Vávra P

Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery in Obese Patients

Background: The aim of the study was to the evaluate results of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in obese patients. Methods: All patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery from January 1993 to December 2003 were included in the study. BMI >30 was used as an objective obesity criterion. The evaluated parameters included BMI, age, sex, diagnosis and associated diseases, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification score (ASA), type and duration of procedure, peroperative and postoperative complications, postoperative course, reoperation, length of hospitalization, morbidity and early mortality. Results: 435 patients were evaluated. There were 80 patients (18%) in the obese group, and 355 patients (82%) were non-obese. The samples were comparable in terms of age, gender, ASA, diagnosis and procedure. Peroperative complications occurred more frequently in the obese group of patients (4% vs 2.5%, P>0.05) and the operating time was longer as well (151 min vs 141 min, P>0.05), both statistically not significant. There was no difference in postoperative course in both groups with regard to intravenous administration of analgesics (2 days), start of solid diet (day 3) and first bowel movement (day 4). Morbidity was higher in the obese group of patients (33% vs 24%, P>0.05), and reoperations were also more frequent here (13% vs 7%, P>0.05), which was reflected in prolonged hospital stay (14 days vs 12 days, P>0.05). On the other hand, early mortality was surprisingly lower in the obese group of patients (2.5% vs 6%, P>0.05). However, none of these differences achieved statistical significance on the set significance level of P=0.05. Conclusion: With sufficient experience, laparoscopic colorectal surgery in obese patients is feasible and safe. It is associated with no increased risk of complications and preserves all benefits of the mini-invasive approach.

The modern use of radiofrequency energy in surgery, endoscopy and interventional radiology

ZusammenfassungGRUNDLAGEN: Der therapeutische Einsatz der Radiofrequenzenergie (RF) in der Medizin nimmt zu. Diese Arbeit beschreibt 4 neue RF-Instrumente für Chirurgie, Endoskopie und interventioneller Radiologie. METHODIK: Die 4 Instrumente sind: 1) Endoblate zur endoskopischen RF-Therapie beim Rektumkarzinom; 2) Hexablate, ein bipolares RF-Instrument zur Behandlung des Hepatoms; 3) VesCoag, ein bipolarer RF-Katheter zum interventionell-radiologischem Verschluss von Tumorgefäßen der Leber und 4) EndoHPB, ein endoskopischer bipolarer RF-Katheter zur endobiliären Ablation, derzeit im Schweiemodel getestet. ERGEBNISSE: Endoblate, Hexablate and VesCoag zeigten im klinischen Einsatz keine technischen Probleme und unerwünschte Nebenwirkungen. Alle wurden bipolar verwendet bis auf VesCoag, welches nur monopolar Effizienz bei der Gefäßversiegelung zeigte. Bei EndoHPB zeigte sich im Schweinemodell, dass 5–10 Watt für 2 Minuten die ideale Einstellung war. Eine klinische Studie untersucht derzeit den Einsatz bei malignem Verschlussikterus. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNGEN: Die RF-Instrumente stellen eine faszinierende Entwicklung dar, welche vielversprechende therapeutische Methoden in Endoskopie, Chirurgie und interventioneller Radiologie erwarten lassen.SummaryBACKGROUND: The potential applications of radiofrequency (RF) energy in medicine are an expanding field. This paper describes the development and early results of the application of four novel radiofrequency devices in surgery, endoscopy and interventional radiology. METHODS: The four devices that were designed and have been assessed were 1) Endoblate: a bipolar RF catheter for endoscopic use which was assessed in patients with rectal tumors, 2) Hexablate: a bipolar RF ablation/aspiration device which was used to treat liver cancers, 3) VesCoag: a bipolar RF catheter for endovascular ablation which was used by interventional radiologists to seal the blood vessels of tumors within the liver and 4) EndoHPB: an endoscopic bipolar RF catheter for endobiliary ablation which so far has been assessed in a porcine model. RESULTS: In the pilot clinical studies on Endoblate, Hexablate and VesCoag, all the devices could be used in the clinical situation for which they had been designed. There were no technical problems and no serious adverse events associated with their use. All were used in bipolar mode apart from VesCoag, where it was found that a monopolar current was required for effective vessel sealing. For EndoHPB in the porcine model, it was determined that the ideal power setting was 5–10 watts for 2 min. A clinical trial is to be undertaken to determine whether this power setting is applicable for when EndoHPB is used in the management of malignant obstructive jaundice. CONCLUSIONS: It is an exciting time in the development of new RF instruments, and as they become more sophisticated their clinical applications will expand. These early data from the animal and pilot clinical studies are promising and larger studies with longer term follow-up needs to be undertaken to establish their true clinical worth.

Endoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation in Colorectal Cancer: Initial Clinical Results of a New Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation Device

PURPOSE: There are a number of alternative approaches to palliate cancers of the rectosigmoid, which may not be well tolerated or produce effective symptom relief. Therefore, there is a continuing need to develop alternative techniques for palliation. This paper reports our initial assessment of a new bipolar radiofrequency probe (Endoblate™). METHODS: Twelve patients with rectosigmoid tumors were treated with Endoblate™ during transanal endoscopic microsurgery. In ten patients, this was followed by surgical resection and two patients were treated with Endoblate™ alone. This study was designed to assess the technical utility of the device, immediate complications, and histologic effect. RESULTS: There were no technical problems. In the patients who had resection of the tumor immediately after ablation (n = 10), there were no local complications evident at surgery. Histology of the resected specimens showed that, on average, 82 (range, 60-99) percent of the tumor mass was destroyed in the ablation zone. In the remaining two patients, Endoblate™ alone was used successfully to stop bleeding from the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results illustrate the evolution and endoscopic application of bipolar radiofrequency technology. Endoblate™ showed potential as a useful and safe tool for the palliation of lower gastrointestinal malignancy.

Pilot study for a new bipolar radiofrequency ablation/aspirator device in the management of primary and secondary liver cancers

Background: In the US, the thermal ablation workload for cancer involving the liver is predicted to more than double in the next 5 years, emphasising the need to develop and improve the current technology.

Recent Development of Augmented Reality in Surgery: A Review

Introduction The development augmented reality devices allow physicians to incorporate data visualization into diagnostic and treatment procedures to improve work efficiency, safety, and cost and to enhance surgical training. However, the awareness of possibilities of augmented reality is generally low. This review evaluates whether augmented reality can presently improve the results of surgical procedures. Methods We performed a review of available literature dating from 2010 to November 2016 by searching PubMed and Scopus using the terms “augmented reality” and “surgery.” Results. The initial search yielded 808 studies. After removing duplicates and including only journal articles, a total of 417 studies were identified. By reading of abstracts, 91 relevant studies were chosen to be included. 11 references were gathered by cross-referencing. A total of 102 studies were included in this review. Conclusions The present literature suggest an increasing interest of surgeons regarding employing augmented reality into surgery leading to improved safety and efficacy of surgical procedures. Many studies showed that the performance of newly devised augmented reality systems is comparable to traditional techniques. However, several problems need to be addressed before augmented reality is implemented into the routine practice.

Impact of conversion on outcome in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

Introduction Long-term results after laparoscopic surgery with conversion to open surgery for colorectal cancer are seldom published. Aim The study analysed the impact of conversion of laparoscopic surgery to open resection for colorectal cancer on short- and long-term results. Material and methods The prospectively collected data of 469 patients with colorectal cancer in the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006 were analysed. Short- and long-term results were compared. Results The relative frequency of conversion was 7%. The subgroups were statistically similar regarding age, gender, body mass index (BMI), localization of tumour, T stage, and TNM stage. We observed a lower frequency of previous surgery (p = 0.018) in the group of patients with conversions to open surgery as well as statistically significantly higher frequency of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score II (p = 0.039). There was no statistical difference in morbidity, mortality, or the length of hospital stay between both the groups of patients. The operating time was significantly higher in the group of patients with conversion (p = 0.00001). There was a significantly higher blood loss in the patient groups with conversion to open surgery and in the group with primarily open surgery (p = 0.00023). There was no difference in the overall survival (p = 0.712), disease-free survival (p = 0.072) or in the local (p = 0.432) or distant (p = 0.957) recurrence. Conclusions No negative impact on short- or long-term results of conversion to open surgery was verified in patients with colorectal surgery.

Quality of Life after Laparoscopic and Open Resection of Colorectal Cancer

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate quality of life (QOL) outcomes after colorectal surgery for cancer from a 6-month perspective at a single institution. Methods: Cohort study to prospectively assess postoperative QOL in patients who underwent elective colorectal resection at the University Hospital Ostrava. QOL was assessed using the validated Short Form 36 (SF-36v2™) questionnaire at fixed time points. Results: A total of 148 patients were enrolled in the study (83 and 65 patients underwent laparoscopic and open colorectal resection, respectively). Operative time was significantly longer (161 vs. 133 min; p = 0.0073) and length of hospital stay was significantly shorter (10.7 vs. 13.1 days; p = 0.0451) in the laparoscopic group. Overall 30-day morbidity rates were lower in the laparoscopic group, but the difference was not significant (27.7 vs. 33.8%; p = 0.2116). QOL scores were comparable in both study groups before surgery (p ≥ 0.05). QOL was statistically significantly lower 2 days and 1 week after open colorectal surgery compared with laparoscopic surgery. One month and 6 months after surgery, there were no statistically significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The present study suggests a higher postoperative QOL during the first month after laparoscopic colorectal resection could be one of the benefits of laparoscopy.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic liver resection using Habib's technique: early experience

Introduction Hand-assisted laparoscopic liver surgery, a newly developed technique based on an innovative concept, has proved useful and safe for a variety of less invasive hepatectomies. Radiofrequency-assisted hepatic resection has been reported to be safe, associated with minimal morbidity and mortality and decreased intraoperative blood loss and transfusion requirements. Aim We describe how we perform hand-assisted laparoscopic radiofrequency-assisted hepatic resection using a bipolar radiofrequency device. Results The use of the hand port has allowed the surgeon to use his hand in direct liver manipulation, mobilization, and retraction. It was also useful for tactile tumour localization. Radiofrequency-assisted hepatic parenchymal transection was performed on 15 patients using a bipolar device (Habib 4X) with minimal blood loss (74 ml), and very decent operative and resection times (92 min, 33 min respectively). Conclusions This combined procedure offers a safe, effective and rapid liver resection technique. This might encourage surgeons to perform a minimally invasive approach for liver resection more frequently.

Colorectal cancer liver metastases: laparoscopic and open radiofrequency-assisted surgery.

Introduction The liver is the most common site of colorectal metastases (colorectal liver metastases – CLM). Surgical treatment in combination with oncological therapy is the only potentially curative method. Unfortunately, only 10–25% of patients are suitable for surgery. Traditionally, open liver resection (OLR) is usually performed. However, laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has become popular worldwide in the last two decades. Aim To evaluate the effectiveness and benefits of radiofrequency minor LLR of CLM in comparison with OLR. Material and methods The indication for surgery was CLM and the possibility to perform minor laparoscopic or OLR not exceeding two hepatic segments according to Couinauds classification. Results Sixty-six minor liver resections for CLM were performed. Twenty-five (37.9%) patients underwent a laparoscopic approach and 41 (62.1%) patients underwent OLR. The mean operative time was 166.4 min for LLR and 166.8 min for OLR. Average blood loss was 132.3 ±218.0 ml during LLR and 149.5 ±277.5 ml during OLR. Length of hospital stay was 8.4 ±2.0 days for LLR and 10.5 ±5.8 days for OLR. All resections were R0. There was no case of mortality. Postoperative complications were recognized in 9 (13.6%) patients: 8 in the group of OLR patients and 1 in the LLR group. The median survival time for LLR was 70.5 months and for OLR 61.9 months. The 5-year overall survival rate was higher for LLR vs. OLR – 82.1% vs. 69.8%. The average length of disease-free interval after LLR was greater (52.2 months) in comparison with OLR (49.4%). The 5-year disease-free interval was 63.2% for LLR and 58% for OLR. Conclusions Outcomes and oncological radicality of minor laparoscopic liver resections of CLM are comparable to outcomes of OLR.

Novel combined approach in the management of non-healing solitary rectal ulcer syndrome – laparoscopic resection rectopexy and transanal endoscopic microsurgery

Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is an uncommon chronic disorder with a wide range of endoscopic findings, clinical presentations and characteristic histopathological features. There is no clear consensus regarding SRUS management, because of its poorly understood pathogenesis and frequent association with various pelvic floor disorders. Laparoscopic resection rectopexy and transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) were used for the treatment of non-healing SRUS. The present paper reports a case of non-healing SRUS due to obstructive defecation syndrome based on combined pelvic floor disorders (rectocele, enterocele, internal rectal prolapse and dolichosigma) successfully managed by a novel combined mini-invasive approach which has never been previously reported in the literature (laparoscopic resection rectopexy and TEM). The new minimally invasive concept seems to be safe and feasible – laparoscopic resection rectopexy results in effective correction of the obstructive defecation syndrome, while TEM allows comfortable access for radical resection of a rectal ulcer.