Three-dimensional laparoscopy: Principles and practice.

The largest challenge for laparoscopic surgeons is the eye-hand coordination within a three-dimensional (3D) scene observed on a 2D display. The 2D view on flat screen laparoscopy is cerebrally intensive. The loss of binocular vision on a 2D display causes visual misperceptions, mainly loss of depth perception and adds to the surgeon's fatigue. This compromises the safety of laparoscopy. The 3D high-definition view with great depth perception and tactile feedback makes laparoscopic surgery more acceptable, safe and cost-effective. It improves surgical precision and hand-eye coordination, conventional and all straight stick instruments can be used, capital expenditure is less and recurring cost and annual maintenance cost are less. In this article, we have discussed the physics of 3D laparoscopy, principles of depth perception, and the different kinds of 3D systems available for laparoscopy. We have also discussed our experience of using 3D laparoscopy in over 2000 surgeries in the last 4 years.

Membranous nephropathy and granulomatous interstitial nephritis due to tuberculosis.

Tuberculous involvement of the genitourinary tract is well reported in the literature. However, reports of glomerular lesions of the kidney due to tuberculosis are rare. Tuberculosis has been identified as the most common infectious cause of granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN). We report a 23-year-old female patient with a membranous nephropathy and GIN due to tuberculosis. She presented with renal failure and nephrotic-range proteinuria, both of which resolved with the treatment of tuberculosis. There is only one report, from Japan, of a patient with membranous nephropathy and tuberculous granulomatous nephritis. Our patient is the second with tuberculous GIN and membranous nephropathy. In our patient, the close temporal relationship between the infection and glomerulonephritis, an ulcerated tuberculin skin test, the response to the treatment and the absence of any other systemic disease that might cause the glomerulonephritis suggested an association between tuberculosis and membranous nephropathy. However, a causal association can only be speculation, because membranous nephropathy could remit spontaneously. It is also possible that it might relapse at a later date when the tuberculosis is inactive. Therefore, the association might be either coincidental or causal, and could become clearer as similar patients are reported.

Laparoscopic devascularization of uterine myomata followed by enucleation of the myomas by direct morcellation.

Most intraoperative conversions of laparoscopic myomectomy to laparotomy reported in the literature occur because of intraoperative bleeding. Devascularization of a uterine myoma at the start of myomectomy would help reduce the blood supply to the uterus and hence to the myoma. Another advantage of the procedure is that the need to separate the myoma from the uterus completely before morcellation, as in conventional laparoscopic myomectomy, is obviated. The tumor can be enucleated only up to about half its circumference by standard enucleation before morcellation is begun. Traction accorded by the 15-mm traumatic serrated-edge claw forceps of the morcellator during morcellation causes progressive separation of the myoma from the uterine wall, thus completing enucleation. In two patients, myomas were devascularized at the outset of myomectomy, in one by intracorporeal suturing of uterine vessels and in the other by laparoscopic bipolar coagulation of uterine vessels.