Comparison of surgical outcomes between laparoscopic percutaneous extracorporeal closure (LPEC) and open repair for pediatric inguinal hernia by propensity score methods and log-rank test analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite a number of studies comparing laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LH) and open herniorrhaphy (OH), the putative advantage of LH remains controversial due to a paucity of firm evidence. We hypothesized that LH has both advantages and disadvantages compared to OH and sought to clarify them by comprehensively analyzing the retrospective data using the combination of multiple statistical methods. METHODS: Operative data for inguinal hernia during the period from February 1999 to December 2019 were examined. The patients were assigned into two groups according to the surgical procedure: laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC, n = 2410) and OH (n = 2038). Operative and anesthesia times and incidence of postoperative complications were evaluated using the propensity score methods and log-rank test. RESULTS: In comparison with OH, operative time of LPEC was longer for unilateral repair (21.59 ± 8.1 min vs 18.01 ± 8.0 min; p < 0.001) and shorter for bilateral repairs (28.55 ± 10.1 min vs 33.23 ± 11.7 min; p < 0.001), while anesthesia times were longer for both unilateral repair (57.67 ± 10.1 min vs 40.62 ± 11.9 min; p < 0.001) and bilateral repairs (65.95 ± 12.5 min vs 56.35 ± 15.1 min; p < 0.001). LPEC significantly reduced the risk of metachronous contralateral hernia (MCLH) (0.52% vs 9.29%; p < 0.001), but the recurrence rate was higher (0.21% vs 0.04%; p = 0.002) than OH. Orchiectomy due to testicular atrophy or torsion was required in 3 cases of OH (0.19%), whereas it was not seen in LPEC. CONCLUSIONS: LPEC had a less risk of MCLH and testicular complications but was associated with a higher recurrence rate and longer anesthesia time. Propensity scoring techniques can enhance the robustness of retrospective comparisons between groups over several years of data collection, which is frequently required in pediatric surgery studies.

Comparison of laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure versus conventional herniotomy in extremely low birth weight infants.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal closure (LPEC) has become routine for repairing pediatric inguinal hernia (IH). Reports on the effective repair of IH in challenging cases, such as extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) who become symptomatic soon after birth and have surgery before 1 year of age, are rare; and conventional herniotomy (CH) in ELBWI requires extensive experience of neonatal surgery. We compared LPEC with CH for treating ELBWI with IH. METHODS: Consecutive ELBWI with IH treated by either LPEC (n = 17) or CH (n = 22) before 1 year of age between 2012 and 2017 were reviewed. LPEC were performed by consultant pediatric surgeons (CPS; n = 3) with experience of at least 200 cases each. In CH, 11 cases were treated by CPS and 11 by CPS-supervised surgical trainees. RESULTS: There were no intraoperative complications. Operative time and anesthesia time for bilateral IH repairs were both shorter in LPEC. Postoperative sequelae were recurrence (LPEC; n = 1; repaired by redo LPEC 2 months after the initial repair) and intravenous rehydration (CH; n = 1; for persistent post-anesthetic vomiting). Recovery was unremarkable in all cases without additional analgesia. CONCLUSION: LPEC would appear to be a viable option for treating IH in ELBWI, especially bilateral cases.

Rectal mucosal/submucosal biopsy under general anesthesia ensures optimum diagnosis of bowel motility disorders.

PURPOSE: We reviewed all rectal mucosal/submucosal biopsies (RMSBx) performed between 1986 and 2015 focusing on specimen quality, incidence of complications during and after biopsy, and parental satisfaction. METHODS: From 1986 to 2004, RMSBx were performed without general anesthesia (GA) (N-GA; n = 98) and from 1995 to 2015 were performed under GA (GA; n = 525). In GA cases, some sections were stained intraoperatively and examined by a pathologist and pediatric surgeon immediately to identify ganglion cells. RESULTS: Mean ages at RMSBx were similar (2.7 vs. 2.5 years; p = NS). There were significantly more inadequate specimens in N-GA [18/98 (18.4 %) vs. 0/525 (0 %); p < 0.0001]. Incidence of rectal bleeding requiring transfusion was significantly lower in GA [0/525 (0 %) versus 2/98 (2.0 %); p = 0.024]. Parents of GA subjects willingly consented to RMSBx when told GA would facilitate diagnosis. Incidentally, RMSBx was more expensive in GA (US$1320 versus US$294; using ¥120 = US$1). CONCLUSION: RMSBx performed under GA are safe and all specimens obtained included submucosa appropriate for optimum diagnosis in all the cases.

Rectal mucosal dissection commencing directly on the anorectal line versus commencing above the dentate line in laparoscopy-assisted transanal pull-through for Hirschsprung's disease: Prospective medium-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, we began using the anorectal line (ARL) as the landmark for commencing rectal mucosal dissection (RMD) instead of the dentate line (DL) during laparoscopy-assisted transanal pull-through (L-TAPT) for Hirschsprung's disease (HD). We conducted a medium-term prospective comparison of postoperative fecal continence (POFC) between DL and ARL cases to follow our short-term study. METHODS: POFC is assessed by scoring frequency of motions, severity of staining, severity of perianal erosions, anal shape, requirement for medications, sensation of rectal fullness, and ability to distinguish flatus from stool on a scale of 0 to 2 (maximum: 14). RESULTS: Patient demographics were similar for ARL (2007-2014: n=33) and DL (1997-2006: n=41). There were no intraoperative complications and 2 cases of postoperative colitis in both ARL (6.1%) and DL (4.9%). Mean annual medium-term POFC scores for the 4-7 term of this study were consistently better in ARL: 9.7±1.4*, 10.1±1.6*, 10.6±1.6, and 11.3±1.4* in ARL and 8.6±1.5, 9.1±1.6, 9.8±1.9, 10.0±1.6 in DL (*: p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Medium-term POFC is better when the ARL is used as the landmark for RMD during L-TAPT for HD.