Single incision laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal hernioplasty: lessons learned from 1,231 procedures

Purpose@#Although there are many articles about single incision laparoscopic (SIL) hernioplasty, a large-scale study or article about its long-term outcome has not been reported yet. The aim of this study is to assess short- and long-term outcomes of SIL totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repair with large number of cases. @*Methods@#A prospectively collected database containing details of 1,231 procedures in 1,129 consecutive patients who underwent SIL-TEP hernia repair between June 2010 and December 2017 at a single institution was retrospectively analyzed. SIL-TEP hernia repair was performed using a glove single port device and standard laparoscopic instruments.Recurrence rate of SIL-TEP hernia repair was analyzed by a telephone questionnaire. @*Results@#Among 1,129 patients, 1,027 (91.0%) had unilateral hernia and 102 (9.0%) had bilateral hernia. There were 12 (1.1%) conversions to single or 3 ports laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernioplasty or Lichtenstein repair. Mean operative time was 40.3 minutes for unilateral hernia and 61.6 minutes for bilateral hernia. Intraoperative complication rate was 21.8%. Most intraoperative complications were peritoneum or sac tearing (20.1%). Postoperative complications occurred in 97 (8.6%) cases, most of which were minor morbidity except for 1 mesh infection. Five-year recurrence rate was 4%. @*Conclusion@#SIL-TEP hernia repair is safe and technically feasible with acceptable short- and long-term outcomes. Largescale randomized controlled trials comparing SIL-TEP hernia repair with conventional laparoscopic TEP are needed to confirm these results.

Solitary mastocytoma presenting at birth

Mastocytosis is a rare disease which occurs in both children and adults, and it can manifest as a solitary or multiple skin lesions. Both can cause cutaneous or systemic symptoms. Because of the heterogeneity of clinical presentation of mastocytosis and its rare prevalence, it can be hard to suspect the mastocytosis at the first time. Most solitary mastocytomas are about 1–5 cm in diameter and have features of brownish-yellow, minimally elevated plaques with a smooth shiny surface. This article presents a case of solitary mastocytoma which occurred in neonate and that we treated through surgical excision. In histopathological examination, it consisted of c-kit-positive mast cells. Although pediatric cutaneous mastocytosis might regress spontaneously, clinicians should keep in mind that it could be associated with systemic mastocytosis which involves hematopoietic system.

Reduction of Closed Frontal Sinus Fractures through Suprabrow Approach

BACKGROUND: The traditional approach for reduction of frontal sinus fractures is coronal incision. Inherent complications of the coronal approach include long scar, hair loss, and long operation time. We describe a simple approach for the reduction of frontal sinus anterior wall fractures using a suprabrow incision that is commonly used for brow lift. METHODS: From March 2007 to October 2016, the authors identified patients with anterior wall frontal sinus fractures treated by open reduction through a suprabrow incision. Only cases with photographic/radiographic documentation and a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included. The incision line was designed to be at the upper margin of the eyebrow. Medical records and radiographic data were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical outcomes, cosmetic results, and complication were assessed. The patient scale of the patient and observer scar assessment scale was used to assess patient satisfaction for incisional scar at the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients underwent fracture reduction through a suprabrow approach during the study period, with a mean follow-up of 41 months. No patients showed any recurrent displacement, eyebrow asymmetry, or infection during follow-up. Thirteen patients reported their forehead paresthesia postoperatively, and 12 of them had preoperative symptom. One patient complained of incisional scar and underwent scar revision. All patients were satisfied with their eyebrow and forehead contour. CONCLUSION: The suprabrow approach allowed for an accurate reduction of the fractures in the anterior wall frontal sinus by providing direct visualization of the fracture. This transcutaneous approach can effectively restore forehead contour with acceptable postoperative complications and patient satisfaction.

The Adipofascial V-Y Advancement Flap with Skin Graft for Coverage of the Full-Thickness Burns of the Gluteal Region

Any types of burn injury that involve more than deep dermis often require reconstructive treatment. In gluteal region, V-Y fasciocutaneous advancement flap is frequently used to cover the defect. However, in case of large burn wounds, this kind of flap cannot provide adequate coverage because of the lack of normal surrounding tissues. We suggest V-Y adipofascial flap using the surrounding superficially damaged tissue. We present the case of a patient who was referred for full-thickness burn on gluteal region. We performed serial debridement and applied vacuum-assisted closure device to defective area as wound preparation for coverage. When healthy granulation tissue grew adequately, we covered the defect with surrounding V-Y adipofascial flap and the raw surface of the flap was then covered with split-thickness skin graft. We think the use of subcutaneous fat as an adipofascial flap to cover the deeper defect adjacent to the flap is an excellent alternative especially in huge defect with uneven depth varying from subcutaneous fat to bone exposure in terms of minimal donor site morbidity and reliability of the flap. Even if the flap was not intact, it was reuse of the adjacent tissue of the injured area, so it is relatively safe and applicable.

Role of Soluble ST2 as a Marker for Rejection after Heart Transplant

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Endomyocardial biopsy is obligatory during the first year after heart transplant (HTx) for the surveillance of acute rejection. Previous attempts using cardiac biomarkers for the detection of rejection failed to show enough evidence to substitute endomyocardial biopsy. Therefore, this study sought the possibility of using soluble ST2 (sST2), a novel cardiovascular marker, as a surrogate marker for acute allograft rejection after HTx. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 494 blood samples acquired at the time of endomyocardial biopsy were analyzed in 67 HTx cases from September 2006 to August 2014. Significant rejection was defined as International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant (ISHLT) score ≥2R and humoral rejection accompanied by hemodynamic instability. RESULTS: Twenty cases of HTx with 22 blood samples showed significant rejection in endomyocardial biopsy at 4.0 (2.0-9.0) months after HTx. The level of sST2 showed positive correlation with cardiac troponin I, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (all p<0.001), and negative correlation with post-HTx months (p<0.001). The levels of sST2 according to the ISHLT scores were 36 (19-98), 28 (18-62), 15 (16-37), and 191 (85-343) ng/mL, consecutively 0R, 1R, 2R, and 3R+ (3R plus hemodynamically-unstable humoral rejection) (p=0.003). However, when we studied within-subject effects of sST2 using a mixed model, the sST2 level according to the predefined time point was not different according to the presence of significant rejection (p for interaction=0.94). CONCLUSION: Although sST2 is known as a promising predictor for cardiovascular events, its role in HTx patients to predict acute allograft rejection seems to be limited.

The Association between Obesity Indices in Adolescence and Carotid Intima-media Thickness in Young Adults: Kangwha Study / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between obesity indices (body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference) in adolescents and the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in early adulthood. We also wanted to identify the best predictor for C-IMT among these obesity indices. METHODS: This study used community-based prospective cohort study, known as the Kangwha Study, and the data we used were from subjects who were 16-years old in 1996 (defined as "adolescencec") and 25 years-old in 2005 (defined as "early adulthoodc"). The 256 subjects (113 men and 143 women) who were used for analysis participated in both follow-ups, and they underwent B-mode ultrasonography of the carotid arteries at the early adulthood follow-up. Obesity indices were defined as the body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference. The C-IMT was defined as the mean of the maximal IMT of each common carotid artery. The C-IMT and obesity indices associations were evaluated via multivariable regression, logistic regression and the receiver-operator characteristic curve analyses. RESULTS: In men, all the obesity indices in adolescence were showed to have statistically significant positive association with C-IMT in early adulthood. However, no such relationship was showed in women. On multiple regression and logistic regression analysis, the waist-hip ratio showed the biggest relationship with the C-IMT among the 4 obesity indices. However, there were no statistical significant differences and no best predictor was found. For the women, the obesity incidences and C-IMT showed no relationships. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that obesity in adolescence was related to an increase C-IMT in healthy young Korean men.