Adaptive functional change of the contralateral kidney after partial nephrectomy

A Modified Two-Layer Suture Technique for Transperitoneal Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy: Single-Center Clinical Experience

Purposes

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a modified two-layer suture method during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) by a comparative analysis with the traditional two-layer suture.

Methods

A total of 60 LPN patients were enrolled in this study, of which 30 patients received the modified two-layer suture method and the remaining 30 patients underwent the traditional two-layer suture. Then, surgical characteristics including operative time, warm ischemic time (WIT), estimated blood loss (EBL), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were recorded. Finally, univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the correlations of tumor characteristics, suture methods, and postoperative renal function.

Results

There was no significant difference between the two suture groups with respect to patient and tumor characteristics, postoperative creatinine level, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level. The modified suture group showed a significantly shorter clamping time and a less GFR level reduction than the traditional two-layer suture group (15 vs. 23 min; 42.32 ± 9.48 vs. 27.07 ± 7.88; p < 0.05). Additionally, the modified two-layer suture was an independent factor that influenced the clamping time and the level of GFR reduction.

Conclusion

The modified two-layer suture method is feasible and effective for LPN.

Evaluation of the effect of unilateral late blindness on the retina, optic nerve and choroid parameters in the sighted eye

BACKGROUND

To investigate whether unilateral late blindness alters the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), central macular thickness (CMT) and choroidal thickness (CT).

METHODS

The 17 healthy eyes of 17 monocular patients with late blindness due to isolated eye trauma in one eye and the 19 eyes of 19 healthy individuals were evaluated in this retrospective study. Patients with at least 10 years of monocular blindness, a refractive error between + 1.5 and -1.5 D in the sighted eye, a best-corrected visual acuity of at least 20/20 and an axial length (AL) < 25 mm were included in the study. Following ophthalmologic examination, the RNFL, GCC, CMT and CT values were measured with spectral domain optic tomography (SD-OCT). Those with ocular, systemic or neurological disease that could influence the measured parameters were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

A total of 17 (14 males, 3 females) monocular patients [mean age 41.00 ± 11.95 (24-64)] and 19 (16 males, 3 females) healthy individuals [mean age 39.79 ± 6.74 (30-56)], similar in age and gender (p = 0.949 and p = 0.881), were included in the study. The mean duration of being monocular was 22.76 ± 11.76 (10-49) years. No difference was present between the RNFL, GCC, CMT and CT measurements of the monocular patients and the healthy individuals (p = 0.692, p = 0.294, p = 0.113, p = 0.623, respectively). No significant correlation was found between the duration of monocularity and the retinal and optic nerve parameters.

CONCLUSION

The results of our study indicate no difference in the optic nerve, retina and choroid OCT findings in the sighted eyes of subjects with long-term monocular blindness compared to subjects with bilateral normal eyes. Although functional and volumetric neuroimaging studies suggest the possibility of compensation in these patients, our findings indicate that this is not at the ocular level.