A systematic review on laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy for difficult gallbladders: a lifesaving bailout or an incomplete operation?

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (LSTC) is a bailout procedure that is undertaken when it is not safe to proceed with a laparoscopic total cholecystectomy owing to dense adhesions in Calot's triangle. The main aim of this review was to investigate the early (≤30 days) and late (>30 days) morbidity and mortality of LSTC. METHODS: A literature search of the PubMed® (MEDLINE®), Google Scholar™ and Embase® databases was conducted to identify all studies on LSTC published between 1985 and December 2020. A systematic review was then performed. RESULTS: Overall, 45 studies involving 2,166 subtotal cholecystectomy patients (51% female) were identified for inclusion in the review. The mean patient age was 55 years (standard deviation: 15 years). Just over half (53%) of the patients had an elective procedure. The conversion rate was 6.2% (n=135). The most common indication was acute cholecystitis (49%). Different techniques were used, with the majority having a closed cystic duct/gallbladder stump (71%). The most common closure technique was intracorporeal suturing (53%), followed by endoloop closure (15%). Four patients (0.18%) died within thirty days of surgery. Morbidity within 30 days included bile duct injury (0.23%), bile leak (18%) and intra-abdominal collection (4%). Reoperation was reported in 23 patients (1.2%), most commonly for unresolving intra-abdominal collections and failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to control bile leak. Long-term follow-up was reported in 30 studies, the median follow-up duration being 22 months. Late morbidity included incisional hernias (6%), symptomatic gallstones (4%) and common bile duct stones (2%), with 2% of cases requiring completion of cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS: LSTC is an acceptable alternative in patients with a "difficult" Calot's triangle.

An unusual size of ameloblastic fibro-odontoma.

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO) is a quite rare, mixed odontogenic tumour generally seen in the early stages of life. Frequent signs of the tumour are asymptomatic swelling, delayed tooth eruption and mixed radiological appearance within well-defined borders. Management of the lesion includes enucleation of the tumour and long-term follow-up in order to avoid recurrence. A 9-year-old girl was referred to our clinic with swelling in her right cheek. After clinical and radiographic examination, a large lobular radiopaque mass with a radiolucent border covering the complete right maxillary sinus was observed. Under general anaesthesia, the lobules of the lesion were enucleated and the permanent right lateral incisor and canine teeth were left for eruption. Histological assessment revealed a final diagnosis of ameloblastic fibro-odontoma. Post-operative healing was uneventful and the remaining teeth erupted normally. No recurrence was observed during the 3 years' follow-up period.

Could adding magnesium as adjuvant to ropivacaine in caudal anaesthesia improve postoperative pain control?

Recently, most studies reported magnesium as a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and its analgesic and perioperative anaesthetic effects have been discussed with central desensitization pathway. We investigated the effects of caudal ropivacaine plus magnesium and compared with ropivacaine alone on postoperative analgesia requirements. After hospital ethic committee's consent, 60 patients (ASA I-II, 2-10 years old) who had lower abdominal or penoscrotal surgery were enrolled in the study. After general anaesthesia induction, caudal blockage was applied. Patients were randomly assigned in two groups. Ropivacaine 0.25% was administered to Group R (n=37), ropivacaine 0.25% plus 50 mg magnesium to Group RM (n=23) in 0.5 ml kg-1 volume. Postoperative analgesia level was recorded at 15 min and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 h by using Paediatric Objective Pain Scale (POPS) and The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontoria Pain Scale (CHEOPS). Postoperative motor blocks were evaluated with Modified Bromage Motor Block Scale. According to demographic characteristics, there were no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05). POPS, CHEOPS, Bromage Motor Scales, analgesia duration and adverse effects were similar in Group R and Group RM. It has been shown that addition of magnesium as an adjuvant agent to local anaesthetics for caudal analgesia has no effect on postoperative pain and analgesic need.

Comparison of the effects of sevoflurane and total intravenous anaesthesia in percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although percutaneous nephrolithotomy has many advantages over open surgery, some endocrine and haemodynamic responses have been reported. However, the effects of anaesthetic agents on these responses have not previously been reported. This study compared the effects of sevoflurane and total intravenous anaesthesia using propofol and alfentanil on the haemodynamic and hormonal changes during percutaneous nephrolithotomy. METHODS: Forty-two ASA I-II patients aged between 15 and 65 yr were studied. Sevoflurane in Group S (21 patients) or TIVA in Group TIVA (21) was used for the maintenance of anaesthesia. Haemodynamic variables and serum concentrations of sodium and potassium were measured before, during and after the procedure. Arterial blood-gas status, plasma renin, aldosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentrations were measured before and during the procedure. RESULTS: Mean heart rate was lower during percutaneous nephrolithotomy in Group TIVA compared with Group S (P < 0.01). The mean systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were not different in both groups at any stage of measurement (P < 0.05). Plasma renin, aldosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone concentrations were increased during percutaneous nephrolithotomy in both groups, but the increase was greater in Group S (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the sevoflurane group, the concentrations of renin, aldosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone were significantly higher after 15 min of irrigation compared with the total intravenous anaesthesia group. Although the clinical significance of this difference was not clear, these changes should be considered in certain patient groups.

Hormonal and hemodynamic changes during percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the hormonal and hemodynamic changes during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) procedure. Twenty-one patients between 15-65 years of age were included in the study. Invasive blood pressure and heart rate were monitored during PCNL. Serum sodium, potassium, BUN and creatinine levels were measured before and after the operation. Sodium and potassium levels were also measured during the operation. Arterial blood gases, renin, aldosterone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels were measured before and during irrigation. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during PCNL compared to post-procedure levels while heart rate remained constant. Serum sodium, potassium bicarbonate and base-excess levels were decreased during the operation compared to the baseline levels (p < 0.001). BUN and creatinine levels remained unchanged during the study (p > 0.05). In conclusion, a tendency to hyponatremia and metabolic acidosis developed in addition to significant increases in renin, aldosterone and ACTH levels during PCNL procedures. These changes may be due to the invasive nature of the intervention to the kidney and the continuous irrigation of this vital organ. This should be taken into consideration during PCNL. More detailed studies with larger groups are needed for more precise comments on this topic.