ABSTRACT
Although minimally invasive surgery is recognized as the gold standard of many surgical procedures, laparoscopic suturing is still considered as the most difficult skill in laparoscopic surgery. The introduction of barbed sutures facilitates laparoscopic suturing because it is not necessary to tie a knot. The efficacy of this method has been evaluated in different types of surgery; however, less is known about general surgery. We retrospectively analysed data from 378 patients who had undergone bariatric or surgical treatment for colic or gastric malignancy requiring a closure of gastroentero, entero-entero or enterocolotomy from January 2014 to January 2019, admitted to the General Surgery Unit and Operative Unit of Surgical Endoscopy of the University Federico II (Naples, Italy). We registered 12 anastomotic leaks (3.1%), 16 anastomotic intraluminal bleedings (4.2%) and 7 extraluminal bleedings. Other complications included 23 cases of postoperative nausea and vomit (6%), 14 cases of postoperative ileus (3.7%) and 3 cases of intra-abdominal abscess (0.8%). Overall complications rate was 19.8% (75/378). No postoperative death was registered. Thus, by pooling together 378 patients, we can assess that barbed suture could be considered safe and effective for closure of holes used for the introduction of a branch of mechanical stapler to perform intracorporeal anastomosis.
ABSTRACT
The management of chronic pilonidal disease remains controversial, but recently, new minimal invasive approaches have been proposed. Whereas in the conventional surgical treatment an elliptical wedge of skin and subcutaneous tissue is created to remove the sinus and its lateral tracks, the basis for our new treatment is to create a minimal elliptical wedge of the subcutaneous tissue, including all the inflamed tissue and debris while leaving the overlying skin intact. The mechanism of an endoscopic approach relies on use of the endoscope without cutaneous tissue damage. Advantages include shorter operative time and time to discharge, which impact resource management in both primary and secondary care: patients undergoing endoscopic technique have a high satisfaction rate, probably due to the low level of postoperative pain and early return to work and daily activities. However, it is mandatory that further studies would analyze surgical approaches to pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) with a consistent and adequate follow-up of at least 5 years. Both sinusectomy and endoscopic approach to PSD were found to be safe and effective compared with conventional techniques. Publishedresults of studies of newer approaches have demonstrated a low short-term complication rate, comparable to conventional surgery results.
