Laparoscopic appendectomy with one navel trocar

Background: Laparoscopicappendectomyisasafeandeffectiveprocedureforacute appendicitis. This surgeryhasashorterdurationofhospitalstayandatrendtowardless postoperative infectious complications. Objectives: To evaluate advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic appendectomy with one navel trocar. Subjects and method: Subjects included 38 cases diagnosed acute appendicitis in Cho Ray hospital, from October 2006 to September 2007. The subjects treated by laparoscopic appendectomy with one navel trocar. Results: The subjects included were 14 males (36.8%) and 24 females (63.2%). The subjects\ufffd?average age was 28.82 years (ranged from 14-68 years). The average time of abdominal pain was 18.39 hours (ranged from 8 to 24 hours). The average operative time was 28.34 minutes (ranged from 15 to 65 minutes). The average time of hospital stay was 2.9 days (ranged 1 to 5 days). 36/38 patients (94.7%) had appendix\u2019s location in right iliac fossa. There were 68.4% of patients who reexamined at postoperation. Conclusions: Laparoscopic appendectomy with one navel trocar is a useful method for reducing hospital stay, complications and return to normal activity.

Thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy for control pancreatic pain

Background: Intractable pain is the most distressing symptom in patients suffering from unresectable pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis and thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy is an emerging method in the past decade for pain control. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy in controlling pain due to pancreatic diseases. Subjects and method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out between May 2004 and August 2006, on 29 patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, treated by thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy. Their subjective pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS). Intra- and post- operative complications and mortality, operative time and hospital length also so have been evaluated. Results: Among 29 patients, there were 21 cases of pancreatic carcinoma (11 males and 10 females) and 8 cases of chronic pancreatitis (100% were male). The average operative time was 133.27 \xb1 8.32 min (range 90-270 min). 27 cases (93.1%) underwent bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy and 2 cases (6.9%) underwent unilateral procedure. There was no death due to procedure. The mean hospital stay was 4.86 \xb1 0.56 days (range, 1\ufffd?3 days). Pain relief was most effective in the 1st week after operations. Conclusion: Thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy is a safe and effective procedure of treating malignant and benign intractable pancreatic pain. It is needed to study long-term efficacy of pain relief for chronic pancreatitis.