Technical Considerations to Prevent Postoperative Endocrine Dysfunction after the Fenestration of Suprasellar Arachnoid Cyst

OBJECTIVE: The endocrine dysfunction after the operation for suprasellar arachnoid cysts is not rare. The careful operation to prevent structures can prevent this complication, but it is not enough and effective to prevent it. Authors present technical surgical considerations to prevent this complication with a review of our suprasellar arachnoid cyst patients who had postoperative endocrine dysfunction. METHODS: From January 2002 to December 2009, eight patients who had suprasellar arachnoid cysts with visual impairment underwent surgery. The mean age was 57.1 years (range, 33-77). Preoperatively, their endocrine function was clinically normal, and laboratory hormonal levels were within normal ranges. Cyst fenestration was performed by craniotomy (n=6) or by a neuro-endoscopic procedure (n=2), and, simultaneously, along with a cyst wall biopsy. RESULTS: The surgery was uneventful in all eight patients, and there were no neurological morbidities. However, in four patients, endocrine dysfunction occurred postoperatively. We compared these four patients (group A) to the other 4 patients without endocrine dysfunction (group B) with intraoperative findings and with the histopathological findings of the cyst wall biopsy. The group A patients had more abundant vasculature on the cystic wall than the group B patients according to both the intraoperative findings and the histopathological findings. CONCLUSION: When performing a surgical cyst wall fenestration, surgeons should try to minimize the destruction of the cystic wall vasculature and not to make the fenestration at a site that contains many vascular striae.

Transumbilical single-port laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To determine the feasibility, safety and techniques of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration. Methods From November 2009 to June 2010, four cases of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration were completed through three adjacent 5 mm trocars around the umbilicus. Normal 5 mm laparoscopic instruments and a 5 mm 30° laparoscope were utilized, and the procedures were similar to conventional multi-port laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration. Results All operations were completed successfully, with no conversion to laparotomy or the multi-port laparoscopic procedure. The mean operation time was 38 minutes (25-70 minutes). All patients were discharged at postoperative days 1-3, and no complications or cyst recurrence occurred during hospitalization and follow-up. Conclusions Transumbilical single-port laparoscopic liver cyst fenestration is safe and feasible. It has the advantages of less pain, cosmetic incision and quick recovery, but is technique-demanding.