First experience of robotic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy in a child with insulinoma

Prognostic factors of pancreatic tumors in children and adolescents: a population study based on the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database

PURPOSE

Pancreatic tumors in children are uncommon, and data is scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine the prognostic factors of pediatric pancreatic tumors in a population-based cohort.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify all pediatric patients with pancreatic tumors diagnosed between 1975 and 2018. The overall survival (OS) rates were determined using a Kaplan-Meier analysis. The log-rank test was used for univariate survival analysis. Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to determine the variables related to OS.

RESULTS

We identified 195 children with pancreatic tumors, with a median age at diagnosis of 16 years. Tumors were classified as neuroendocrine tumors (33.8%), solid pseudopapillary tumors (SPTs) (32.3%), pancreatoblastoma (11.3%), and others (22.6%). Of the patients, 30.3% had distant metastases, and 69.7% had surgery. Pancreatoblastomas were more common in younger children, whereas solid pseudopapillary tumors were more common in female patients. Overall 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates for all patients were 90.3%, 79.2%, and 77.7%, respectively. The Cox proportional hazard regression revealed that SEER stage and surgery were significant independent predictors of overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Pancreatic tumors are rare in children, and overall survival is grim except for SPTs. SEER stage and surgery were determined to be the most relevant determinants of OS in our study.

Utilization of robotics in pediatric surgical oncology

Despite increasing implementation of robotic surgery and minimally invasive techniques within adult surgical oncology and pediatric general surgery, the utilization of robotic-assisted resections for pediatric tumors has been met with controversy. The robotic platform affords numerous advantages over conventional surgical techniques. However, limited data and guidelines regarding patient selection, indications for the robotic approach, and long-term oncologic outcomes have delayed the widespread adoption of robotic-assisted resection of pediatric tumors. This paper reviews the benefits, limitations, and existing guidelines and data regarding the utilization of robotics in pediatric surgical oncology.

Robotic-assisted surgery in the pediatric surgeons' world: Current situation and future prospectives

Robotic-assisted surgery has been fully embraced by surgeons for the adult population; however, its acceptance is too slow in the world of pediatric surgeons. It is largely due to the technical limitations and the inherent high cost associated with it. In the past two decades, indeed, there has been considerable advancement in pediatric robotic surgery. A large number of surgical procedures were performed on children with the assistance of robots, even with comparative success rates to standard laparoscopy. As a newly developing field, it still has many challenges and obstacles. This work is centered on the current status and progression of pediatric robotic surgery as well as the future perspectives in the field of pediatric surgery.

Minimally invasive hepatopancreatic and biliary surgery in children: a large centre experience and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for hepatopancreatic and biliary (HPB) diseases has been widely used in adults, while in children, its application is limited due to its complexity. Herein, we report the experience of MIS for paediatric HPB diseases and literature review.

METHODS

All children (≤18 years-old) undergoing major HPB operations by MIS during January 2017-June 2020 in our institution were prospectively enrolled.

RESULTS

Out of 139 children operated on for HPB diseases with MIS, 26 (18.7%) patients (age: 11 (1-17) years-old; weight: 41.9 (10.7-75.5) kg) underwent major HPB surgery, including 11 pancreatic resections and 15 liver resections, all performed by a full-laparoscopic-technique. Four (15.3%) surgeries were electively converted to an open-technique for safer operative management. None required a blood transfusion. The median hospital admission was 6 days. Post-operatively, all patients had early mobilization and good recovery. Two (7.7%) patients experienced post-operative complications requiring radiological intervention. Oncological radical resection (R0) was achieved in all tumours, and after 2 years, all children were free of tumour recurrence.

CONCLUSION

MIS for HPB surgery is safe and feasible in children, with less surgical trauma, short hospital-stay and better aesthetic results. An adequate learning curve in specialized centres is essential for good outcomes.

Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery in Children

Currently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) includes conventional laparo-thoracoscopic surgery and robot-assisted surgery (RAS) or robotic surgery. Robotic surgery is performed with robotic devices, for example the Da Vinci system from Intuitive Surgical, which has a miniaturized camera capable of image magnification, a three-dimensional image of the surgical field, and the instruments are articulated with 7 degrees of freedom of movement, and the surgeon operates in a sitting position at a surgical console near the patient. Robotic surgery has gained an enormous surge in use on adults, but it has been slowly accepted for children, although it offers important advantages in complex surgeries. The areas of application of robotic surgery in the pediatric population include urological, general surgery, thoracic, oncological, and otorhinolaryngology, the largest application has been in urological surgery. There is evidence that robotic surgery in children is safe and it is important to offer its benefits. Intraoperative complications are rare, and the frequency of postoperative complications ranges from 0–15%. Recommendations for the implementation of a pediatric robotic surgery program are included. The future will be fascinating with upcoming advancements in robotic surgical systems, the use of artificial intelligence, and digital surgery.

Technical aspects of paediatric robotic pancreatic enucleation based on a case of an insulinoma

BACKGROUND

Insulinomas are rare insulin-producing pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours leading to severe episodes of hypoglycaemia. Surgery is the predominant curative therapy.

METHODS

We report here the first paediatric case of an insulinoma of the pancreatic body resected completely robotically under ultrasound guidance in a 10-year-old male with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. The port set-up was adapted for the narrowed dimensions of the paediatric peritoneal space. We comment on technical key steps for the organ-preserving procedure that was performed in close proximity to critical anatomic structures, with supporting video. Preoperative diagnostics, including endoscopic ultrasound, to determine surgical management are highlighted.

RESULTS

Following an uneventful post-operative course, the boy was discharged on day 11 with normalised glucose-metabolism. A pseudocyst developing after 4 weeks was treated with endoscopic stenting.

CONCLUSIONS

The applicability of a robotic surgical system in limited space conditions such as found in the paediatric abdominal cavity is demonstrated here for pancreatic surgery.

Robot-assisted gallbladder-preserving hepatectomy for treating S5 hepatoblastoma in a child: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common hepatic malignant tumour in children, accounting for approximately 50%-60% of primary hepatic malignant tumours in children, mostly in children under 3 years old. In Western countries, the incidence of hepatoblastoma is approximately 1-2/100000. Da Vinci surgical system is fast becoming a key instrument in microinvasive surgery. The past decade has seen the rapid development of robot-assisted laparoscopy, which expends many fields including the liver surgery. This paper discusses the significance and feasibility of robot-assisted gallbladder-preserving hepatectomy for treating S5 hepatoblastoma in children. The aim of this essay is to compare the safety and effectiveness of robotic surgery with conventional laparoscopic surgery, and explore the meaning of preservation of the gallbladder by sharing this case.

CASE SUMMARY

A 3-year-old child with a liver mass in the 5^th segment was treated using the Da Vinci surgical system, and the gallbladder was retained. The child was admitted to the hospital for 20 d for the discovery of the right hepatic lobe mass. Ultrasonography revealed a low echo mass, 46 mm × 26 mm × 58 mm in size, indicating hepatoblastoma in the right lobe, and enhanced computed tomography showed continuous enhancement of iso-low-density lesions with different sizes and nodules and unclear boundaries, without the dilation of the intrahepatic bile duct, no enlargement of the gallbladder, and uniform thickness of the wall. The diagnosis was “liver mass, hepatoblastoma”. It was decided to perform S5 liver tumour resection. During surgery, the tumour and gallbladder were isolated first, and the gallbladder could be completely separated from the tumour surface without obvious infiltration; therefore, the gallbladder was preserved. The cutting line was marked with an electric hook. The hepatic duodenal ligament was blocked with a urethral catheter using the Pringle method, and the tumour and part of the normal liver tissue were completely resected with an ultrasound knife along the incision. The hepatic portal interdiction time was approximately 25 min. An abdominal drainage tube was inserted. The auxiliary hole was connected to the lens, and the specimen was removed. The patient’s status was uneventful, and the operation time was 166 min. The robotic time was 115 min, and the bleeding amount was approximately 200 mL. In total, 300 mL of red blood cell suspension and 200 mL of plasma were injected. No serious complications occurred. Pathological findings confirmed fetal hepatoblastoma and R0 resection. A gallbladder contraction test was performed two weeks after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Robot-assisted S5 hepatectomy with gallbladder preservation is safe and feasible for specific patients.

Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic and Thoracoscopic Surgery: Prospective Series of 186 Pediatric Surgeries

Objective: We present the applications and experiences of robot-assisted laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery (RALTS) in pediatric surgery. Materials and Methods: A prospective, observational, and longitudinal study was conducted from March 2015 to March 2018 that involved a non-random sample of a pediatric population that was treated with RALTS. The parameters examined were: gender, age, weight, height, diagnoses, surgical technique, elapsed time of console surgery, estimated bleeding, need for hemotransfusion, complications, surgical conversions, postoperative hospital stay, and follow-up. The Clavien-Dindo classification of complications was used. The surgical system used was the da Vinci model, Si version (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. U.S.A), with measures of central tendency. Results: In a 36-months period, 186 RALTS cases were performed, in 147 pediatric patients and an adult; 53.23% were male, and the remaining were female. The average age was 83 months, ranging from 3.5 to 204 months, plus one adult patient of 63 years. The stature was an average of 116.6 cm, with a range of 55-185 cm; the average weight was 26.9 kg, with a range of 5-102 kg; the smallest patient at 3.5 months was 55 cm in stature and weighed 5.5 kg. We performed 41 different surgical techniques, grouped in 4 areas: urological 91, gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary (GI-HB) 84, thoracic 6, and oncological 5. The console surgery time was 137.2 min on average, ranging from 10 to 780 min. Surgeon 1 performed 154 operations (82.8%), and the remainder were performed by Surgeon 2, with a conversion rate of 3.76%. The most commonly performed surgeries were: pyeloplasty, fundoplication, diaphragmatic plication, and removal of benign tumors, by area. Hemotransfusion was performed for 4.83%, and complications occurred in 2.68%. The average postoperative stay was 2.58 days, and the average follow-up was 23.5 months. The results of the 4 areas were analyzed in detail. Conclusion: RALTS is safe and effective in children. An enormous variety of surgeries can be safely performed, including complex hepatobiliary, and thoracic surgery in small children. There are few published prospective series describing RALTS in the pediatric population, and most only describe urological surgery. It is important to offer children the advantages and safety of minimal invasion with robotic assistance; however, this procedure has only been slowly accepted and utilized for children. It is possible to implement a robust program of pediatric robotic surgery where multiple procedures are performed.

Robotic enucleation for pediatric insulinoma with MEN1 syndrome: a case report and literature review

Background

A patient with a rare pediatric insulinoma and MEN1 syndrome was treated by robotic enucleation surgery.

Case presentation

We present a case of a 9-year-old girl presenting with repeated loss of consciousness, concomitant with a pale face, palpitations, and convulsions, which had persisted for 2 years and had been aggravated during the previous 2 months. She was previously misdiagnosed with epilepsy in another hospital. We further examined her while she was hospitalized. By combining her medical history and imaging examination and lab test results, a diagnosis of insulinoma was confirmed. Sanger-directed sequencing on a peripheral blood sample revealed an MEN1 gene mutation, indicating pediatric insulinoma with MEN1 syndrome. The patient underwent minimally invasive insulinoma enucleation surgery under the Da Vinci robot-assisted system with intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) connected. The surgery was successfully completed within 65 min, and the girl recovered well postoperatively and no longer experienced symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Conclusion

This is the first report of a case of pediatric insulinoma treated using robotic enucleation. This experience demonstrates the feasibility and safety of combining robotic surgery with the enucleation procedure as an excellent strategy for pediatric insulinoma.