Laparoscopic management of gall bladder perforation secondary to typhoid-induced acalculous cholecystitis: A rare entity.

Gall bladder perforation as a sequel of typhoid-induced acalculous cholecystitis is a rare clinical encounter, reported sparsely in literature. Here, we discuss a case wherein successful laparoscopic management of typhoid-induced gall bladder perforation was performed. A 24-year-old female presented with a history of 5 days of fever and acute pain in the abdomen for 2 days. Computed tomography scan suggested gall bladder perforation which was confirmed on diagnostic laparoscopy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with peritoneal lavage was performed. The patient did well postoperatively and was discharged on post-operative day 4 after drain removal. One should be aware about the possibility of gall bladder perforation as a sequel of acalculous cholecystitis in typhoid fever. Minimal access surgery techniques can be applied for confirming the diagnosis as well as the definitive treatment.

Portomesenteric venous thrombosis after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: A case report and a call for prevention.

Postoperative portomesenteric venous thrombosis (PMVT) is being increasingly reported after bariatric surgery. It is variable and often a nonspecific presentation along with its potential for life-threatening and life-altering outcomes makes it imperative that it is prevented, detected early and treated optimally. We report the case of a 50-year-old morbidly obese man undergoing a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy who developed symptomatic PMVT two weeks postsurgery, which was successfully treated by anticoagulant therapy. We provide postulates to the etiopathological mechanism for this thrombotic entity. The growing recognition that obesity and bariatric surgery create a procoagulant state regionally and systemically provides impetus for designing the ideal protocol for PMVT prophylaxis, which could be more common than currently believed. We support the early screening for PMVT in the postbariatric surgical patient with unexplainable or intractable abdominal symptoms. The role of routine surveillance and the ideal duration of post-PMVT anticoagulation is yet to be elucidated.

Review of contemporary role of robotics in bariatric surgery.

With the rise in a number of bariatric procedures, surgeons are facing more complex and technically demanding surgical situations. Robotic digital platforms potentially provide a solution to better address these challenges. This review examines the published literature on the outcomes and complications of bariatric surgery using a robotic platform. Use of robotics to perform adjustable gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB), biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch and revisional bariatric procedures (RBP) is assessed. A search on PubMed was performed for the most relevant articles in robotic bariatric surgery. A total of 23 articles was selected and reviewed in this article. The review showed that the use of robotics led to similar or lower complication rate in bariatric surgery when compared with laparoscopy. Two studies found a significantly lower leak rate for robotic gastric bypass when compared to laparoscopic method. The learning curve for RYGB seems to be shorter for robotic technique. Three studies revealed a significantly shorter operative time, while four studies found a longer operative time for robotic technique of gastric bypass. As for the outcomes of RBP, one study found a lower complication rate in robotic arm versus laparoscopic and open arms. Most authors stated that the use of robotics provides superior visualisation, more degrees of freedom and better ergonomics. The application of robotics in bariatric surgery seems to be a safe and feasible option. Use of robotics may provide specific advantages in some situations, and overcome limitations of laparoscopic surgery. Large and well-designed randomised clinical trials with long follow-up are needed to further define the role of digital platforms in bariatric surgery.

Robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy in morbidly obese versus super obese patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates our technique for robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy for morbidly obese and super obese patients and our outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy at a single center was performed. The procedure was performed with the da Vinci Si HD Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, California). The staple line was imbricated with No. 2-0 polydioxanone in all cases. The super obese (body mass index≥50 kg/m2) subset of patients was compared with the morbidly obese group in terms of demographic characteristics, comorbidities, operative times, perioperative complications, and excess body weight loss. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients (15 female and 20 male patients) with a mean body mass index of 48.17±11.7 kg/m2 underwent robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy. Of these patients, 11 were super obese and 24 were morbidly obese. The mean operative time was 116.3±24.7 minutes, and the mean docking time was 8.9±5.4 minutes. Mean blood loss was 19.36±4.62 mL, and there were no complications, conversions, or perioperative deaths. When compared with the morbidly obese patients, the super obese patients showed no significant difference in operative time, blood loss, and length of hospital stay. There was a steep decline in operating room times after 10 cases of robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy. CONCLUSION: This study shows the feasibility and safety of robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy. Robotic assistance might help overcome the operative difficulties encountered in super obese patients. It shows a rapid reduction in operative times with the growing experience of the entire operative team. Robot-assisted sleeve gastrectomy can be a good procedure by which to introduce robotics in a bariatric surgery center before going on to perform Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and revision procedures.

Primary laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with portal cavernoma and non-obstructive portal biliopathy: Two case reports.

A laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be technically challenging with co-existing portal hypertension, as commonly seen with cirrhosis of the liver. Extra hepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) although less common, is a significant cause of portal hypertension in India. EHPVO has a unique clinical profile, which differentiates it from portal hypertension associated with cirrhosis of the liver. This impacts therapy in EHPVO algorithmically and operatively. We report two cases of symptomatic gall stones with portal cavernoma. Further evaluation revealed non-obstructive portal biliopathy. Both underwent a successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We highlight the importance of careful operative strategy, diligent haemostasis and the feasibility of performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with symptomatic gall stones associated with a portal cavernoma.

Endoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair in the management of occult obturator and femoral hernias.

PURPOSE: The gold standard technique for the repair of groin hernias has always been a controversial issue. Richard Ger introduced the endoscopic approach for the repair of groin hernias in 1991.The endoscopic technique follows the basic principle of preperitoneal placement of a polypropylene mesh over the myopectineal orifice. During the course of dissection of the preperitoneal space, occult obturator and femoral hernias were discovered. METHODS: Patients who underwent endoscopic totally extraperitoneal repair of inguinal hernias over a period of 2 years were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: A total of 305 cases of groin hernias were operated in 208 patients over a period of 2 years from January 2010 to January 2012 in a single institution. Eleven synchronous clinically occult obturator hernias were found in 8 patients (3.84%) and 5 synchronous clinically occult femoral hernias were found in 5 patients (2.40%) during repair. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative and perioperative findings were discordant in quite a few cases. Preperitoneal dissection discovered coincidental occult hernias in 6.25% of patients.

Robot-assisted excision of a large retroperitoneal schwannoma.

INTRODUCTION: There are few case reports of retroperitoneal tumor excision using the robotic technique. We describe a case of a 13 × 9 × 7- cm retroperitoneal schwannoma that was excised using robot-assisted surgery to provide a minimally invasive benefit to the patient. CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman presented with a right paracaval retroperitoneal lump with well-defined margins displacing the inferior vena cava, the right kidney, the head of pancreas, and the duodenum. She underwent a robot-assisted excision of the tumor using the da Vinci Si HD surgical system using three robotic arms. The biopsy results revealed a well-encapsulated schwannoma diffusely positive for S100. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day and was still doing well at 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Use of robotic technology assists in providing minimally invasive benefits to the patient. It is a safe and effective technique for retroperitoneal surgery.

Laparoscopic management of Spigelian hernias.

Spigelian hernias, also known as spontaneous lateral ventral hernias, are rare primary ventral hernias arising in the Spigelian, or semilunar, line located at the lateral border of recti. Because of its varied presentation, clinical examination is often inconclusive. Traditional repair of such hernias use the open approach. Herein we report on three cases of Spigelian hernias. All were diagnosed and treated laparoscopically at our institution between March 2011 and June 2012. Multiple surgeons performed the repairs using the laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal technique of mesh reinforcement and reperitonization. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications. All three were discharged 1 day postoperatively. A complete resolution of preoperative symptoms was observed at follow-up at 1 week, 1 month and 6 months. Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair of Spigelian hernia is safe, easy, and feasible for experienced laparoscopic surgeons.

Double rolling and center hitch technique for laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

BACKGROUND: Intraperitoneal onlay mesh repair is an established modality to treat large ventral hernias. Various techniques of laying the mesh are utilized. We present the Double Rolling and Center Hitch technique to lay a large intraperitoneal onlay mesh. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to devise and adopt a method to reduce the difficulty in manoeuvring a large mesh inside the peritoneal cavity. It should also help in correct placement of mesh and decrease the operative time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The DRACH technique was used in eighteen patients with large ventral hernias between May 2010 and September 2011. The Mesh size used was 15x20cm and more (considered to be large mesh). RESULTS: All the procedures were completed successfully. Mesh handling was significantly easier with the DRACH technique. The average mesh deployment time (MDT) was 15mins. In all cases the mesh was adequately centred with a margin of 3-5cm from the defect. CONCLUSION: The DRACH technique can be employed to lay large intraperitoneal meshes in order to reduce the handling difficulties associated with large meshes, and to aid in better placement of meshes so as to centered over the defect.

Single-incision multi-port laparoscopic appendectomy: How I do it.

INTRODUCTION: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) appendectomy seeks to further minimise the trauma of parietal access of laparoscopic appendectomy. METHODS: We present our initial experience of 17 cases of SILS appendectomy which were completed using conventional laparoscopic instruments. We utiliesd a single-incision multi-port laparoscopic appendectomy (SIMPLA) technique. RESULTS: The operative time was 63 ± 20 min, blood loss 6.5 ± 5 mL, bowel movement (passing stool) occurred in 2.6 ± 0.6 days. Most patients were discharged on the first operative day on oral diet. The analgesic usage and pain scores were similar to multi-port laparoscopic appendectomy. No complications were noted at follow-up till 4 weeks and the surgical wound healed in all patients with an inconspicuous scar. CONCLUSION: Our initial experience with SILS appendectomy demonstrates its feasibility and supports the promise of minimising further the access of laparoscopic surgery. The clear advantage is its cosmetic benefit.