UROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS OF LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY:: EXPERIENCE WITH 350 PROCEDURES AT A SINGLE CENTER

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery versus standard laparoscopic simple nephrectomy: a prospective randomized study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS), an attempt to further enhance the cosmetic benefits of minimally invasive surgery while minimizing the potential morbidity associated with multiple incisions, has been developed recently. Our aim was to compare LESS simple nephrectomy (LESS-SN) and conventional transperitoneal laparoscopic simple nephrectomy (CTL-SN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this randomized study that was conducted between December 2008 and September 2009, 27 patients who needed simple nephrectomy were randomized to either LESS-SN or CTL-SN. All procedures in both groups were performed by the first author, who is experienced in laparoscopic surgery. Patient characteristics, perioperative details, and time to return to work were recorded. Postoperative evaluation of pain and use of analgesic medication were recorded.

RESULTS

There was no difference in median operative time (117.5 vs 114 min, P = 0.52), blood loss (50.71 vs 47.15 mL, P = 0.60), transfusion rates (0% for both), and hospitalization time (2.07 vs 2.11 days, P = 0.74) between the LESS-SN and CTL-SN groups. Time to return to normal activities was shorter in the LESS-SN group compared with the CTL-SN group (10.7 vs 13.5 days, P = 0.001). Both the visual analogue scale and the postoperative use of analgesics were significantly lower during postoperative days 1, 2, and 3 in patients who underwent LESS-SN, compared with patients who underwent CTL-SN. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications in both groups. Compared with CTL-SN, LESS-SN was more expensive, but all patients undergoing LESS-SN were very pleased with the cosmetic outcome (no visible scars).

CONCLUSION

The early experience described in this study suggests that LESS-SN is a safe and effective alternative to CTL-SN that provides surgeons with a minimally invasive surgical option and the ability to hide the surgical incision within the umbilicus; however, a larger series is necessary to confirm these findings and to determine if there are any benefits in pain, recovery, or cosmesis.

Complications of urologic laparoscopic surgery: a single institute experience of 1017 procedures

PURPOSE

We evaluated complications of urologic laparoscopic surgery at our institution.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From December 1991 to January 2009, 1017 urologic laparoscopic surgical procedures were performed in Kansai Medical University, including 277 radical prostatectomies, 13 donor nephrectomies, 74 partial nephrectomies, 158 radical nephrectomies, 55 pyeloplasties, 97 nephrouretectomies, 54 simple nephrectomies, 128 adrenalectomies, 34 varicocelectomies, and 127 other procedures. Medical records of each procedure were retrospectively evaluated. The difficulty of each procedure was classified according to the European Scoring System (ESS). Intraoperative and postoperative complications were graded according to the Satava and Clavien classifications, respectively.

RESULTS

Among the 1017 laparoscopic procedures, 148 complications occurred in 123 patients, resulting in a total complication rate of 14.6%. Conversion to open surgery occurred in 20 (1.9%) patients. Nephrouretectomy had the highest incidence of complications at 23.7%, which was significantly higher than that of other procedures classified as "difficult" group, according to the ESS (P < 0.05). Clavien grades I and II accounted for 73.8% of all the postoperative complications. We experienced one fatality that was caused by air embolism.

CONCLUSION

We evaluated the complications of each procedure using the ESS for classification of technical difficulty. Based on the results of our retrospective study, nephrouretectomy should be upgraded as "very difficult" group according to the ESS. Appropriate grading by technical difficulty is beneficial for the prevention of complications from laparoscopic surgery.

Safe and Novel Technique for Peritoneal Access in Urologic Laparoscopy without Prior Insufflation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Access to the peritoneum for transperitoneal laparoscopic surgery can be achieved using a variety of techniques, each of which has advantages and disadvantages as well as risks of complications. The endoscopic threaded imaging port (EndoTIP) is a metal, reusable, threaded visual-access cannula that is inserted by rotational rather than axial force. When the technique was described initially, capnoperitoneum was obtained prior to trocar insertion. We describe the results of our series using the EndoTIP port without prior capnoperitoneum.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All 165 patients who underwent urologic transperitoneal laparoscopic procedures using the EndoTIP performed by a single surgeon from October 2001 through June 2005 were reviewed. Twentyfive patients were morbidly obese, and 32 had had previous abdominal surgical procedures. All data regarding patient demographics, details of the procedures, and outcomes were obtained from a database developed for prospective data collection at our institution.

RESULTS

There were no complications associated with peritoneal access or trocar insertion. The average time required to obtain capnoperitoneum was <1 minute.

CONCLUSIONS

Insertion of the EndoTIP port without prior capnoperitoneum is a safe, quick, and reliable method for peritoneal access in laparoscopic surgery. By avoiding blind punctures of the abdominal cavity, the risk of complications during access is minimized. We believe this technique should be considered in preference to techniques where trocars are inserted blindly.

Learning curve of hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy in less-experienced laparoscopic surgeons

AIM

To evaluate the learning curve of hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy (HALS) performed by less-experienced surgeons.

METHODS

The operative records of 166 patients, including 103 with renal tumors and 63 with renal pelvic or ureteral tumors, who underwent HALS performed by 18 less-experienced urologists were reviewed.

RESULTS

The insufflation time in the first four cases was significantly longer than that in the sixteenth and later cases. The insufflation time in cases 5-10 was 14-24 min longer than that in the cases 16 onward, although the differences were not significant. The estimated blood loss did not differ in each group of cases. The complication rate in early cases, in which the operators' experience was five cases or less, was 6% (4/71), while that in later cases was also 7% (7/95). In the analysis of the learning curve of a single surgeon who performed 57 procedures, the insufflation time in cases 1-5 was significantly longer than in cases 41-57. The insufflation times in cases 5-10 were 45 min longer than those in cases 41-57, although the difference was not significant. The estimated blood loss did not differ in each group of cases. Complications did not seem related to operation experience.

CONCLUSION

In HALS, 5-10 cases were necessary for less-experienced urologists to gain average operating skills for this procedure. It may be reasonable for less-experienced surgeons to begin standard laparoscopic procedures after experiencing 10 cases of the present procedure.

Long-Term Results of Transperitoneal Laparoscopic Fenestration in the Treatment of Simple Renal Cysts

The aim of this paper was to assess long-term results of transperitoneal laparoscopic fenestration in the treatment of symptomatic simple renal cysts. Fifteen consecutive patients (7 men, 8 women), with a mean age of 51 years (range, 36-79 years), underwent transperitoneal fenestration of simple renal cysts (SRC) at our institution from 1994 to 2001. Data were collected by reviewing patients' clinical files, conducting telephone interviews regarding symptoms, and followup renal ultrasonography (US). There were 15 symptomatic cysts (10 parenchymal, 5 peripelvic) ranging in diameter from 3.5 to 20 cm (mean, 8 cm). All patients had lumbar pain and in four (26.6%) the collecting system was compressed by the cysts. Fenestration was carried out laparoscopically in all patients. There was no mortality and no postoperative complications were recorded. No malignancies were detected at final histopathology. Mean length of stay was 2.5 days. All patients were available for long-term followup. At a mean of 60 months (range, 22-93 months) from surgery, three patients (20%) complained of slight discomfort in the lumbar area not requiring any analgesic. No recurrence of the cysts was seen on US. Two asymptomatic patients (13.3%) developed additional cysts originating from sites different than the one operated on. Laparoscopic fenestration of SRC is safe and effective in the long term to relieve patients from symptoms.