Abdominal wall lifting with spinal anesthesia vs pneumoperitoneum with general anesthesia for laparoscopic herniorrhaphy.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy has generally been very successful since any postoperative inguinal pain or tension is considerably less troublesome than after other open methods. The conventional laparoscopic approach in the treatment of inguinal hernia involves the use of pneumoperitoneum and general anesthesia. Nevertheless, some complications can be encountered and the procedure is costly. We, therefore, examined the possibility of using a more practical and cost efficient method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on our findings, we propose the use of a Kirschner lifting wire as a means of separating the abdominal wall during laparoscopic herniorrhaphy. Two Kirschner wires are introduced through the subcutaneous tissue, between the umbilicus and inguinal ligament, and parallel to the inguinal ligament. Furthermore, we recommend the use of spinal anesthesia as a means by which the problems associated with general anesthesia and the potential cardiopulmonary complications of carbon dioxide insufflation, are circumvented. Fifteen cases of inguinal hernia have been treated with this new method and compared to the more conventional procedure of pneumoperitoneum under general anesthesia. RESULTS: Visibility of the operative field when used in the inguinal region was not limited at all, and Kirschner wire is considerably less expensive. The postoperative course for the patients who were operated by the new method was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that this new method can be useful for the treatment of inguinal hernia.

Laparoscopic intervention to relieve small bowel obstruction following laparoscopic herniorrhaphy.

In this report, we present two cases of small bowel obstruction after laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH). One case involved incarceration of the small intestine into the port site, resulting in obstruction in an 80-year-old man on the third day after LH. The other case involved a 78-year-old man with bilateral inguinal hernia and a recurrent type on one side. In this case, a small bowel obstruction occurred due to intestinal herniation through the repaired peritoneum in the pelvic floor. In both cases, the location of the obstruction was diagnosed by means of a computed tomography scan. Subsequently, the trocar incision was extended to relieve obstruction with laparotomy in the first case, and the herniated intestinal loop was extracted followed by reclosure of the defective peritoneum under laparoscopic intervention in the second case. After the second operation, the clinical course of each patient was uneventful, and they were discharged from hospital at 10 days after the second surgery. In conclusion, (a) although patients can greatly benefit from LH, it must be kept in mind that problems can occur and (b) laparoscopic surgery to relieve small bowel obstruction following LH is the preferred procedure.

[A case of advanced gastric cancer responding to chemotherapy and radiotherapy].

A thirty three-year-old male complaining of vomiting was diagnosed as having type 3 advanced gastric cancer of upper stomach and multiple liver metastasis, and had undergone total gastrectomy. The conclusive stage was P2H2n4se stage IVb. Intraoperatively, ethanol injection was performed for the liver metastasis under ultrasonography, and CDDP 100 mg was injected into the intra-abdominal cavity. Postoperative adjuvant therapy was added using oral fluorouracil and OK-432. Then we utilized FP chemotherapy (consisting of 5-FU and cisplatin) and radiotherapy for the bone metastasis. The patient survived 4 years and 4 months with good quality of life.

Superficial spreading-type mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in the stomach--a case report.

We presented a case of a 71-year-old woman who presented irregular mucosal folds with tiny depressions and multiple erosions with ulceration in the stomach, on endoscopy and roentgenography. Histological findings from biopsy specimens showed dense and mildly atypical lymphoid-like cells invading the submucosa. Immunohistochemical examinations revealed monoclonal reactivity of Heavy-chain. She was then diagnosed to have low grade malignant lymphoma in the stomach and underwent total gastrectomy. The resected cancer demonstrated the pathological features including small lymphocytic plasmacytoid cells and lymphoepithelial lesions characteristic of a mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. The lymphoma cells expressed B cell markers with a phenotype of IgG and lambda type. It is difficult to make a firm diagnosis of a MALT lymphoma from only small biopsy specimens. Accordingly it is necessary to complete the observed clinical process, endoscopic and roentgenographic findings with immunohistochemical characteristics to determine diagnosis. The MALT lymphoma should be treated as a low-grade malignancy and diagnosis sufficiently early can lead to a favorable prognosis.