Neonatal jaundice: the role of laparoscopy

BACKGROUND

When managing neonatal jaundice, despite continual improvement of diagnostic tests and increasing knowledge regarding its pathogenesis, there is no single test or imaging modality that can reliably define biliary atresia. Early diagnosis is essential for a better surgical outcome. In many situations, mini-laparotomy and operative cholangiography may be needed to settle the definitive diagnosis, with the risk of having negative exploration in those high-risk patients with medical etiology. The use of laparoscopy may help in avoiding unnecessary exploration for such group of patients.

METHODS

Thirty-three patients aged between 1 and 4 months with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia were the subject for this study. All had a HIDA scan result suggestive of biliary atresia. They underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy before surgical exploration. When the gallbladder was not visualized we proceeded to laparotomy. In patients with a good size gallbladder visualized at laparoscopy, a laparoscopic-guided cholangiogram was then performed, and laparoscopic liver biopsy done for those who had patent biliary tree.

RESULTS

Two groups of patients were identified: the first group (21 patients) showed small atretic gallbladder; 18 patients had biliary atresia with complete intra- and extrahepatic atresia; these patients underwent a Kasai hepatic-portoenterostomy. Two patients showed a patent gallbladder and common bile duct with atresia of the common hepatic and intrahepatic ducts, and they underwent a portocholecystostomy. The last patient showed left-sided gallbladder arising from the left lobe of the liver that was missed during laparoscopy, and operative cholangiogram showed hypoplastic biliary ducts. The second group included 12 patients with good-sized gallbladder, and laparoscopic-guided percutaneous cholangiogram showed normal communicating patent biliary system, hypoplastic in 2, and they underwent laparoscopic liver biopsy. No mortality related to the laparoscopic procedure was encountered in this series, and one patient with hypoplastic gallbladder had adhesive intestinal obstruction on the fifth day after laparoscopy necessitating exploration.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopy with laparoscopic-guided cholangiography may be a very useful tool used in accurately diagnosing infants with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, and in avoiding unnecessary laparotomies performed on these critical babies.

The use of subcutaneous drains to manage subcutaneous emphysema

Subcutaneous emphysema is a frequent complication of thoracic and cardiac surgical procedures, and emergency tracheostomy is often advocated as the treatment for this complication. However, we report the case of a patient in whom massive subcutaneous emphysema, which had developed after emergent replacement of the aortic root, was relieved using subcutaneous drains and suction, instead of a tracheostomy. We found that the subcutaneous drains provided effective decompression of the head and neck areas, and markedly reduced airway pressure and subcutaneous air. We recommend subcutaneous drains for safe, effective, and inexpensive management of massive subcutaneous emphysema.