The female athlete triad: special considerations for adolescent female athletes.

The number of adolescent girls participating in sports has dramatically increased throughout the last few decades. In the early 1990's, an association between amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and disordered eating was recognized and eventually labeled the 'Female Athlete Triad'. In 1997, the Task Force on Women's Issues of American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published a position statement on this triad of conditions that were becoming increasingly more prevalent amongst female athletes. Initially, the 'Female Athlete Triad' was characterized by disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. However, as the number of adolescent female athletes has continued to grow, there has been further research and investigation into this field and the triad has evolved in definition. It is essential for all health care practitioners and other professionals who care for adolescent athletes to be attentive to the clinical signs, detection, evaluation, and management of the female athlete triad, as the sequelae can have a significant impact on the health and well-being of a young person both in the short and long-term.

Single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy versus conventional multiport laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: technical considerations and strategic modifications.

BACKGROUND: Since its inception, minimal access surgery has been a dynamic field, experiencing successive leaps in technique and instrumental design. Each improvement in minimal access surgery must demonstrate that patients benefit from the change in approach, without compromising the outcome. The present study presents the technical considerations and strategic modifications for single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. We also compared the newly adopted single-incision laparoscopic approach with conventional multiport laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. METHODS: Of the 26 patients included in the present study, 14 underwent single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and 12 underwent conventional multiport sleeve gastrectomy. All procedures were performed by the same surgeon (A.A.S.) during a 12-month period from September 2008 to August 2009 at Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. RESULTS: The Mann-Whitney U tests showed with 95% confidence that the difference in pain scores and length of hospital stay in the single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy group were statistically significant. A modest increase occurred in the operative time in the single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy group. This difference was the least statistically significant of all variables (P = .055). CONCLUSION: Single-incision laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was associated with less postoperative pain, a lower need for analgesia, and a decreased length of hospital stay compared with conventional multiport laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. This was achieved without decreasing the quality of surgery or the outcomes offered by the conventional multiport counterpart.

Single-incision laparoscopic placement of an adjustable gastric band versus conventional multiport laparoscopic gastric banding: a comparative study.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is rapidly becoming the focal point of attraction for early adopters of minimally invasive surgery nationwide. Having achieved a rapid crossover to the realm of advanced surgical procedures, SILS has shown remarkable versatility and adaptability, making it no longer limited to basic laparoscopic procedures. We report our experience performing laparoscopic placement of gastric bands with an emphasis on comparison of the single-incision laparoscopic approach with the conventional multiport laparoscopic approach. From December 2008 to September 2009, 27 patients underwent laparoscopic placement of an adjustable gastric band at Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. This included 15 patients who underwent single-incision laparoscopic gastric banding and 12 patients who underwent conventional multiport laparoscopic gastric banding procedures. The overall pain score was found to be significantly less in the SILS group than that for the conventional multiport laparoscopic gastric banding group with a statistically significant P value of 0.012. The operating time was found to be significantly less in the multiport group with a P value of 0.000. Differences in immediate postoperative pain scores, analgesia, and the overall length of hospital stay were found to be statistically insignificant. Single-incision laparoscopic gastric banding is associated with significantly less overall postoperative pain than the conventional laparoscopic approach; in addition, it provides improved cosmetic outcome despite a modest increase in operative time.

Three trocar laparoscopic Roux-en-y gastric bypass: a novel technique en route to the single-incision laparoscopic approach.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is the gold standard bariatric procedure. Typically, the procedure necessitates five to seven small skin incisions for trocar placement. The senior author (AA Saber) has developed a three-trocar approach for laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. METHODS: Sixteen patients underwent triple-incision laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass between May 2009 and August 2009. The same surgeon performed all surgical interventions. The umbilicus was the main point of entry for all patients and the same operative technique and perioperative protocol were used in all patients. RESULTS: A total of sixteen triple-incision laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses were performed. The procedures were successfully performed in all patients. Mean operating time was 145.4 min. None of the patients required conversion to an open procedure. There were no mortalities or post-operative technical complications noted during the immediate post-operative period. CONCLUSION: Three trocar laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is safe, technically feasible and reproducible. This technique may be considered a "precursor" to single-incision laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Simple technique for single incision transumbilical laparoscopic appendectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Acute appendicitis is one of the most commonly encountered surgical problems in everyday practice. With the recent increase in popularity of single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), several techniques for SILS appendectomy have already been described. We herein describe our own simplified technique for single incision transumbilical laparoscopic appendectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From December 2008 to August 2009, a total of 26 patients consented for single incision laparoscopic appendectomy for acute appendicitis. Preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data were collected. RESULTS: Our technique was successful in 19 out of 26 (73.1%) patients, while seven patients required the placement of additional trocars. None of the patients needed conversion to an open approach. Mean OR time was 45.9 min. The mean length of stay was 1.1 day. Only one patient had developed postoperative umbilical wound infection. CONCLUSION: Our technique for single incision laparoscopic transumbilical appendectomy is safe feasible, and reproducible. Prospective randomized studies comparing the single incision laparoscopic approach with its conventional multiport counterpart are necessary to confirm the conclusions of our early experience.