Dental Prosthesis in Esophagus: A Right Cervicotomic Approach.

Foreign body ingestion in the upper digestive tract is a relatively common emergency. Less than 1% have to be treated surgically. We report the case of a 68-year-old man who ingested a dental prosthesis, probably during a seizure, and thus unknowingly, and presented two days later to the emergency department complaining of a mild dysphagia. A chest radiograph showed the presence of a removable dental prosthesis in the upper esophageal tract. The patient was brought to the operating room where a multidisciplinary equipe was assembled. Two attempts of retrieval with a flexible and a rigid endoscope failed because the removable dental prosthesis was stuck in the right pyriform sinus. Therefore, the surgeon performed an uncommon right cervicotomy and retrieved the foreign body through a right-side esophagotomy. The surgical approach depends on the nature and location of the foreign body. Urgent treatment is required whenever the patient develops dyspnea or dysphagia because of the high risk of inhalation and asphyxia. Removal of any esophageal foreign body has to be performed within 12-24 h. Repeated attempts to retrieve large dental prosthesis using an endoscope may result in esophageal perforation therefore when such risk of complication is too high, a surgical approach becomes inevitable. In our opinion, surgery remains the extrema ratio after a failed endoscopic retrieval attempt but can be lifesaving despite high risk of complications.

Use of 3 mm percutaneous instruments with 5 mm end effectors during different laparoscopic procedures.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: With a recent focus on minimizing the visibility of scars, new techniques have been developed. Minilaparoscopy reemerged as an attractive option for surgery as it limits tissue trauma, reduces post-operative pain and improves cosmesis. This study was designed to describe our experience with percutaneous trocarless 3 mm instruments used in combination with standard 5 mm and 10 mm laparoscopic instruments in different general surgery procedures. METHODS: We used the PSS (Percutaneous Surgical Set, Ethicon Endo surgery, Cincinnati, OH, USA) in different surgical procedures as accessory instruments in combination with standard 5 mm and 10 mm standard laparoscopic instruments. MAIN FINDINGS: The use of percutaneous instruments was safe and feasible in all performed procedures. The surgical technique was not modified. The percutaneous instruments can assure a good grip and can be used for traction and counter-traction. No complications have been described. No pain at the site of insertion has been reported. The skin, muscle and peritoneal defects were smaller than with the 3 mm laparoscopic traditional instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous approach seems to be a good option in general surgery in terms of efficiency, offering better cosmetic results and good pain control.

Single access cholecystectomy using standard laparoscopic instruments.

The aim of this study was to verify feasibility and safety of single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy using conventional surgical instruments. Twenty patients underwent single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Indications for cholecystectomy were symptomatic cholelithiasis. Operative time, postoperative length of stay, intraoperative and postoperative complications, postoperative pain (by visual analogue scale), and patient cosmetic satisfaction were considered. All 20 procedures were successfully concluded without additional skin incisions. The mean operative time was 69 ± 16 min with a trend toward a reduction in operating time with increasing surgical experience. Intraoperative bile leakages for gallbladder rupture were observed in only three cases. No postoperative complications were recorded. The median pain scale value was 3 and the median value of cosmetic satisfaction was 3. The mean postoperative length of stay was 1.3 ± 0.9 days. Single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy with conventional surgical instruments is a feasible and safe procedure, but additional studies in larger series are needed to confirm our results.