Robot assisted exploration of the Alcock canal: a novel surgical technique.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a safe and reproducible surgical approach to the Alcock canal with a full decompression of the pudendal nerve. SETTING: Pudendal neuralgia, a condition causing debilitating pelvic pain, is traditionally managed through a trans-gluteal incision.1-2 This surgical approach offers limited visualization and ability for nerve decompression.3 With the current technique, a full exposure and decompression of the pudendal nerve was achieved. PARTICIPANTS: A 44-year-old para 2 with symptoms of left pudendal neuralgia. INTERVENTIONS: A 44-year-old para 2 presented with burning vaginal pain radiating to the left groin that was aggravated with sitting. She underwent a robotic-assisted left sacrospinous ligament transection and fasciotomy of the obturator internus muscle for suspected pudendal neuralgia. The surgery was performed with three robotic ports using the daVinci® Xi robotic system. CONCLUSION: With the enhanced access to the pudendal nerve provided by the novel surgical technique demonstrated in this study, a more comprehensive nerve decompression can be performed. This technique was successfully applied to a patient with pudendal neuralgia. There were no immediate intra-operative or post-operative complications. In short-term follow-up, the patient had significant relief of preoperative symptoms. While all surgical procedures for pudendal neuralgia have a risk of pudendal nerve and vessel injury,4 the presented technique has the potential to limit these risks by providing an enhanced view of the relevant anatomy. Future adaptation and refinement of this technique may contribute to the advancement of the surgical management of pudendal neuralgia.

Surgical treatment of endometriosis: a 7-year follow-up on the requirement for further surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the need for further surgery after laparoscopic excision of endometriosis or hysterectomy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, women who had surgery for endometriosis-associated pain at the Cleveland Clinic were assessed for requirement for subsequent surgery. One hundred twenty patients who underwent hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy for endometriosis and 120 patients who had laparoscopic excision of their endometriotic lesions only (local excision group) formed the study population. Estimates of reoperation-free survival at 2, 5, and 7 years were calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods, and estimates of risk (hazard ratios) were computed using Cox proportional hazards models. A significance level of .05 was assumed for all tests. RESULTS: In women who underwent local excision with ovarian preservation, the surgery-free percentages were 79.4%, 53.3%, and 44.6%, respectively, at 2, 5, and 7 years. In women who underwent hysterectomy with ovarian preservation, the 2-, 5-, and 7-year reoperation-free percentages were 95.7%, 86.6%, and 77.0%, respectively. In women who underwent hysterectomy without ovarian preservation, the percentages were 96.0%, 91.7%, and 91.7%, respectively. However, in women between 30 and 39 years of age, removal of the ovaries did not significantly improve the surgery-free time. CONCLUSION: Local excision of endometriosis is associated with good short-term outcomes but, on long-term follow-up, has a high reoperation rate. Hysterectomy is associated with a low reoperation rate. Preservation of the ovaries at the time of hysterectomy remains a viable option. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha blockers: potential limitations in the management of advanced endometriosis? A case report.

Several studies have shown that tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels are increased in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis, with correlation between TNF-alpha concentrations and the degree of disease. It is also likely that elevation of peritoneal fluids' TNF-alpha levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of infertility associated with endometriosis. Use of drugs such as etanercept, a TNF-alpha receptor immunoglobulin fusion protein which inhibits TNF-alpha activity, showed in an animal study to reduce the severity of the disease, and the size of endometriotic foci. TNF-alpha blockers were recommended as a possible new line of therapy for endometriosis. Our case involved a 35-year-old Para 0, with rheumatic arthritis and stage 4 endometriosis. After 6 years of constant use of etanercept, she showed no improvement of endometriosis as demonstrated at laparoscopy. However, she underwent a successful IVF after the first attempt. TNF-alpha-blocker medications might not be beneficial for patients with advanced endometriosis. However, we cannot exclude the possible effect of these medications on early-stage endometriosis, and further study is required. Some of the immunologic abnormalities in the pelvis of patients with endometriosis could be the consequence of the disease and not the cause, and possibly suppression of immune cells and their products may not have a major effect on endometriotic lesions at an advanced stage. This also could explain why suppression of TNF-alpha showed no effect on infertility. However, use of TNF-alpha-blockers before IVF might increase the success rate in advanced endometriosis.