A Helpful Tool in the Renal Surgery Armamentarium: Dorsal Lumbotomy nephrectomy for Tumor in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To compare operative outcomes between the dorsal lumbotomy (DL) and laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) approaches for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing nephrectomy. DL operative technique is also described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all patients undergoing DL nephrectomy at Emory University from 2008-2020. Cases were matched with control patients with ESRD who had undergone LN. Parameters evaluated included operative time, estimated blood loss, length of stay, postoperative narcotic requirements, and complication rates. Statistical analysis performed with SPSS. RESULTS: 43 DL patients and 86 LN patients were assessed. DL had shorter total OR time (173min vs 198min; P = 0.001) and surgery time (101min vs 135min; P<0.001) compared to LN. There was a trend towards decreased mean length of stay among the DL group (2.65d vs 3.14d; P = 0.069) as well as daily narcotic requirement measured in oral morphine equivalents (54.8mg/day vs 73.6mg/day, P = 0.051). There were no differences in estimated blood loss, perioperative complication rates, ICU admissions, or 30-day readmissions. Limitations include retrospective design and small sample size. CONCLUSION: Among patients with ESRD, DL was found to be safe and effective compared to LN, with shorter operative times, a trend towards decreased length of stay and post-operative narcotic requirements, and similar perioperative complication rates. DL should be considered as an approach for nephrectomy in this patient population.

An anatomical study of external carotid artery vascular territories in face and midface flaps for transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The technical success of facial composite tissue allotransplantation demands full understanding of superficial and deep perfusion for reliable microvascular transfer. Candidates with composite midface defects require an appreciation of the circulatory patterns to design a composite midface allotransplant. METHODS: External carotid vascular territories were evaluated in 10 cadavers to determine the reliability of facial soft-tissue flaps based on a single vascular pedicle. The right common carotid artery was injected with red latex and the left was injected with blue latex. Dual perfusion was confirmed by purple, following two-color mixing. Vascular pedicles included the superficial temporal, transverse facial, and facial arteries. In five additional cadavers, the midface segment was isolated by Le Fort III osteotomy after two-color latex injection with inclusion of the internal maxillary vascular pedicle. Cadavers were imaged with three-dimensional computed tomographic reconstructions following latex injection to confirm perfusion patterns. RESULTS: In soft-tissue facial flaps, unilateral carotid dominance was seen in the nasal dorsum and tip, confirming reliable supply by a single external carotid artery. In midface flaps, bilateral perfusion was seen in the maxilla. Ipsilateral perfusion was observed at the zygomaticomaxillary complex without any contralateral contribution. CONCLUSIONS: Dual soft-tissue perfusion was confirmed in most specimens at the nasal, central face, and maxilla. The inclusion of the maxilla in the design of a facial composite allotransplant demands bilateral vascular pedicles based on the internal maxillary arteries. The authors highlight a procurement strategy for design of such flaps.