Endoscopic peritoneal access and insufflation: natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery

Specialized instrumentation facilitates stable peritoneal access, gastric decompression, and visualization during transgastric endoscopic peritoneoscopy

PURPOSE

The lack of high-fidelity instrumentation has impeded the development and implementation of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). A steerable flexible trocar (SFT), a rotary access needle (RAN), and an articulating needle knife were developed as components of a flexible instrument set to facilitate transgastric peritoneal access and transluminal abdominal procedures. This cohort study aimed to assess the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of these devices during transgastric peritoneoscopy.

METHODS

Ten morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass participated in the study. Following laparoscopic access, transgastric peritoneal access was established using the SFT and RAN, and transgastric peritoneoscopy performed. NOTES adhesiolysis was performed in 2 patients with significant intra-abdominal adhesions due to prior surgery. Outcome measures included time to enter the peritoneal cavity, ability to visualize each quadrant of the abdomen, ability to perform adhesiolysis, and complications.

RESULTS

Ten patients with a median body mass index as stated in table 1 of 47.5 kg/m(2) were enrolled. Successful transgastric access was achieved in 8 of the 10 patients. One procedure was aborted because of difficulty creating the gastrotomy. Another procedure was aborted because of the difficult passage of the device through the oropharynx. An upper esophageal laceration occurred in one patient. Transgastric peritoneal access required 17.4 ± 5.5 minutes, and peritoneoscopy averaged 24.7 ± 7.6 minutes. The 4 abdominal quadrants were visualized and were accessible with the endoscope in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The SFT and RAN facilitate transgastric peritoneal access and visualization of difficult-to-reach areas of the peritoneum. These devices provide advanced instrumentation for transgastric NOTES procedures; however, care must be taken during the transoral insertion to avoid complications.

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES): assessment of peritoneal bacterial load after intraperitoneal antimicrobial wash and evaluation of hemodynamic changes in a porcine model

AIMS

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a promising newly developed procedure; however, it is associated with many complications. The main aim of our study is to assess whether peritoneal wash with antibiotics decreases the bacterial load contamination related to the transgastric approach.

METHODS

Ten female farm pigs underwent transgastric peritoneoscopy with fallopian tubal ligation. Five pigs were randomized to antibiotic wash of the peritoneal cavity and five to placebo. All animals were given one intravenous dose of antibiotic before the procedure. Hemodynamic variables were continuously monitored throughout the procedure. The next day, peritoneal cultures were taken. The fallopian tubes were inspected to determine the success of ligation and the gastric incision sites were assessed for leakage.

RESULTS

No significant difference was noted between the antibiotic peritoneal wash group and the placebo group in terms of peritoneal bacterial load with respective median colony-forming units per ml (CFU/ml) of 0 [0; 1] vs. 0 [0; 4], p = 0.637. No clinically significant hemodynamic changes were noted during the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study indicate that NOTES carries minimal risk of peritoneal bacterial contamination, regardless of the use of intraperitoneal antibiotics, and is not associated with hemodynamic compromise.

Initial experience from the transgastric endoscopic peritoneoscopy and biopsy: a stepwise approach from the laboratory to clinical application

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Natural-orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a newly minimally invasive technique that gives access to the abdominal cavity via transgastric, transcolonic, transvaginal or transvesical routes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of transgastric endoscopic peritoneoscopy and biopsy from laboratory to clinical application.

METHODS

With the animals under general anesthesia, a sterile esophageal overtube was placed and a gastric antibiotic lavage was performed. Subsequently, a needle-knife and through-the-scope dilating balloon were used to make an anterior gastric wall incision through which a therapeutic gastroscope was advanced into the peritoneal cavity. After 2 weeks, another transgastric endoscopic exploration was performed in a different location of the stomach. The peritoneal cavity was examined before the gastric incision was closed. After 4 weeks of observation, necropsy was performed. In the clinical application, after gastric lavage, the first step was the creation of the gastrotomy under general anesthesia, sometime under direct vision of the laparoscopic scope. Then the endoscope can be maneuvered in the peritoneal cavity. And peritoneoscopy and biopsy were performed. Biopsies can be obtained from any suspicious areas using punch biopsy forceps. The gastrotomy was then closed with clips. The gastroscopy was examined after one week.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight transgastric endoscopic peritoneoscopies and biopsies in pigs and a total of five transgastric human endoscopic peritoneoscopies and biopsies have been performed. All procedures were completed satisfactorily in the pig model and all patients. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

The advantages of peritoneoscopy and biopsy appeared to be enhanced by this approach. Patients had minor postoperative pain and minimal scarring. It is safe and feasible for us to use transgastric endoscopic peritoneoscopy and biopsy in humans.

Progress in clinical application of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a new minimally invasive technique that involves accessing body cavity organs via natural orifices (stomach, colon or vagina) to perform intra-abdominal surgical procedures. On the basis of previous animal experiments, NOTES has been gradually applied in clinical practice around the world. This paper aims to review the progress in clinical application of NOTES.