Intraoperative Cholangiography in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background/Objectives: Routine intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) remains controversial. The primary outcomes of this meta-analysis were detection rates of choledocholithiasis, bile duct injuries (BDI), and missed stones in LCs. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for the time period January 1, 1990 to July 31, 2022. Some studies reported LCs with conversion to open therefore subgroup analysis in BDI rates was performed for studies which included LCs with and without conversion to open. Studies including primary open cholecystectomies were excluded. I2 statistics were used for heterogeneity analysis. Results: Fourteen studies involving 440659 patients were included. In studies comparing routine and selective IOC policies in LC, 61.1% of patients underwent routine IOC; 38.9% underwent selective IOC. In studies comparing IOC to no IOC in LC, 17.3% of patients had IOC; 82.7% did not. Between the selective and routine IOC groups there was no difference in choledocholithiasis detection rate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33, p = 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86 - 2.04), no difference in the rate of missed stones (OR = 1.59, p = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.31 - 8.29), and no difference in BDI rates in selective compared to routine IOC (OR = 0.92, p = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.20 - 4.22). There was no difference in the BDI detection rates in LC with and without IOC (OR = 1.12, p = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.52 - 2.38). Conclusion: This is the largest meta-analysis on this topic to date. There was no statistically significant difference in choledocholithiasis detection, missed stones, or BDI rates in the analyzed groups.

Minimally invasive McKeown's vs open oesophagectomy for cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of minimally invasive oesophagectomy (MIO) compared to open oesophagectomy (OO) remains controversial. Various techniques for performing MIO are currently used, but the evidence for them is lacking. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the safety, efficacy and oncological outcomes of McKeown's minimally invasive oesophagectomy (McKeown's-MIO) to OO. METHODS: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to December 2016 for relevant articles comparing McKeown's-MIO to OO. As no randomised control trials (RCTs) currently exist, only cohort and case control studies were included. Fixed or random-effects models were used to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) or relative risks (RRs) for binary outcomes, and hazard ratios (HRs) for time-to-event outcomes. Heterogeneity among studies were evaluated using I2 statistics. RESULTS: Four studies, which consisted a total of 573 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. In comparison to patients undergoing OO, those who were treated with McKeown's-MIO had a reduced incidence of pneumonia and total respiratory complications, however, there were no statistically significant differences for other measures of safety such as RLN palsy and anastomotic leak. In terms of efficacy data, MIO had significantly less blood loss and a shorter duration of hospital stay but a longer operating time. Lymph node retrieval trended towards favouring McKeown's-MIO, but was not statistically significant. There was insufficient data to report on other oncological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: McKeown's-MIO is a safe and effective procedure that has comparable outcomes to OO. However, RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to confirm these results.

Is it really an abscess? An unusual case of metastatic stromal cell sarcoma of the prostate.

INTRODUCTION: Prostatic stromal sarcomas account for about 0.1% of all prostatic malignancies. Local recurrence into bladder, seminal vesicles and rectum has been documented. Distal metastasis, has so far only been reported in lung and bone. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report the case of a 42 year old man with a subcutaneous metastatic deposit of a prostatic stromal cell sarcoma 5 years after radical prostatectomy. Additional staging with CT- and PET-scan showed lymph node involvement in the neck and left axilla. A core biopsy of the skin lesion was undertaken, of which the histology revealed a low grade spindle cell tumour that was morphologically identical to a previously diagnosed prostatic stromal sarcoma. DISCUSSION: In literature distant metastases to the lung and bone have been documented before. This is the first documented case of a subcutaneous metastasis of prostatic stromal cell sarcoma. CONCLUSION: The preferred treatment for prostatic stromal cell sarcoma is surgery by radical prostatectomy or cystoprostatectomy. There is currently not enough literature on the topic to elucidate the role of chemo- or radiotherapy in loco-regional or distant spread.

Small bowel obstruction in the virgin abdomen: the need for a mandatory laparotomy explored.

BACKGROUND: A laparotomy is still considered mandatory for patients without previous abdominal surgery presenting with a small bowel obstruction (SBO) because of a perceived high incidence of underlying lesions. However, there is no evidence in literature to support this assumption. We analyzed the etiology of SBO in this subgroup of patients to establish the need for a mandatory laparotomy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted over a 5-year period. Basic demographics, radiology results, operative findings, and outpatient investigations were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 689 patients presenting with an SBO, a total of 62 patients, 9.0%, had a virgin abdomen. A known underlying disease (inflammatory bowel disease, malignancy) was the cause in 13 patients. The remaining 49 patients had adhesions in 75.5% and a newly diagnosed malignancy in 10.2% as a cause. CONCLUSIONS: Adhesions are by far the most likely cause of SBO in patients without previous abdominal surgery followed by a small number of newly diagnosed malignancies. Both prevalences are in equal proportion to patients with previous abdominal surgery. A trial of nonoperative management may therefore be justified.

The high volume debate in a low volume country: centralisation of oesophageal resection in New Zealand.

AIM: Centralisation of oesophageal resection for cancer remains an area of debate. However, no consensus for the requirements of high volume centres yet exists and some low volume centres have been able to produce a comparable outcome. With the small population of New Zealand more than one high volume centre might not be achievable. We reviewed our series of oesophageal resections and compared them to outcomes in the literature to challenge the need for only high volume centres within New Zealand METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all consecutive oesophagogastrectomies performed in Christchurch Public Hospital (Christchurch City, New Zealand) from January 1998 until June 2009 was undertaken. RESULTS: Within this period 128 oesophagogastrectomies were performed. Median admission duration was 12 days. The overall complication rate was 53.9% of which 5.5% was an anastomotic leak. Combined in-hospital and 30-day-mortality was 1.6% (2/128). The 5-year-survival was 32.4% for adenocarcinoma and 47.7% for squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion This series has shown that a low volume centre within New Zealand is able to deliver a satisfactory level of care for oesophagectomy. Given New Zealand's low population density it is debatable to what extent care should be centralised for treatment of oesophageal carcinoma.

Predicting patient dissatisfaction following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication: an analysis of symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Nissen fundoplication is a well-established treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with a high success rate and a long-lasting effect. However, the literature reports that a persistent, small group of patients is not fully satisfied with the outcome. Identifying this patient group preoperatively would prevent disappointment for both patients and surgeon. This has proven difficult since dissatisfaction was related to nondisease-related factors instead of typical symptoms of GERD or the objective findings of investigations. We studied our series of patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication to identify predictors of patient dissatisfaction and the impact of surgery on individual symptoms. METHODS: All consecutive private patients undergoing Nissen fundoplication were asked to complete a preoperative and postoperative questionnaire concerning symptoms, medication use, and satisfaction. Demographics, investigations, complications, and reinterventions were documented. A standard laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication was performed. RESULTS: Over an 11-year period 222 patients underwent surgery for GERD. The postoperative response rate to the questionnaire was 77.5 %, with dissatisfaction reported by 12.8 % of the patients. Of these dissatisfied patients, only 13.6 % had proven disease recurrence. Both satisfied and dissatisfied patients presented with an inconsistent pattern of symptoms. None of the preoperative symptoms and investigations or the patient's age and gender was predictive of postoperative dissatisfaction. Only postoperative heartburn, regurgitation, and bloating significantly correlated with patient dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: Nissen fundoplication has a very high satisfaction rate overall. A small percentage of patients are not fully satisfied and dissatisfaction is associated with reported persistent symptoms and side effects of surgery rather than gender or preoperative symptom pattern, severity of esophagitis, or total 24 h esophageal acid exposure.

A comparison of the hospital costs of open vs. minimally invasive surgical management of necrotizing pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Infected necrotizing pancreatitis is a major burden for both the patient and the health care system. Little is known about how hospital costs break down and how they may have shifted with the increasing use of minimally invasive techniques. The aim of this study was to analyse inpatient hospital costs associated with pancreatic necrosectomy. METHODS: A prospective database was used to identify all patients who underwent an intervention for necrotizing pancreatitis. Costs of treatment were calculated using detailed information from the Decision Support Department. Costs for open and minimally invasive surgical modalities were compared. RESULTS: Twelve open and 13 minimally invasive necrosectomies were performed in a cohort of 577 patients presenting over a 50-month period. One patient in each group died in hospital. Overall median stay was 3.8 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and 44 days on the ward. The median overall treatment cost was US$ 56,674. The median largest contributors to this total were ward (26.3%), surgical personnel (22.3%) and ICU (17.0%) costs. These did not differ statistically between the two treatment modalities. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic necrosectomy uses considerable health care resources. Minimally invasive techniques have not been shown to reduce costs. Any intervention that can reduce the length of hospital and, in particular, ICU stay by reducing the incidence of organ failure or by preventing secondary infection is likely to be cost-effective.