Chul Jung Kim

Single-Port Access Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy: A Novel Method with a Wound Retractor and a Glove

STUDY OBJECTIVE To present our initial experience with single port-access laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (SPA-LAVH) by use of a wound retractor and a glove. DESIGN Continuing, prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). SETTING University teaching, research hospital, and a tertiary care center. PATIENTS We performed the SPA-LAVH in 24 patients from May 6, 2008, through October 8, 2008. INTERVENTIONS All cases of SPA-LAVH were performed by a single surgeon (T. J. K.). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We analyzed the data to determine the outcome of SPA-LAVH and compared the initial 10 cases (group A) and the latter 14 cases (group B) to consider the learning curve. Median and range are used to describe non-normal data. A total of 24 consecutive patients have undergone SPA-LAVH, for benign gynecologic conditions, including 16 uterine myomas and 8 cases of adenomyosis, regardless of body mass index or previous abdominal or pelvic surgery. All cases but 3 were performed exclusively through a single port. The median operative time, weight of the uterus, and estimated blood loss were 119 minutes (range 90 to 255 minutes), 347 g (range 225 to 732 g), and 400 mL (range 100 to 1000 mL), respectively. The decline in hemoglobin from before surgery to postoperative day 1 was from 0.7 to 4.3 g/dL, with a median of 2.05 g/dL. The median hospital stay (postoperative day) was 3 days (range 3 to 7). When we compared the operative outcomes between the 2 groups, there was a tendency toward a decreased operative time in group B, although the difference was not significant. However, there was a significant decrease in the estimated blood loss and hospital stay in group B (p = .00, = .04, respectively). CONCLUSION The SPA-LAVH was safe and effective, and the procedure could be learned over a short period of time. Additional experience and continued investigation are warranted.

Single Port Access Laparoscopic Adnexal Surgery

STUDY OBJECTIVE To estimate the feasibility, safety, and operative outcomes for the management of adnexal masses by single port access (SPA) laparoscopy with a wound retractor and a surgical glove. DESIGN A prospective single-center study (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-four well selected patients with adnexal masses on imaging scans recruited from June 2008 through January 2009. INTERVENTIONS Single port access laparoscopic adnexal surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Single port access laparoscopic adnexal surgery was successfully completed in 22 of 24 patients. The median age of the patients was 45 years (range 23-63 years), and the median body mass index was 22 (range 18-29). The median tumor size was 5 cm (range 3-12 cm). The median operative time was 70 minutes (range 40-128 minutes). The estimated blood loss was minimal (range 10-100mL). The postoperative course was uneventful in all patients. The median postoperative hospital stay was 1 day (range 1-3 days). No postoperative complications were observed at follow-up. The 2 failed cases were as follow: 1 required an additional trocar for adequate adhesiolysis, and the other a staging laparotomy because of the finding of a borderline ovarian malignancy on frozen section pathologic study. CONCLUSION The single port access laparoscopic adnexal surgery was safe and feasible and provided almost no visual scar.

The prognostic significance of the SUVmax (maximum standardized uptake value for F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose) of the cervical tumor in PET imaging for early cervical cancer: Preliminary results

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of the cervical tumor uptake of fluorine-18-labeled FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) measured as the SUVmax (maximum standardized uptake value) by PET (Positron Emission Tomography) in patients with early cervical cancer treated with surgery+/-adjuvant therapy. METHODS Forty-four patients (FIGO clinical stage IB to IIA) with biopsy-proven cervical cancer underwent PET before surgery. The SUVmax of the primary cervical tumor mass was obtained and compared with pathological prognostic factors after the initial treatment. In addition, we investigated the recurrence pattern according to the SUVmax and analyzed independent risk factors associated with the recurrence of disease. RESULTS According to the tumor stage, the mean SUVmax significantly differed among groups (P=0.013). The SUVmax was significantly higher in patients with deep stromal invasion (>or=1 cm, P=0.0208), LVSI (lymph-vascular space invasion) (P=0.0429) and a pathologically confirmed large tumor size of more than 4 cm (P=0.0074) when compared to controls. Patients with a high SUVmax (>or=13.4) had a significantly reduced disease-free survival rate compared to patients with a low SUVmax (P=0.021). In addition, the SUVmax (>or=13.4) was a significant independent predictor of recurrence of cervical cancer after treatment with surgery (+/-adjuvant therapy) (P=0.0207). CONCLUSION Patients with early cervical cancer showing a high SUVmax (>or=13.4) of the cervical tumor should be considered at increased risk for disease recurrence after surgery and may need more aggressive multimodal treatment.

Single Port Access Laparoscopic-Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy for Large Uterus Weighing Exceeding 500 Grams: Technique and Initial Report

STUDY OBJECTIVE To present our initial experience with single-port access laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (SPA-LAVH) in a large uterus weighing in excess of 500 g. DESIGN A prospective single-center study (Canadian Task Force classification III). SETTING University hospital PATIENTS Fifteen patients with an extirpated uterine weight of more than 500 g were enrolled from May 2008 to September 2009. INTERVENTIONS SPA-LAVH. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS There were 11 cases with uterine myomas and 4 cases of adenomyosis. All patients had symptoms related to these diagnoses including menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, and pelvic pressure symptoms such as urinary frequency. The median and range are used to describe data not distributed normally. The median operation time, weight of the uterus, and estimated blood loss were 125 minutes (80 to 236 minutes), 690 g (503 to 1260 g), and 500 mL (150 to 1000 mL), respectively. There was a significant linear correlation between the operation time and the extirpated uterine weight (p<.002). Thirteen procedures were successfully performed with SPA-LAVH. The SPA procedure failed in 2 cases: 1 (uterine weight, 732 g) required 1 ancillary 5-mm port to manipulate with a myoma screw, and in the other we inserted 1 additional 15-mm port to use for a laparoscopic morcellator. There were no umbilical complications, additional procedures, or surgical complications. CONCLUSION The SPA-LAVH procedure for a large uterus weighing in excess of 500 g was as safe and effective as the conventional LAVH. Additional experience and continued investigation are warranted.

Low dynamin 2 expression is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis in invasive squamous cell carcinoma of cervix

Abstract Dynamin 2 is known as a protein involved in cell migration and endocytosis. We aimed to investigate the association between dynamin 2 expressions and tumor progression in early cervical carcinoma (IB1-IIA). Dynamin 2 expression was evaluated at protein level in thirty seven paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues including four normal cervix tissues and compared with pathologic risk factors for recurrence after surgery in thirty three patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The expression of dynamin 2 was not different according to clinical stage and lympho-vascular space invasion. However, there were inverse correlations between dynamin 2 expression and depth of invasion in cervix (P = .003) and lymph node (LN) metastasis (P = .001). To evaluate mechanism of dynamin 2 in tumor invasion and metastasis, we performed in vitro experiment with dynamin 2 siRNA using several cervical carcinoma cell lines such as HeLa, MS751 and SiHa cells. We found the inhibition of dynamin 2 using specific siRNA enhanced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2. These results suggested that dynamin 2 might be involved in preventing tumor invasion and LN metastasis, possibly in relation with extracellular matrix degradation, and may be a prognostic marker for these risk factors in early squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Key words: dynamin 2, uterine cervical neoplasms, matrix metalloproteinase -2, neoplasm invasiveness, lymph nodes, metastasis, endocytosis

Glucose as a prognostic factor in non-diabetic women with locally advanced cervical cancer (IIB–IVA)

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between pretreatment random plasma glucose levels and cancer prognosis in non-diabetic women with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with CCRT (concurrent chemoradiation) or RT (radiation therapy) only. METHODS We investigated the non-fasting plasma glucose levels checked during the initial work up before treatment in 134 non-diabetic patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Based on the survival time and the progression-free interval (PFI) recorded in the electronic medical records Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for overall survival and PFI according to the various level of glucose and a cut-off level (<102 mg/dL and >or=102 mg/dL), adjusting for clinical covariates. RESULTS A shorter overall survival and PFI was observed in the group with higher glucose levels (HR, 1.03; p=0.002, HR, 1.02; p=0.001, respectively) and more than 102 mg/dL, by univariate analyses (HR, 3.21; p=0.012, HR, 2.20; p=0.006, respectively). Multivariate analysis, adjusting for clinical FIGO stage, performance status, treatment type (CCRT vs. RT) and chemotherapeutic regimen types showed that patients with higher glucose levels or more than >or=102 mg/dL had shorter overall survival times (HR, 1.02; p=0.015, HR, 2.54; p=0.049, respectively) and PFI (HR, 1.02; p=0.003, HR, 1.88; p=0.031, respectively). CONCLUSION This investigation provides evidence supporting the prognostic value of glucose levels in non-diabetic women with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with radiation therapy and/or concurrent chemotherapy; high glucose levels were associated with a greater risk for recurrence and mortality in these patients.

Selected adnexal cystic masses in postmenopausal women can be safely managed by laparoscopy.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic treatment for adnexal cystic masses that were predicted to be benign in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women found to have an adnexal cystic mass were retrospectively evaluated with transvaginal ultrasonography, and serum CA-125 levels. The selection criteria were adnexal cystic masses greater than 3 cm but less than 10 cm, the masses were in the benign range (4-8) of Sassones scoring system for transvaginal ultrasonography, and the patients had serum CA-125 levels less than 65 IU/mL. Two hundred nineteen women fulfilled the criteria and underwent operative laparoscopy. Almost all the masses (99.5%) were accurately predicted to be benign except for one borderline ovarian tumor. Two hundreds thirteen (97.3%) women were successfully managed by operative laparoscopy and six (2.7%) required laparotomy. For the patients managed by laparoscopy, the mean operative time was 51.3 min; the mean hospital stay was 2.5 days. There was no significant morbidity and surgery-related mortality. The combination of the Sassones scoring system for transvaginal ultrasonography and serum CA-125 level can accurately predict benign cystic masses, and operative laparoscopy is technically feasible and safe for the management of adnexal mass in postmenopausal women.

Retroperitoneal Approach in Single-Port Laparoscopic Hysterectomy.

Background and Objectives: In single-port laparoscopic hysterectomy(SP-LH), ligation of the uterine artery is a fundamental step. We analyzed the effectiveness and safety of 2 different surgical approaches to ligate the uterine artery in SP-LH for women with uterine myomas or adenomyosis. Methods: A single surgeon (TJ Kim) performed 36 retroperitoneal single-port laparoscopic hysterectomies (SP-rH) from September 1st 2012 to April 30th 2013. We compared these cases with 36 cases of conventional single-port laparoscopic abdominal hysterectomy (SP-aH) performed by the same surgeon from November 1st 2011 to July 31th 2012 (historic control). In the SP-rH cases, the retroperitoneal space was developed to identify the uterine artery; then, it was ligated where it originates from the internal iliac artery. Results: Estimated blood loss (EBL) was decreased in the SP-rH group compared with the SP-aH group (100 mL vs 200 mL; P = .023). The median total operative time was shorter in the SP-rH group (75 minutes vs 93 minutes; P < .05). The operative time of the Scope I phase, including ligation of the utero-ovarian (or infundibulopelvic) ligament, round ligament, uterine artery, and detachment of the bladder, was longer in the SP-rH group compared with that in the SP-aH group (26.0 minutes vs 24 minutes; P = .043). However, the operative time of the Scope II phase, including detachment of the uterosacral-cardinal ligament, vaginal cutting, and uterus removal, was shorter in the SP-rH group (19.5 minutes vs 30 minutes; P < .05). Operative complications were not significantly different between the groups (P = .374). Conclusion: Although SP-rH may be considered technically difficult, it can be performed safely and efficiently with surgical outcomes comparable to those of SP-aH.