Judy Jin

Abdominal hernia repair with bridging acellular dermal matrix--an expensive hernia sac.

BACKGROUND The ability of biologic mesh to remodel into native fascia and prevent hernia recurrence in complicated repairs is appealing. However, few long-term data exist evaluating these products in the setting of bridging fascial defects. These collagen-based mesh products are costly, and long-term evaluation of hernia recurrence rates are necessary to justify their expense. METHODS This was a retrospective review of patients undergoing repair of complex abdominal defects with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) at our institution was performed. RESULTS Between January 2004 and December 2005, 11 patients underwent complex ventral hernia repairs with bridging ADM. Indications for repair included resection of enterocutaneous fistula, infected mesh, and/or ventral hernia repair. A mean of 175 cm(2) (range 8 to 456) of ADM were used. Mean follow-up was 24 months (range 18 to 37). One patient died on postoperative day 20. Eight of the 10 (80%) remaining patients had recurrences, and 7 underwent further surgery for repair. One patient reported laxity but refused repair. The total cost of ADM alone for these 11 patients was

Complete endoscopic closure of gastrotomy after natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery using the NDO Plicator.

61,926; the cost for the 8 patients having recurrences was

Late phase TNF-alpha depression in natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) peritoneoscopy

40,776; and the total mean cost was

Design and initial implementation of HerQLes: A hernia-related quality-of-life survey to assess abdominal wall function

5,100/patient. CONCLUSIONS Although bridging fascial defects with ADM can be an appealing substitute in extremely complicated cases, our data demonstrate exceedingly high recurrence rates. The long-term outcome of bridging fascial defects with biologic prosthesis does not justify the expense of the product.

Infectious implications in the porcine model of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) with PEG-tube closure: a quantitative bacteriologic study

BackgroundThe NDO Plicator is a device developed for endoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) by approximation of tissues together with a double-pledgeted U-stitch. It was theorized that this device may facilitate transgastric natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) because closure of the transgastric defect remains a key component for advancement of this new technology.MethodsA standardized 12-mm gastrotomy was created endoscopically in four pigs using a combination of needle-knife cautery and balloon dilation. As the endoscope was removed, a Savary soft-tipped wire was introduced into the stomach, and the NDO Plicator was subsequently advanced over the wire. Each defect was identified, and the device was positioned. If necessary, the Plicator’s tissue grasper was used to hold the superior aspect of the gastrotomy and bring the opposed borders of the defect within the jaws of the device. The device was fired three times, leaving three pledgeted suture bundles to close the gastric defect. After closure, each animal was explored, and the integrity of the closure was assessed. The animals underwent in vivo contrast fluoroscopy and ex vivo burst pressure testing studies for assessment of leakage at the closure site.ResultsThe first animal was used to test feasibility, refine techniques, and develop a standard procedure. All of the next three animals studied showed complete sealing of the gastrotomy site without evidence of contrast extravasation on multiplanar fluoroscopic imaging. Each stomach was excised, submerged in water, and subjected to a pressurized air leak test. No leaks were noted until pressures exceeded 55 mmHg.ConclusionThis study supports the use of the NDO Plicator for closure of standardized gastric defects in a porcine model. In addition to closing NOTES gastrotomies, the NDO Plicator may be a particularly useful tool for obtaining complete closure of gastric perforations and anastomotic leaks, and for performing stomal reduction after gastric bypass procedures. The mechanical properties of a closure are not the only factor determining whether a leak will develop. Tissue opposition, ischemia, and tension are important factors that are not easily or reliably measured. The physiologic relevance of gastric bursting pressure is not known. Therefore, corollary animal studies with longer-term evaluation are necessary before research proceeds to clinical trials.

Laparoscopic Versus Open Ventral Hernia Repair

BACKGROUND Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) allows access to the peritoneal cavity without skin incisions. Contamination of the peritoneal cavity by enteric contents may render NOTES more physiologically and immunologically invasive than previously thought. Measurement of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a validated method to quantify surgical stress. The physiologic and immunologic impact of NOTES is unknown. METHODS A total of 37 swine underwent abdominal exploration via transgastric NOTES peritoneoscopy, laparoscopy (LX), laparotomy (OPEN), or sham surgery (CONTROL) and were allowed to survive. TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6 plasma levels were determined at the start and completion of surgery, and at 1 hour, 2 days, and 14 days postoperatively. RESULTS At surgical completion, OPEN animals demonstrated higher TNF-alpha levels than all groups. TNF-alpha levels were similar for all groups at 1 hour and 2 days. NOTES animals had significantly reduced plasma levels of TNF-alpha than all other groups on postoperative days 7 and 14. Controlling for baseline cytokine variability, analysis was repeated using normalized data, which confirmed significantly reduced TNF-alpha levels for NOTES compared with all groups at 14 days. Subset analysis excluding LX and OPEN complications revealed lower NOTES TNF-alpha levels at 7 and 14 days compared with all groups. IL-1beta and IL-6 levels were undetectable in 66.8% and 70.5% of samples, respectively, without significant trends. CONCLUSIONS Diagnostic NOTES peritoneoscopy demonstrated similar levels of systemic proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha compared with diagnostic laparoscopy and exploratory laparotomy in the immediate postoperative period despite gross intraperitoneal contamination. None of the surgical groups, however, produced a measurable, consistent trend in IL-1beta or IL-6. Consistently reduced levels of TNF-alpha in NOTES animals in the late postoperative period indicates an immunomodulatory effect of the NOTES surgical technique not present in laparoscopy or laparotomy.

Incidental thyroid nodule: patterns of diagnosis and rate of malignancy.

BACKGROUND Success of a surgical intervention is often measured by hard clinical outcomes. In ventral hernia repair (VHR) these include wound morbidity and hernia recurrence. These outcomes fail to account for a surgical interventions effect on a patients quality of life (QofL). Our objective was to design a hernia-specific QofL instrument with a focus on abdominal wall function, evaluate its measurement properties, and assess the impact of VHR on QofL using this new instrument. STUDY DESIGN A 16-question QofL survey tool, HerQLes, was constructed. Patients presenting for elective VHR completed the survey. Rasch modeling was used to evaluate the items; fit statistics, person-item mapping, separation index, and reliability were examined. Associations between baseline characteristics and QofL were assessed. RESULTS Eighty-eight patients completed the survey before assessment for VHR. Mean age was 57.2 years (±12.4 years), mean American Society of Anesthesiologists score was 2.8 (±0.5), and mean body mass index was 34.9 kg/m(2) (±9.3 kg/m(2)). Based on Rasch modeling, 12 of 16 items met model fit criteria. The 4 poorly fitting items were eliminated from further analysis. The 12 items retained have good internal consistency reliability (0.86). On a 0- to 100-point scale, mean QofL score was 47.2 (±15.6). Patients with higher grade hernias had lower HerQLes scores (p = 0.06). Patients showed significant improvement in abdominal wall function and QofL 6 months after VHR (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Quality-of-life is an important component of surgical management of ventral hernias. The 12-question QofL survey, HerQLes, is reliable and valid. At baseline, patients with more complex hernias tended to have a decreased abdominal wall function and QofL. Six months after surgical repair, HerQLes scores change in the predicted direction. We believe HerQLes is potentially a valuable tool to assess patient-centered abdominal wall functional improvements after VHR.

Human Peritoneal Membrane Controls Adhesion Formation and Host Tissue Response Following Intra-Abdominal Placement in a Porcine Model

BACKGROUND Obtaining reliable closure of transvisceral defects currently limits natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). PEG tubes are potential means of managing NOTES gastrotomies. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of PEG closure after NOTES. DESIGN An experimental animal study. SETTING A laboratory. INTERVENTIONS The pigs received gastric lavage with saline solution, chloramphenicol, or no lavage, and then underwent transgastric NOTES peritoneoscopy. Cultures were obtained by endoscopy during the surgery. A sterile foreign body was left in the peritoneal cavity. The gastrotomy was closed with a 20F PEG tube. The animals were observed for 14 days and underwent sterile laparotomy. Cultures of the foreign body and the peritoneal cavity were obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Abscess rate, peritoneal quantitative cultures. RESULTS After 1 exclusion for anesthetic complications, 19 animals underwent NOTES; 18 (94.7%) survived the entire postoperative period. One animal died on postoperative day 2 after the PEG tube dislodged. At 14 days, 5 animals (27.8%) had intra-abdominal abscesses, 8 (44.4%) had positive peritoneal cultures, and 9 (50%) foreign bodies were contaminated on culture. Infectious complications were not altered by the type of gastric lavage or peritoneal bacterial inoculum introduced at the time of surgery. LIMITATION An animal model. CONCLUSIONS PEG closure of a NOTES gastrotomy is associated with subclinical intra-abdominal abscess formation and can result in death when the tube is dislodged during the early postoperative period. Preprocedural gastric lavage does not alter the intra-abdominal bacterial burden introduced at the time of surgery or subsequent infectious outcomes in the porcine model. These concerning findings necessitate additional studies to determine if porcine models are appropriate and applicable to human subjects in the NOTES setting.

In vitro evaluation of the permeability of prosthetic meshes as the possible cause of postoperative seroma formation.

Ventral hernia repair remains one of the most common operations performed by general surgeons. Despite the frequency with which this procedure is performed, there is little agreement and extensive controversy as to the cause of most of the hernias, or the ideal approach to repair these complicated problems. This article attempts to identify and provide some clarification of these controversial issues in abdominal wall reconstruction after ventral herniation based on the available literature.

Human Peritoneal Membrane Reduces the Formation of Intra-Abdominal Adhesions in Ventral Hernia Repair: Experimental Study in a Chronic Hernia Rat Model

BACKGROUND The clinical significance of thyroid incidentalomas is controversial. METHODS The rate of malignancy was determined for patients with an incidentally discovered thyroid nodule, and results were stratified according to imaging modality as well as presence and type of pre-existing malignancy. RESULTS One hundred fifty patients were identified, of which 88 with a known malignancy were screened for metastases. Twenty-three (15%) patients were diagnosed with thyroid malignancy. Incidental nodules identified on positron emission tomography scan were malignant in 33% of the patients compared with 11% for those identified on computed axial tomography (P = .016). The rate of thyroid malignancy in patients with pre-existing nonthyroid malignancy (18%) was not significantly different from patients without a history of malignancy (13%, P = .36). COMMENTS Thyroid incidentalomas are associated with a high rate of malignancy. The rate of malignancy is highest for nodules discovered on positron emission tomography scan and is no different in patients with or without pre-existing malignancy.