Simplified hemostatic technique during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has gained popularity in recent years, although it remains a challenging procedure. Herein we describe our technique of renal defect closure using sutures as the sole means of hemostasis during LPN. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: The kidney is approached transperitoneally in a standard fashion. After the renal artery is clamped and the tumor has been excised, the defect is closed in two separate knot-free suture layers. The deep layer suture is continuous and involves deep parenchyma including the collecting system, if opened. The superficial layer suture approximates the margins of the defect using absorbable clips on one parenchymal edge only. No bolsters, glues or other additional hemostatic agents are used. RESULTS: At present this technique was applied in 34 patients. Tumor size ranged from 17-85 mm. Median warm ischemia time was 23 min (range 12-45) and estimated blood loss 55 mL (30-1000). There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery. No urine leaks or postoperative bleedings were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This simplified technique appears reliable and quick, and therefore may be attractive for many urologic surgeons. Furthermore, the avoidance of routine use of additional hemostatic maneuvers may provide an economical advantage to this approach with no compromise of the surgical outcome.

Simplified hemostatic technique during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has gained popularity in recent years, although it remains a challenging procedure. Herein we describe our technique of renal defect closure using sutures as the sole means of hemostasis during LPN. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: The kidney is approached transperitoneally in a standard fashion. After the renal artery is clamped and the tumor has been excised, the defect is closed in two separate knot-free suture layers. The deep layer suture is continuous and involves deep parenchyma including the collecting system, if opened. The superficial layer suture approximates the margins of the defect using absorbable clips on one parenchymal edge only. No bolsters, glues or other additional hemostatic agents are used. RESULTS: At present this technique was applied in 34 patients. Tumor size ranged from 17-85 mm. Median warm ischemia time was 23 min (range 12-45) and estimated blood loss 55 mL (30-1000). There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery. No urine leaks or postoperative bleedings were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This simplified technique appears reliable and quick, and therefore may be attractive for many urologic surgeons. Furthermore, the avoidance of routine use of additional hemostatic maneuvers may provide an economical advantage to this approach with no compromise of the surgical outcome.

Transperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is an effective procedure for large (more than 7 cm) renal masses.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate our experience with the transperitoneal radical nephrectomy (TLRN) in patients with large (more than 7 cm) renal mass to determine if this procedure can be recommended as a reference standard for treating large renal masses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of 213 patients who underwent TLRN in both institutions we have reviewed medical files of 35 who had large than 7 cm renal masses. Operative time, blood loss, conversion rate, pathologic tumor type, and oncologic outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean tumor size was 10.1 cm (range: 7 to 19 cm). Mean blood loss during surgery was 388 mL (range: 150 to 600 mL). In 2 patients with 16 cm renal masses the operation was converted to hand-assisted technique as planned upon the surgery after ligation and transsection of the vascular pedicel to facilitate kidney dissection from surrounding tissue. In 1 patient the operation was converted to the open technique. Twenty-two (62.8%) patients had renal cell carcinoma and the remaining 13(37.5%) patients had other types of the renal tumors. Mean hospital stay was 4.36 days (range: 3 to 7 d). Median follow-up after the surgery was 29 months (range: 8 to 60 mo). Three patients who underwent cytoreduction nephrectomy died whereas receiving immunotherapy 3, 8, and 11 months, respectively, after surgery. One patient developed a local tumor recurrence and 2 developed remote metastasizes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that TLRN is an effective procedure for the removal larger than 7 cm renal tumors. In those patients with exceptionally big tumors planned conversion to the hand-assisted technique after laparoscopic ligation of the renal vessels enabling easier renal dissection whereas preserving the advantages of minimally invasive procedure.

The 471delAAAG mutation and C353T polymorphism in the RNASEL gene in sporadic and inherited cancer in Israel.

The rate of RNASEL 471delAAAG mutation was previously reported to be less than 7% in Ashkenazi prostate cancer patients. It seems plausible that the same mutation may also be involved in breast/ovarian cancer predisposition in Jewish individuals. To evaluate the role of this mutation in cancer predisposition, a total of 1011 individuals including 294 Jewish men with prostate cancer, 61 Ashkenazi women with ovarian cancer and 50 unaffected women, matched for age and ethnicity, were genotyped for sequence anomalies in a single RNASEL gene amplicon using DGGE and sequencing. Additionally, 209 Ashkenazi BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, 205 high-risk non-carriers matched for cancer type and age at diagnosis, and 192 healthy Ashkenazi women were screened, using DHPLC and restriction methods. The 471delAAAG mutation was detected in a single male with prostate cancer (1/294, 0.3%), in two ovarian cancer patients (2/141, 1.4%) and in one of 242 healthy controls (0.41%). An abnormal DHPLC profile identical to the one produced by the 471delAAAG mutation was noted in 23 additional women. The rate of this polymorphism was significantly elevated in high-risk non-carrier women (16/205; 7.8%) than in BRCA1/2 carriers (2/209; 1.0%) and controls (5/192; 2.6%) (chi = 11.670; P < 0.001). Sequence analysis disclosed a silent polymorphism in Valine at codon 118: c.353 C- > T.The 471delAAAG mutation occurs rarely in Israeli prostate and breast/ovarian cancer patients. A silent polymorphism in the RNASEL gene occurs more prevalently in high-risk Ashkenazi breast/ovarian cancer patients without a BRCA1/2 mutation.

Gene expression in the bladder carcinoma rat model.

We investigated gene expression in N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN)-induced rat bladder carcinoma in order to test its applicability as a model for the study of novel therapeutic modalities, particularly gene therapy. We administered BBN in the drinking water to Wistar rats for up to 30 wk and induced papillary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), which is similar to the most prevalent type of human bladder cancer. Tumor evolution was similar to that found in previous studies. However, we described the morphological stages according to modern human bladder carcinoma terminology. Our main goal was to examine the expression levels of the H19 gene, of the insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2) transcripts expressed from promoters P2 and P3 and of the telomerase subunits that we had previously investigated as tools for targeted gene therapy of bladder cancer. We detected at 30 wk of BBN exposure significant upregulation of these sequences in the rat bladder tumors, similar to our previous findings in human bladder cancer. To reinforce the similarity of this model to the corresponding human disease, we searched for additional tumor-specific genes documented as having altered expression in human bladder carcinoma, using cDNA expression arrays (Clontech). We suggest that BBN-induced rat bladder cancer has morphological, biological, and molecular parallels to human bladder cancer and is an attractive model for studying novel alternatives of therapeutic intervention.

Aggressive resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma is superior to simple excision: an animal study using a novel model for retroperitoneal sarcoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Retroperitoneal sarcomas constitute a difficult management problem. The need for, and extent of, aggressive surgery continues to be debated. The aim of our study was to compare the impact of radical en bloc resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma with complete resection of the tumor alone in a rat model. METHODS: Under laparoscopic guidance, a fibrosarcoma cell line suspension was injected into the left paranephric space of a rat, resulting in the development of a macroscopic retroperitoneal tumor. Ten days after inoculation, 50 rats were randomized into three groups: (1) local resection, (2) radical resection, and (3) follow-up only. Groups 1 and 2 were further randomized for sacrifice 1 month after surgery or were followed up for 2 months. RESULTS: Local recurrence: 46% of group 1, while none in group 2 developed local recurrence during the same follow-up period (P = 0.02). Survival: 33% of group 1 were alive after 2 months, as compared with 54.5% of group 2. (P = 0.04). All rats in the control group died within <25 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that aggressive en bloc resection of retroperitoneal sarcomas with adjacent viscera, even when macroscopically uninvolved with disease, has an advantage over complete local resection alone.