Daniel J. Deziel

Complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A national survey of 4,292 hospitals and an analysis of 77,604 cases

Complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy were evaluated by a survey of surgical department chairpersons at 4,292 US hospitals. The 77,604 cases were reported by 1,750 respondents. Laparotomy was required for treatment of a complication in 1.2% of patients. The mean rate of bile duct injury (exclusive of cystic duct) was 0.6% and was significantly lower at institutions that had performed more than 100 cases. Bile duct injuries were recognized postoperatively in half of the cases and most frequently required anastomotic repair. Intraoperative cholangiography was practiced selectively by 52% of the respondents and routinely by 31%. Bowel and vascular injuries, which occurred in 0.14% and 0.25% of cases, respectively, were the most lethal complications. Postoperative bile leak was recognized in 0.3% of patients, most commonly originating from the cystic duct. Eighteen of 33 postoperative deaths resulted from operative injury. These data demonstrate that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with low rates of morbidity and mortality but a significant rate of bile duct injury.

Pyloric and gastric preserving pancreatic resection. Experience with 87 patients.

Eighty-seven patients with neoplasm (57 cases), pancreatitis (28 cases), or benign biliary obstruction (2 cases) were treated with pyloric preserving pancrcatectomy with two postoperative deaths, neither due to abdominal complications. About 50% of patients had delay in recovery of gastrointestinal function. Six and seven patients had clinically significant biliary and pancreatic fistulas, respectively, with some patients having both. Complications required 16 reoperations. Marginal ulcer was suggested by endoscopy or barium study in five patients, three of whom were successfully managed by a medical regimen. In the other two patients, exploration failed to demonstrate an ulcer or jejunitis. In most patients, long-term gastrointestinal function was judged to be excellent based on weight gain and lack of digestive symptoms. Pyloric function and gastric motility were evaluated by abdominal scanning using indium 111 and technetium 99m. Gastric emptying of liquids and solids was normal. Estimations of enterogastric reflux showed a moderate difference between normal subjects and pancreatectomy patients. Cancer-free survival was comparable to that after the standard Whipple procedure.

The management of hernia. Considerations in cost effectiveness.

Approximately 700,000 herniorrhaphies are performed annually in the United States for primary, recurrent, and bilateral inguinal hernias. This article describes the components of cost regarding the approach and management of groin hernias. The trends toward outpatient procedures, regional anesthetic agents, and early return to work are analyzed. The common types of repair are compared with reference to recurrence and complication rates. The advances and results of laparoscopic hernia are reviewed. In summary, a cost-effective approach for the management of inguinal hernias is presented that could reduce the yearly cost of hernia repair by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Standardizing laparoscopic procedure time and determining the effect of patient age/gender and presence or absence of surgical residents during operation: A prospective multicenter trial

AbstractBackground: Most of the expense of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is incurred while the patient is in the operating room (OR). Half of this operating room cost is equipment and the other half is personnel. What is an acceptable LC procedure time and how much variation is there? What are the effects of age, gender, and expertise on the mean LC procedure time? Methods: A prospective, multicenter gathering of LC procedure times and task component times was performed through the cooperative effort of members of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) at 11 hospitals. The effect of LC time of age, gender, and surgical resident was recorded. Results: The mean LC time for 359 cases was 73 ± 28 min. The percent of this LC time for the following component tasks included: to place and remove trocars, 34%; total dissection time, 40%; intraoperative cholangiogram, 15%; and removing the gallbladder, 7%. Age and gender did not change LC time, but the presence of a surgical resident prolonged LC time from 53 to 79 min due to an increase in all LC component task times. Conclusions: LC time was globally calibrated in 11 North American hospitals and was found to be affected by expertise but not by gender or age. The mean and standard deviation of LC time can be used for purposes of self-assessing quality performance.

Central Pancreatectomy for the Resection of Benign or Low Malignant Potential Neoplasms

Central pancreatectomy is an uncommonly performed procedure that may be particularly useful for the removal of benign and low malignant potential lesions in the neck and body of the pancreas. This procedure may have fewer major complications and better preserve endocrine and exocrine function than the more commonly performed pancreaticoduodenectomy or distal pancreatectomy. We report our recent experience with central pancreatectomy and review the literature on this topic.

Laparoscopic ultrasound as the primary method for bile duct imaging during cholecystectomy

BackgroundIntraoperative fluorocholangiography (IOC) has been the standard method for bile duct imaging during cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) has been evaluated as a possible alternative, but has been used less frequently. The authors examined the evolving use of these two methods to assess the relative utility of LUS as the primary method for routine bile duct imaging during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).MethodsThis study analyzed a prospective database containing 423 consecutive cholecystectomies performed by one attending surgeon in an academic medical center between 1995 and 2005.ResultsIntraoperative bile duct imaging was performed in 371 (94%) of 396 LCs performed for cholelithiasis. As recorded, IOC was performed in 239 cases, LUS in 236 cases, and both in 104 cases. Choledocholithiasis was present in 50 patients (13%). Common bile duct stones (CBDS) were identified by LUS in 3% of the patients without preoperative indicators of CBDS, and in 10% of the patients with one or more indicators. As shown by the findings, LUS had a positive predictive value of 100%, a negative predictive value of 99.6%, a sensitivity of 92.3%, and a specificity of 100% for detecting CBDS. Also, LUS identified clinically significant bile duct anatomy in 6% of the patients. In 1995, LUS was used for 20% of cases, whereas by 2005, it was used for 97% of cases. Conversely, the use of IOC decreased from 93% to 23%.ConclusionsWith moderate experience, LUS can become the primary routine imaging method for evaluating the bile duct during LC. It is as reliable as IOC for detecting choledocholithiasis. In addition, LUS can locate the common bile duct during difficult dissections. On the basis of this experience, LUS is used currently in nearly all LCs and is the sole method for bile duct imaging in 75% of these cases. IOC is used as an adjunct to LUS when LUS imaging is inadequate, when stronger clinical indicators of choledocholithiasis are present, or when biliary anatomy remains uncertain.

The impact of operative timing on outcomes of appendicitis: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Project analysis

BACKGROUND Surgery is indicated for acute uncomplicated appendicitis but the optimal timing is controversial. Recent literature is conflicting on the effect of time to intervention. METHODS We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project dataset for patients undergoing laparoscopic and open appendectomy between 2007 and 2012. Logistic regression was used to evaluate 30-day morbidity and mortality of intervention at different time periods, adjusting for preoperative risk factors. RESULTS A total of 69,926 patients undergoing appendectomy were identified. Groups were divided by time to intervention: group 1, less than 24 hours (n = 55,839; 79.9%); group 2, 24 to 48 hours (n = 13,409; 18.6%); and group 3, greater than 48 hours (n = 1,038; 1.5%). After adjustment, the risk of complication remained increased for group 3 versus group 1 or 2 (odds ratio 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.34 to 2.07). CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate equivalent outcomes between time to appendectomy of less than 24 and 24 to 48 hours. There was a 2-fold increase in complication rate for patients delayed longer than 48 hours.

Tokyo Guidelines 2018: flowchart for the management of acute cholecystitis

We propose a new flowchart for the treatment of acute cholecystitis (AC) in the Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18). Grade III AC was not indicated for straightforward laparoscopic cholecystectomy (Lap‐C). Following analysis of subsequent clinical investigations and drawing on Big Data in particular, TG18 proposes that some Grade III AC can be treated by Lap‐C when performed at advanced centers with specialized surgeons experienced in this procedure and for patients that satisfy certain strict criteria. For Grade I, TG18 recommends early Lap‐C if the patients meet the criteria of Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ≤5 and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (ASA‐PS) ≤2. For Grade II AC, if patients meet the criteria of CCI ≤5 and ASA‐PS ≤2, TG18 recommends early Lap‐C performed by experienced surgeons; and if not, after medical treatment and/or gallbladder drainage, Lap‐C would be indicated. TG18 proposes that Lap‐C is indicated in Grade III patients with strict criteria. These are that the patients have favorable organ system failure, and negative predictive factors, who meet the criteria of CCI ≤3 and ASA‐PS ≤2 and who are being treated at an advanced center (where experienced surgeons practice). If the patient is not considered suitable for early surgery, TG18 recommends early/urgent biliary drainage followed by delayed Lap‐C once the patients overall condition has improved. Free full articles and mobile app of TG18 are available at: http://www.jshbps.jp/modules/en/index.php?content_id=47. Related clinical questions and references are also included.

The impact of laparoscopic cholecystectomy on the operative experience of surgical residents

SummaryThe impact of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) on the operative experience of surgical residents was assessed in a series of 787 cholecystectomies. During an initial 18-month period, residents participated in LC as operating surgeon and as first assistant or camera operator in 33% and 97% of cases, respectively. Operative time, cholangiography rate, conversion rate, and complications were not adversely affected by resident operators. Residents performed 87% of concurrent planned open cholecystectomies (OC). In comparison to the 6 months preceding LC: (1) The mean number of resident OCs decreased significantly while the total number of resident cholecystectomies was unchanged; (2) the proportion of OCs performed by PGY5 residents significantly increased at the expense of junior resident cases. LC can be safely integrated into surgical resident training by standard methods as for open procedures. Although resident operative experience has been redistributed, initial experience does not suggest that qualification in open biliary surgery has been compromised.

Unusual Complications of Gallstones

Extrinsic compression of the bile duct from gallstone disease is associated with bilio-biliary fistulization, requiring biliary-enteric reconstruction. Biliary-enteric fistulas are associated with intestinal obstruction at various levels. The primary goal of therapy is relief of intestinal obstruction; definitive repair is performed for selected patients. Hemobilia from gallstone-related pseudoaneurysms is preferentially controlled by selective arterial embolization. Rapidly increasing jaundice with relatively normal liver enzymes is a diagnostic hallmark of bilhemia. Acquired thoraco-biliary fistulas are primarily treated by percutaneous and endoscopic interventions.