A totally laparoscopic associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy assisted with radiofrequency (radiofrequency assisted liver partition with portal vein ligation) for staged liver resection.

In order to induce liver hypertrophy to enable liver resection in patients with a small future liver remnant (FLR), various methods have been proposed in addition to portal vein embolisation (PVE). Most recently, the associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) technique has gained significant international interest. This technique is limited by the high morbidity associated with an in situ liver splitting and the patient undergoing two open operations. We present the case of a variant ALPPS technique performed entirely laparoscopically with no major morbidity or mortality. An increased liver volume of 57.9% was seen after 14 days. This technique is feasible to perform and compares favourably to other ALPPS methods whilst gaining the advantages of laparoscopic surgery.

Consequences of Recipient Obesity on Postoperative Outcomes in a Renal Transplant: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly and globally, yet systemic reviews on this topic are scarce. Our meta-analysis and systemic review aimed to assess how obesity affects 5 postoperative outcomes: biopsy-proven acute rejection, patient death, allograft loss, type 2 diabetes mellitus after transplant, and delayed graft function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated peer-reviewed literature from 22 medical databases. Studies were included if they were conducted in accordance with the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology criteria, only examined postoperative outcomes in adult patients, only examined the relation between recipient obesity at time of transplant and our 5 postoperative outcomes, and had a minimum score of > 5 stars on the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for nonrandomized studies. Reliable conclusions were ensured by having our studies examined against 2 internationally known scoring systems. Obesity was defined in accordance with the World Health Organization as having a body mass index of > 30 kg/m(2). All obese recipients were compared versus "healthy" recipients (body mass index of 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)). Hazard ratios were calculated for biopsy-proven acute rejection, patient death, allograft loss, and type 2 diabetes mellitus after transplant. An odds ratio was calculated for delayed graft function. RESULTS: We assessed 21 retrospective observational studies in our meta-analysis (N = 241 381 patients). In obese transplant recipients, hazard ratios were 1.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.24-1.78) for presence of biopsy-proven acute rejection, 1.19 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.31) for patient death, 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.38-1.68) for allograft loss, and 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.07) for development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The odds ratio for delayed graft function was 1.81 (95% confidence interval, 1.51-2.13). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis clearly demonstrated greater risks for obese renal transplant recipients and poorer postoperative outcomes with obesity. We confidently recommend renal transplant candidates seek medically supervised weight loss before transplant.

Rescue of Transplanted Kidney Thanks to an Implantable Doppler Probe: Is This the Future?

Observing graft blood supply post kidney transplantation is essential. Compromised graft perfusion must be identified without delay to preserve organ survival. Implantable probes have revolutionised the graft monitoring process in kidney transplantation leading to safe, continuous, and distinct monitoring of blood supply. The Implantable Cook-Swartz Doppler Flow Monitoring System allows immediate salvaging of a compressed kidney. The implantable Doppler probe can easily and effectively identify such cases and save the limited number of organs that are available to today's patients.

Benign tumours of the bone: A review.

Benign tumours of the bone are not cancerous and would not metastasise to other regions of the body. However, they can occur in any part of the skeleton, and can still be dangerous as they may grow and compress healthy bone tissue. There are several types of benign tumours that can be classified by the type of matrix that the tumour cells produce; such as bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, fat or blood vessel. Overall, 8 different types can be distinguished: osteochondroma, osteoma, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, giant cell tumour, aneurysmal bone cyst, fibrous dysplasia and enchondroma. The incidence of benign bone tumours varies depending on the type. However, they most commonly arise in people less than 30 years old, often triggered by the hormones that stimulate normal growth. The most common type is osteochondroma. This review discusses the different types of common benign tumours of the bone based on information accumulated from published literature.

Transplantation: a brief history.

Developments in transplantation have progressed dramatically over the past century. Current research is underway to optimize immune modulation, genetically engineering animals for xenografting, and breakthroughs are occurring in regenerative medicine. However, pioneering live-donor transplantation has transformed transplantation in the organ shortage, and these contribute an increased proportion of transplanted organs. Live-donor transplantation is associated with better long-term outcomes, and techniques to recover organs have become less invasive. We set out to examine the evolution of transplantation from its historic beginnings to the developments that make it successful today.