Gunther Tulip Filter Strut Penetration: Benign Long-Term Follow-up.

PURPOSE: To describe the natural history of Gunther Tulip filter (GTF) strut penetration based on the computed tomography (CT)-documented distance penetrated over time and any clinical manifestations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 203 patients (mean age, 59.1 years; 59.4% men) who had had an infrarenal GTF placed for venous thromboembolism (84.2%) with contraindications to anticoagulation (95.1%) and had CT follow-up were reviewed retrospectively for clinical or imaging evidence of complications. Filter strut penetration was measured on axial images from the outer caval wall to the inner edge of the distal end of each strut. Filter strut behavior over time was modeled using a linear mixed model. RESULTS: The extent of penetration correlated positively with filter dwell time (P < .001) but plateaued at 3.3 mm at 10-year follow-up. At median 4.7-year follow-up 79.3% of patients had at least 1 strut that was >0.2 mm and 31% had a strut >3 mm from the inferior vena caval wall. The extent of strut penetration was greater at all time points for women (P = .002). Abutment or entry into an adjacent structure was identified in 183 struts of 105 (52.7%) filters; of the 80 filters with CT follow-up, 47% showed progression and 19% regressed. There were no symptoms referable to filter strut penetration. CONCLUSIONS: GTF struts often penetrate the inferior vena cava progressively; however, this tends to plateau by 10 years. The limited long-term progression and a very low incidence of symptomatic complications together support a noninterventional approach to the finding of an asymptomatic GTF strut penetration.

Safety and efficacy of the Gunther Tulip retrievable vena cava filter: midterm outcomes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate of the medium-term integrity, efficacy, and complication rate associated with the Gunther Tulip vena cava filter. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of 369 consecutive patients who had infrarenal Gunther Tulip inferior vena cava filters placed over a 5-year period. The mean patient age was 61.8 years, and 59% were men. Venous thromboembolic disease and a contraindication to or complication of anticoagulation were the indications for filter placement in 86% of patients; 14% were placed for prophylaxis in patients with a mean of 2.3 risk factors. Follow-up was obtained by review of medical and radiologic records. RESULTS: Mean clinical follow-up was 780 days. New or recurrent pulmonary embolus occurred in 12 patients (3.3%). New or recurrent deep-vein thrombosis occurred in 53 patients (14.4%). There were no symptomatic fractures, migrations, or caval perforations. Imaging follow-up in 287 patients (77.8%) at a mean of 731 days revealed a single (0.3%) asymptomatic fracture, migration greater than 2 cm in 36 patients (12.5%), and no case of embolization. Of 122 patients with CT scans, asymptomatic perforations were identified in 53 patients (43.4%) at a mean 757 days. CONCLUSION: The Gunther Tulip filter was safe and effective at 2-year follow-up. Complication rates were similar to those reported for permanent inferior vena cava filters.

Laparoscopic biliary reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Biliary reconstruction represents a relatively untested frontier in laparoscopy. METHODS: Retrospective review of all patients who underwent laparoscopic biliary operations at Legacy Health System from 1998 to 2003. RESULTS: Seven patients underwent laparoscopic biliary reconstruction. Indications included benign calculous disease in 4 patients, benign stricture on 1 patient, choledochal cyst in 1 patient, and malignant biliary obstruction in 1 patient. Operations performed included choledochoduodenostomy, hepaticojejunostomy, stricturoplasty, choledochal cyst excision with hepaticojejunostomy, and cholecystojejunostomy. Median operative time was 300 minutes. Median hospital stay was 4 days. One perioperative complication of a bowel obstruction required reoperation. Median follow-up was 15 months. One patient died of metastatic cancer 8 months after surgery. All other patients are symptom free with no signs of stricture or recurrent biliary obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic biliary reconstruction represents a viable treatment option in carefully selected patients.

Extended transmediastinal dissection: an alternative to gastroplasty for short esophagus.

HYPOTHESIS: The significance of short esophagus and its impact on failure after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication are unknown. Although patients with severe esophageal shortening that requires Collis gastroplasty comprise a small percentage of patients undergoing fundoplication, we hypothesize that patients with moderate esophageal shortening requiring extended mediastinal dissection make up a larger subgroup and that extended laparoscopic mediastinal dissection is a good treatment strategy for such patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective comparative analysis in an academic and private practice-based tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A total of 205 patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease or paraesophageal hernias over 4 years. Outcomes in patients requiring either a type I (<5 cm) or type II (>5 cm) mediastinal dissection were compared. INTERVENTIONS: Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with or without extended mediastinal dissection and esophageal physiology testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Symptom assessments, operative reports, and outcomes were prospectively recorded on standardized data sheets. Postoperative symptom assessment and esophageal physiology testing were performed. RESULTS: A total of 133 (65%) of the 205 patients underwent type I dissection, and 72 (35%) of the 205 patients underwent type II dissection. Failure occurred in 15 (11%) of 133 patients and 6 (10%) of 72 patients, respectively. The presence of a large hiatal or paraesophageal hernia predicted the need for type II dissection. CONCLUSIONS: No difference was seen in failure rates between patients who required a type II dissection and those who did not. This finding suggests that aggressive application of laparoscopic transmediastinal dissection to obtain adequate esophageal length may reduce fundoplication failure in patients with esophageal shortening and provide a success rate similar to that of patients with normal esophageal length. More liberal application of Collis gastroplasty in these patients is not warranted.