Recognition of the membrane anatomy-based laparoscopic assisted right hemicolectomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Although it has become a consensus in the field of colorectal surgery to perform radical tumor treatment and functional protection under the minimally invasive concept, there exist many controversies during clinical practice, including the concept of embryonic development of abdominal organs and membrane anatomy, the principle of membrane anatomy related to right hemicolectomy, D3 resection, and identification of the inner boundary. In this paper, we analyzed recently reported literature with high-level evidence and clinical data from the author's hospital to recognize and review the membrane anatomy-based laparoscopic assisted right hemicolectomy for right colon cancer, emphasizing the importance of priority of surgical dissection planes, vascular orientation, and full understanding of the fascial space, and proposing that the surgical planes should be dissected in the parietal-prerenal fascial space, and the incision should be 1 cm from the descending and horizontal part of the duodenum. The surgery should be performed according to a standard procedure with strict quality control. To identify the resection range of D3 dissection, it is necessary to establish a clinical, imaging, and pathological evaluation model for multiple factors or to apply indocyanine green and nano-carbon lymphatic tracer intraoperatively to guide precise lymph node dissection. We expect more high-level evidence of evidence-based medicine to prove the inner boundary of laparoscopic assisted radical right colectomy and a more rigorous consensus to be established.

Preliminary experiences of application of sentinel lymph node navigation technique in early gastric cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the feasibility and clinical significance of sentinel lymph node (SLN) navigation limited surgery in early gastric cancer (EGC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-nine patients confirmed with EGC between January 2002 and December 2006 were randomly divided into tailored surgery group (20 cases) and conventional surgery group (19 cases). By combining the mapping agents of (99m)Tc labeled sulfur colloid solution and blue violet, SLN biopsy was conducted in tailored surgery group, in which a limited gastric resection with D0-D1 lymphadenectomy was performed in 17 cases with negative SLN examined by routine HE staining during operation; standard radical gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy (D2) was conducted in the other 3 cases with positive SLN and in all the cases of conventional surgery group. The diagnostic accuracy and false-negative rate of SLN status were calculated respectively. The operation outcome and postoperative complication and survival rate were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SLNs were detected in all 20 patients with a successful detection rate of 100% in tailored surgery group. The number of detected SLNs ranged from 1 to 3, with a mean of 2.2 per case. The diagnostic accuracy and false-negative rate was 95% and 5%, respectively. The hospital stay and recovery time of gastrointestinal functions in patients undergoing limited surgery were significantly shorter than in conventional surgery group and with similar postoperative survival and less complications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>SLN biopsy may provide an accurate diagnostic procedure for detecting lymph node metastasis in EGC. Patients with node-negative EGC receiving limited surgery are likely to benefit from minimally invasive approach with the similar survival as standard radical surgery.</p>

Clinical significance of sentinel lymph node detection by combining the dye-directed and radioguided methods in gastric cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) with combining the dye-directed and radioguided methods in gastric cancer and assess its potential role in determining the rational extent of lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-six patients of gastric cancer diagnosed as T(1)-T(3) were enrolled in this study. Endoscopic injection submucosally of (99m)Tc labeled sulfur colloid solution was performed around the primary tumor 2 - 4 h before operation. Immediately after laparotomy, patent blue violet was injected into subserosal layer adjacent to the tumor. SLNs were defined as blue stained nodes or(and) those containing 10 times more radioactivity than surrounding tissue with a gamma probe. Standard radical gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy (D(2) or D(3)) was performed in most of the patients, however, limited surgery was performed in early gastric cancer (EGC) when a rapid frozen examination indicated negative SLNs. All resected nodes were examined postoperatively by routine HE stain and those negative SLNs were examined with further cytokeratin immunohistochemistical staining. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, negative predictive value and false-negative rate of regional lymph node status on the basis of SLN status were calculated respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>SLNs were dectected in 25 of 26 patients with a successful detection rate of 96%. The number of SLNs ranged from 1 to 6, with a mean value of 3.2 per case. The SLNs of gastric cancer were only found in N(1) area in 50% of the cases, and only in N(2) or N(3) in 12%. The incidence of metastasis was significantly higher in SLNs than in non-SLNs (35% vs 7%). The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, negative predictive value and false-negative rate were 96%, 94%, 7/8 and 6% respectively. Complete analysis of SLN upstaged 2/7 of patients of gastric cancer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The SLN concept is validated in gastric cancer. Combined-agent SLN mapping is an accurate diagnostic procedure for detecting lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer and may indicate rational extent of lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer.</p>