Clinical Efficacy of Concept of Membrane Anatomy with Complete Mesangectomy in Radical Resection of Rectal Cancer / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy between traditional laparoscopic surgery and laparoscopic surgery under the guidance of membrane anatomy with complete mesangectomy in the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 60 patients with rectal cancer who were randomly divided into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30) in accordance with the principle of randomization.The control group received traditional laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer, and the observation group received laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer under the guidance of membrane anatomy with complete mesangectomy.The different clinical application effects of the two groups were analyzed by comparing the general data, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative rehabilitation. Results All the 60 patients underwent the laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.No operation-related complications, conversion to laparotomy, or perioperative death cases were reported.No statistically significant differences in age, gender, operation time, postoperative exhaust time, drainage tube removal time, or postoperative complications were found between the two groups (all P > 0.05).Compared with the control group, the observation group had significantly less intraoperative blood loss and more lymph node dissected (P < 0.05). Conclusion Laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer guided by the membrane anatomy with complete mesangectomy can completely remove the mesorectum, enlarge and clear the surgical field, reduce intraoperative bleeding, thoroughly remove lymph nodes, and improve the quality of surgery.

Concept of 3D membrane anatomy in extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical cystectomy: preliminary application / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical feasibility of extra-peritoneal laparoscopic radical cystectomy based on the concept of 3D membrane anatomy.Methods:The clinical data of 10 male patients with bladder cancer who underwent 3D extra-peritoneal laparoscopic radical cystectomy + ileal-orthotopic-neobladder surgery from October 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The median age was 67 years. The ASA score was 1-2 in 8 cases and 3 in 2 cases. There were 4 cases of hypertension, 2 cases of diabetes, 1 case of heart disease, no case of abdominal surgery history. During the operation, the concept of 3D membrane anatomy was used to identify the important fascia in the pelvic cavity and to find the key layers and structures in the pelvic cavity.It was separated from the prevesical fascia to the laterovesical space, and confluenced with Retzius space and Bogros space. It was dissected in the layer surrounded by the prevesical fascia, the vesicohypogastric fascia, and the urogenital fascia to complete the process of cystectomy.Results:The operations of 10 patients were completed successfully and there was no conversion to open operation. The median operation time was 276(237-325) minutes, and the median blood loss was 160(50-280)ml. The postoperative bowel recovery median time was 1.8(1-3)days, and the patients were out of bed about 1.3(1-2) days. The median postoperative hospital stay was 9(5-12) days. The number of median lymph node dissection in all patients was 10(6-20). Positive lymph nodes was found in 3 cases. Positive margin was found in no case. Postoperative tumor pathological stages were T 2 stage in 7 cases, T 3 stage in 3 cases. During the follow-up, all patients had no obvious complications. Conclusions:It is feasible to apply the concept of 3D membrane anatomy to identify and locate the key fascia structures and levels in extra-peritoneal laparoscopic radical cystectomy. The operative complications were less and the postoperative recovery was faster. The anatomy is clear during the operation, which has good safety and reduces the difficulty of the operation.

Application of membrane anatomy theory in totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Trocar placement and camera-dissection in the midline is the most commonly applied method for total extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (TEP), for which the theory of membrane anatomy has guiding significance. We hereby applies the theories and concepts, such as "fascia lining", "multi-layer", "inter-fascial planes", "combined inter-fascial plane" and "plane transition", to elucidate the key steps of TEP, for instance, space creation, hernia sac dissection, mesh flattening. Camera-dissection is performed along the posterior sheath of the rectus abdominis. Firstly, the camera enters retro-rectus space locating between the rectus abdominis and the transversalis fascia (TF). There are inferior epigastric vessels and their branches in the retro-rectus space, thus over-dissection should be avoided. Secondly, the camera goes downward through the TF into the pre-peritoneal space. The pre-peritoneal space is divided into the parietal plane and visceral plane by pre-peritoneal fascia (PPF). Both bladder and spermatic cord components locate on the visceral plane. Dissection of the median area should be implemented on the parietal plane, namely "surgical space", to protect the bladder. The parietal plane is the "holy plane" of TEP. Dissection of the indirect hernia area should be implemented on the visceral plane, namely "anatomical space", to protect the spermatic cord components. The reduction of direct hernia could be understood as the easy separation of TF and PPF. The reduction of indirect hernia is relatively difficult separation of peritoneum and spermatic cord components. During the transition of parietal and visceral planes, PPF (especially the pre-peritoneal loop) should be dissected for complete parietalization, in order to flatten the mesh.

Demonstration and significance on proximal segment of dorsal mesogastrium / 中华胃肠外科杂志

In radical gastrectomy, D2 systemic lymphadenectomy, which includes complete resection of the bursa sac and omentum, and D2 extended lymphadenectomy outside the bursa sac, is a standard procedure accepted by gastrointestinal surgeons generally. However, a series of clinical trials showed that both D2 extended lymphadenectomy and bursectomy could not improve oncologic benefit, but increase surgical risk. These findings showed a lot of conflicts in gastric cancer surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, even in oncological surgery. It was demonstrated that bursa sac and greater omentum were neither mesogastrium nor the proximal segment of dorsal mesogastrium (PSDM), which has been identified recently. Local physiological structures (such as blood vessels and lymphatic nodes) and pathological events (such as lymph nodes metastasis and metastasis V) only occur in mesentery in broad sense (i.e. PSDM). Broken PSDM during radical gastrectomy can result in cancer cell leakage into the operational field. Therefore, complete PSDM excision in the D2 field (D2+CME) is suggested as a better procedure for local advanced gastric cancer, which can get benefits not only in surgical hazard, but also in oncologic result. The results of PSDM research could lead to three changes: (1) resolving some long standing problems in gastric cancer surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and even oncologic surgery; (2) opening an new era for finding and utilizing extra-intestinal mesentery in broad sense; (3) formulating the theory of membrane anatomy which may update, iterate and upgrade related information of classical anatomy, pathology, surgery and oncology.

Holistic view of surgery based on membrane anatomy for gastrointestinal tumor / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The mesentery is a continuous unity and the operation of digestive carcinoma is the process of mesenteric resection. This paper attempts to simplify the formation process of all kinds of fusion fascia in the process of digestive tract embryogenesis, and to illuminate the continuity of fusion fascia with a holistic concept. This is helpful for beginners to reversely dissect the fusion fascia and maintain the correct surgical plane during operation, and to achieve the purpose of complete mesenteric resection.

Scientific paradigm of membrane anatomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Anatomical plane and fascia have been described in medical behaviors for hundreds of years since the appearance of anatomy and operation. Generally, these descriptions can be sorted into three theories, i.e. plane surgery, fascia theory and mesentery anatomy. However, these theories are difficult to satisfy the scientific paradigm that includes consistency in description, independence in validation, potential to solve practical problems, and the interaction of the above-mentioned theries. Recently, membrane anatomy was proposed as the anatomy of mesentery and its beds in broad sense. Behind it lies fascia membrane/serous membrane structure, as well as inherent life events and general order. Mesentery in broad sense is described as the fascia membrane/serous membrane in serous cavity, which envelops and suspends the organ/tissue and its feeding structures to the posterior wall of the body. Anatomy is the setting/structure, in which life events/functions occur. In the research and discussion of membrane anatomy, abiding by the scientific paradigm and upholding the scientific spirit are the only way to obtain reliable knowledge and the criterion for in-depth scientific research.

Laparoscopic surgery of total mesorectal excision based on pelvic membrane anatomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Total mesorectal excision (TME) is the basic principle of surgery in rectal cancer which requires en bloc removal of the tumor and its regional lymph nodes. This conincides with the theory of membrane anatomy that emphasizes en bloc resection and avoids cancer leakage. The basis of membrane anatomy is the fusion of peritoneum and three key pointsare needed to understand the fusion and fusion fascia:(1) the fusion only occursin peritoneum; (2) the inside of fusion fascia cannot be separated; (3) the fusion can be diversiform. Only mastering these key points can we comprehend and apply this theory dialectically. The membrane anatomy in rectum is different from stomach or colon because of its specific location. The posterior space of rectum is filled with the loose connective tissue which is the degeneration of peritoneum fusion. In this space, the anterior lay of presacral fascia fuses with the proper fascia of rectum at the S4 level and separates the space into the retrorectal space and the supralevator space. Denonvilliers fascia is the fusion fascia in front of rectum, which forms the prerectal space and retroprostatic space, and extends to lateral pelvic wall with fusion of the parietal fascia of pelvis, covering the neurovascular bundle (NVB) together. The proper fascia of rectum surrounds the middle rectal artery, the pelvic plexus rectal branch and the adipose tissue to form the lateral rectal pedicle at 10 o′clock and 2 o′clock near the pelvic floor. At the level of levator ani hiatus, the fusion of levator ani muscle fascia and the proper fascia of rectum forms the Hiatal ligament, which fixs the anal canal and closes the levator ani hiatus.This article intends to discuss the above points from the perspective of membrane anatomy, in order to better guide surgeons to complete laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.

Replication of 3D laparoscopic membrane anatomic radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

According to the current evidence-based medicine researches, the eastern and western countries have reached a consensus that D2 operation is a standardized procedure for advanced gastric cancer.However, the postoperative five-year survival rate is still not satisfactory. Professor Gong Jianping of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical Gollege of Huazhong University of Science and Technology proposed a theory of membrane anatomy (the third element of surgical anatomy) and the concept of cancer leakage—an epoch-making concept in surgical anatomy. The Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University was honored to be selected as one of the first domestic replication units of 3D laparoscopic radical gastrectomy under membrane anatomy. Professor Gong Jianping has visited our hospital several times for surgical demonstration, explanation of membrane anatomy theory and replication training. Through the understanding of membrane anatomy theory, we found that 3D laparoscopic radical gastrectomy guided by membrane anatomy can achieve good results, e.g less bleeding, complete resection, complete lymph node dissection and avoidance of side damage, meanwhile the operation is simple and safe. At the same time, it can avoid the shedding of cancer cells, so as to reduce the iatrogenic leakage of cancer and improve the efficacy of radical gastrectomy. In addition, the standardized procedure of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy makes it scientific, reproducible and easy to be popularized.

"See fine world" —copy experience and thinking of membrane anatomy in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy (D2+CME) / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Primary lesion removal and lymph node dissection are the main constituents of radical gastrectomy. However, the high recurrence rate after D2 radical gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer has not improved. Recently, studies have found that discrete tumor deposits in the mesogastrium may be an important factor affecting the prognosis of gastric cancer after surgery. With the development of laparoscopic equipment, the ever-expanding "submicroscopic vision" makes it possible to completely remove the mesogastrium. Professor Gong Jianping advocated "membrane anatomy" to optimize the concept of radical gastrectomy: D2- based complete mesenteric resection (CME), namely D2+CME procedure. To prevent the leakage of tumor cells into the surgical field, as histological barrier, the intact mesogastrium should be located. The essential difference between D2+CME and previous D2/D2+systematic mesogastrium excision (SME), en-bloc mesogastric excision (EME) is as follow: double-factor guiding (lymph nodes and discrete tumor deposits) vs. single factor guiding (lymph nodes only). After practicing dozens of radical gastrectomy (D2+CME) authors believe that its conceptual connotation (double factor guiding) and operational extension (above mesentery bed) cover D2. In D2+CME surgery, depending on the anatomical identification under the magnified field of view, the conformal space between gastric mesentery and mesenteric beds is unique operational plane with repeatability. These findings and considerations address one problem: where is the precise boundary of en bloc principle in radical gastrectomy? In author′s opinion, with laparoscopy and "sub-microsurgery" progression and detection of discrete tumor deposit metastasis, survival benefit from definition of en bloc boundary in radical gastrectomy will be widely recognized. Meanwhile, D2+CME procedure is an appropriate way for study. Although the development of the "membrane anatomy" concept for gastric cancer still requires many further clinical and basic researches, it is reasonable to foresee that D2+CME surgery will guide a concept-optimized era for gastric cancer surgery.

Membrane anatomy: motivation to promote precise laparoscopic and robot colorectal surgery / 中华胃肠外科杂志

During the past 20 years, the development of minimally invasive surgery had developed through three stages: organ excision, radical organ excision centered on arteries and functional radical organ excision based on membrane anatomy.While high-definition laparoscopy was gaining more popularity, surgeons gradually observed the fascial spaces and fascial structures which could not be recognized by naked eye during open surgery. With the development of membrane anatomical architecture, we discovered several fascial spaces and fascial structures that had never been recognized before. Inspired with the anatomical concept, proposed by Professor Gong Jianping, we systematically observed and expounded the laparoscopic radical surgery for colorectal cancer based on membrane anatomy, and explored the fascial anatomy structure and fascial space during operations for right semicolon, left semicolon and rectum through the high-definition visualization of the endoscope and robot in combination with clinical practice. Meanwhile, the membrane anatomy theory was systematically studied through repeated surgical operations and verified through practice. The fascial anatomy structures, such as "space between small intestine and ascending mesentery", "transverse mesocolon radix" and "terminal line of total mesorectal excision" were proposed. This theory can promote the stable development of "microbleeding" or "no blood" minimally invasive colorectal surgery.

Rise and mix of membrane anatomy / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Membrane anatomy is in broad sense the anatomy of the mesentery and its bed, both of which are consisted of fascia membrane or/and serous membrane. Although the traditional mesentery has the definition of mesentery, people unconsciously identify them according to their "fan-shaped" and "free" characteristics. The "generalized mesentery" we propose refers to the fascia and/or serosa, envelope-like organs and their blood vessels, suspending to the posterior wall of the body, regardless of its shape, free or not. So the main points of the anatomy are as follows.(1) Organs or tissues with their feeding structures are enveloped by the fascia membrane or/and serous membrane, suspending to posterior wall of the body, to form different shapes of the mesentery in broad sense, and most of them are buried in the mesentery bed. (2) Cancer metastasis type V of in the gut moves in the envelop of the mesentery in broad sense.(3) Intraoperative breach of the envelop membrane not only results in intraoperative bleeding, but also cancer cell leakage from the mesentery. (4) The cancer of gut can be divided into cancer in the mesentery, cancer out of the mesentery and cancer at edge of the mesentery based on this anatomy. Radical tumor resection is effective for cancer in the mesentery, which should not be artificially breached into those of cancer out of the mesentery. The essence of neoadjuvant chemoradiation is to push cancer at edge of the mesentery back inside the mesentery.(5) Based on such anatomy, radical gut tumor operations are divided into D2/D3 procedure, without emphasizing the integrity of the mesentery during lymphatic dissection; CME procedure, which emphasizes the integrity of the mesentery but does not strictly define the extent of lymphatic dissection; D2/D3 + CME procedure, which strictly defines the integrity of the mesentery and the extent of lymphatic dissection.(6)For gastrointestinal tumors of the same T stage, shorter mesentery indicates worse prognosis.(7) For gastrointestinal tumors with the same T stage and the same length of mesentery, the more mesentery buried in the mesentery bed, the worse prognosis. (8) The above seven principles are universal in the organs of the body cavity (and even all internal organs).Membrane anatomy, unlike traditional "plane surgery" , is completely different from the "anatomy of the membrane..." described by Japanese scholars, but mainly bases on generalized mesentery and mesentery bed, meanwhile inherent life events can be accurately defined and confirmed.

Practical membrane anatomy of en bloc mesogastrium excision in lymph node dissection of gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor of digestive system. D2 procedure is recognized as the standard operation for advanced gastric cancer at present. However, controversies still exist in the standardization and quality control of surgical procedures. Total mesorectal excision (TME) and complete mesocolic excision (CME) based on the membrane anatomy perfectly solve these problems in the treatment for colorectal cancer. However, the complexity of mesogastrium determines that TME and CME cannot be easily transplanted to the treatment of gastric cancer. The practical membrane anatomy in gastric cancer surgery is just emerging and its impact on the treatment of gastric cancer is immeasurable. By reviewing the evolution and embryonic development of digestive system, and combining with actual operation, this paper analyzes and redefines several key issues such as traditional Toldt space, Gerota fascia and complete mesenteric excision. On this basis, we propose a novel and feasible surgical procedure named regional en bloc mesogastrium excision (rEME) for distal gastric cancer. The concept of en bloc mesogastrium excision (EME) based on membrane anatomy may have some influences on the lymph node grouping from the 'Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma’. Performance of EME may reduce the controversies about the group of lymph nodes and their borders. EME in the infra-pyloric region weakens the significance of subdivision of No.6 lymph nodes into No.6a, No.6v and No.6i. More studies are needed in the construction of a mature theoretical system for practical membrane anatomy in gastric surgery.

From membrane surgery to compartment surgery: source tracing and discriminating / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The theory of membrane surgery actually holds the same concepts as that of traditional cancer surgery, which believes that tumor spread is regarded as an isotropic process but the tumor is confined by the block of the membrane. Therefore, the radical resection can be achieved by complete mesentery excision along the membrane plane. The surgical practice derived from these conceptions is extended excision and lays emphasis on tumor-free margins. But the theory is controversial in the view of the existence of mesorectal fascial envelope and the feasibility of complete excision of mesorectum along the "holy plane". Based on ontogenetic anatomy, the compartment theory suggeststhat tumor spread is not isotropic, and it is locally confined within the ontogenetic compartment derived from a common primordium for a relatively long phase during their natural course. Local tumor is suppressed by the boundary instead of fascia. The anatomical territory developing from each anlage primordium may be separated morphologically. Consequently, ontogenetic compartment theory states that optimal local control of cancer is achieved by whole compartment resection, irrespective of margin width. The compartment model of tumor spread provides explanations for total mesorectal excision (TME) which excises the complete rectum compartment including the rectum and its surrounding vascular and ligamentous mesenteries. The compartment theory may set up the new principles for surgical tumor treatment, namely the resection of the tumor bearing compartment rather than target organ.