand robotic arm collision. Even so, there was neither any significant nerve or vessel injury nor peritoneal organ damage. Furthermore, radiologic assessment confirmed proper position of the cage in the center of the disc space. CONCLUSION: use of the da Vinci Surgical System to perform an anterior spinal procedure was shown to be safe and effective in a swine animal model. The utilization of this advanced technology shows promise to reduce the incidence of complications compared with other approaches. It requires further testing in animal models and cadavers, along with serial comparisons to current procedures.

Pediatric cervical chordoma: report of two cases and a review of the current literature.

INTRODUCTION: The majority of chordomas occur between the fifth and seventh decades of life and are thus extremely rare in children, which account for less than 5% of all spinal chordoma cases. CASE REPORT: We report on the development of this rare condition in two boys aged 7 and 10 years. One patient presented with a palpable neck mass and dysphagia, while the other presented with posterior neck pain. Radiological studies revealed an extensive mass in the cervical vertebrae and paravertebral soft tissue of both patients. The tumors were subtotally removed in an attempt to improve the success of adjuvant proton beam radiotherapy. Pathological examination, which included immunohistochemical staining, revealed chordoma of the cervical spine in both patients. CONCLUSION: Although en bloc resection is the ideal modality for treatment of chordoma, such a procedure is often associated with a significant risk of surgical morbidity due to the tumor location. Therefore, piecemeal resection followed by postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy, including proton radiotherapy or radiosurgery, should be considered in such cases.

Robot-assisted anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) using retroperitoneal approach.

BACKGROUND: Over the past few years, robot-assisted surgery has become increasingly popular, affecting virtually all surgical fields. It has been proven to overcome pitfalls of laparoscopic procedures, such as high complication rates and steep learning curve. We have, therefore, performed experimental anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) using retroperitoneal approach in swine model to test the feasibility of robot-assisted surgery in spinal surgery. METHOD: In this report, we describe the setup with the da Vinci surgical system, operative method, result and discuss technical aspects and the future of robot-assisted ALIF. FINDINGS: Experimental retroperitoneal dissection using robotic surgical system was successfully performed with great visual cue, minimal retraction and minimal bleeding. CONCLUSION: Although retroperitoneal approach for spinal fusion has never been attempted with robotic surgical system, we could demonstrate the possibility with swine model. Further studies and development of appropriate instruments will bring minimally invasive spine surgery to a new era.