Salleh Ibrahim

Risk Factors for Conversion to Open Surgery in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

BackgroundLaparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard treatment for most gallbladder diseases. Conversion to open cholecystectomy is necessary in some patients for any of a number of factors. Identifying these factors will help the patient, the surgeon, and the hospital.MethodsOne thousand laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed from May 1998 to May 2004 in Changi General Hospital, Singapore; 103 patients (10.3%) required conversion to open cholecystectomy. All data were kept prospectively and analyzed retrospectively.ResultsThe patients who had conversion were mostly men (P < 0.0001), were heavier (P < 0.05), had acute cholecystitis (P < 0.0001), and had a history of upper abdominal surgery (P < 0.001). There were no differences in terms of race (P = 0.315) and presence of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.126). Diabetic patients who had conversion had a significantly higher glycosylated hemoglobin (Hba1c) (8.9% ± 0.6%; P < 0.038). Patients who had conversion had a higher total white count (P < 0.05), but liver function tests were similar between the two groups. There was a higher conversion rate among the junior surgeons than the more experience surgeons (P < 0.032).ConclusionsThe significant risk factors for conversion were male gender, advanced age (> 60 years), higher body weight > 65 kg, acute cholecystitis, previous upper abdominal surgery, junior surgeons, and diabetes associated with Hba1c > 6. Chronic liver disease was not found to be a risk factor (P = 0.345), and performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in cirrhotic patients is safe. Identifying risk factors will help the surgeon to plan and counsel the patient and introduce new policies to the unit. Some of the risk factors are similar to those reported from international centers, but others may be unique to our department.

Hartmann procedure: is it still relevant today?

Background:  With more and more centres worldwide resorting to primary anastomosis for most left sided colonic pathology, the place for a Hartmann procedure seems to be relegated to surgical history books. However, in our centre it is still being performed on a regular basis. As such, we decided to retrospectively look at our results for the procedure.

Triple-Layer Duct-to-Mucosa Pancreaticojejunostomy after Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with a high degree of morbidity; the main cause is failure of the pancreatic anastomosis. It is imperative that this is performed safely and is secure. Pancreatic leaks will lead to serious morbidity and even mortality. Here we describe the use of a new surgical triple-layer pancreaticojejunostomy in a group of patients with minimal morbidity. Methods: This is a retrospective review from a prospective database. Fifty-one consecutive patients underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (either pylorus-preserving (PPPD) or classical Whipple’s) from May 1999 to December 2005 and had the pancreaticojejunostomy reconstructed as described below. Results: The mean age of the 51 patients was 56.71 ± 9.0 years; 32 (62.7%) were female and 19 (37.3%) were males. The mean operating time was 368.55 ± 57.94 min; the average blood loss was 396 ± 236 ml with 15 patients (29.4%) requiring postoperative blood transfusions. The mean pancreatic duct size was 4.94 ± 2.6 mm. In terms of pancreatic texture, there were 33 (64.7%) hard pancreas and 18 (35.3%) soft pancreas. PPPD was performed on 28 (54.9%) and the classical Whipple’s procedure on 23 (45.1%). Twelve patients had postoperative complications; only 1 patient had a pancreatic fistula which was treated conservatively. Conclusion: This method is safe and reliable. It can be used for a myriad of pancreas remnants with a wide range of pancreatic duct sizes.

Analysis of a structured training programme in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BackgroundLaparoscopic cholecystectomy is an established treatment for almost all gallbladder diseases with bile duct injury rates similar to open cholecystectomy. These laparoscopic skills must be passed on to junior surgeons without compromising patient safety.Materials and methodsWe analysed our structured training programme over 6years (May 2000 to May 2006) by following three trainee surgeons during their training and beyond. During this period, 1,000 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were carried out with five consultant surgeons supervising and three new trainees who completed their accreditation in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.ResultsThere were 694 patients operated on by consultant surgeons (Group 1), 202 by trainee surgeons (Group 2) and 104 by newly trained surgeons (Group 3). There were no differences between the groups in terms of age and gender. However, there was a significant difference in gallbladder disease among the three groups; Group 2 had more gallstone pancreatitis patients (P < 0.019). There were no differences among the three groups in conversion rates, bile duct injury rates, general complication rates or length of stay. However, the duration of operation in Group 2 was significantly longer compared to the other two groups (P < 0.0001).ConclusionThis programme is effective in training junior surgeons and does not compromise patient safety.

Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis: disease characteristics and patterns of recurrence.

Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis (RPC) is characterized by repeated infections of the biliary system with the formation of stones and strictures. The management aims are to treat acute cholangitis, clear the biliary ductal debris and calculi, and eliminate predisposing factors of bile stasis. Operative options include hepatectomy and biliary drainage procedures or a combination of both; nonoperative options include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) guided procedures. This current study compares the operative and the nonoperative management outcomes in patients with RPC in 80 consecutive patients. In addition, we aim to evaluate our approach to the management of RPC over the past decade, according to the various degrees of severity and extent of the disease, and identify the patterns of recurrence in this complex clinical condition. Initial failure rate in terms of residual stone of operative compared with nonoperative treatment was 10.2% versus 32.3% (P = 0.020). Long-term failure rate for operative compared with non-operative treatment was 20.4% versus 61.3% (P = 0.010). Based on multivariate logistic regression, the only significant factors associated with failure were bilaterality of disease (OR: 8.101, P = 0.007) and nonoperative treatment (OR: 26.843, P = 0.001). The median time to failure of the operative group was 48 months as compared to 20 months in the nonoperative group (P < 0.010). Thus operative treatment is a durable option in long-term resolution of disease. Hepatectomy is the preferred option to prevent recurrent disease. However, biliary drainage procedures are also an effective treatment option. The utility of nonoperative treatment can achieve a reasonable duration of disease free interval with minimal complications, albeit inferior to operative management.

Risk factors for microvascular tumour thrombi in hepatocellular carcinoma: a univariate and multivariate analysis.

Background:  Microvascular tumour thrombi in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) predict poor outcome and are a risk factor for intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastases. Survival after liver transplantation is also affected. Our aim was to predict the risk factors for the presence of microvascular tumour thrombi.