Diagnostic laparoscopy: an update

"Relaparoscopic" management of surgical complications: The experience of an Emergency Center

BACKGROUND/AIM

Laparotomy has been the approach of choice for re-operations in patients with surgical complications. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the feasibility and the safety of laparoscopic approach for the management of general abdominal surgery complications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We report a retrospective review of 75 patients who underwent laparoscopic evaluation for postoperative complications over a 4-year period. Primary outcomes (resolution rate by exclusive laparoscopic approach, conversion rate, further surgery rate) and secondary outcomes (mortality, hospitalization, prolonged ileus, wounds problems and median operative time) were evaluated.

RESULTS

Sixty-six patients (88 %) were managed with laparoscopic approach without conversion; of these, sixty-three patients (84 %) had no more or further complications and were discharged from hospital between 4 ± 3 days after "second-look" surgery; three patients (4 %) developed postoperative complications requiring a third surgery. Nine cases (12 %) underwent conversion in open surgery after laparoscopic approach. Two elderly patients (2.7 %) died in intensive care unit, because of multi-organ failure syndrome. Median time elapsed between an intervention and another was about 2.5 ± 9.5 days. Mean operative time was 90 ± 150 min. Postoperative hospital stay was between 4.5 and 18 days.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Laparoscopy has begun to be the preferred method to manage postoperative problems, but only few reports are available actually. Our experience in "relaparoscopic" management of surgical complications seems to suggest that laparoscopy "second look" is an effective tool after open or laparoscopic surgery for the management of postoperative complications and it may avoid diagnostic delay and further laparotomy and related problems.

Control of laparoscopic instrument motion in an inanimate bench model: implications for the training and the evaluation of technical skills

Computer-assisted analysis of wrist movement has recently emerged as an objective laparoscopic performance evaluation method. The first purpose of this study was to assess the differences in motion characteristics between the tip of the instrument and the wrist. The second purpose was to describe the control strategies used to move laparoscopic instruments. During a bead transfer task, motions of a laparoscopic needle driver's tip, heel, and the participants' wrist were monitored. Results showed that large amplitude movements were best described by movements of the wrist, and small amplitude movements were evidenced by motions of the instrument tip. Thus, for describing expertise, and for evaluation and feedback, motion of the tip of the laparoscopic instrument should be quantified, in addition to motion of the wrist. The motions of the instrument were controlled by utilizing the flexibility of the skin of the laparoscopic trainer in addition to using the fulcrum, and sliding through the trocar. In order to increase fidelity, virtual reality trainers should simulate the flexibility of the real structures around the insertion of the instrument.

Surface exploration using laparoscopic surgical instruments: the perception of surface roughness

During laparoscopic surgery video images are used to guide the movements of the hand and instruments, and objects in the operating field often obscure these images. Thus, surgeons often rely heavily on tactile information (sense of touch) to help guide their movements. It is important to understand how tactile perception is affected when using laparoscopic instruments, since many surgical judgements are based on how a tissue 'feels' to the surgeon, particularly in situations where visual inputs are degraded. Twelve naïve participants used either their index finger or a laparoscopic instrument to explore sandpaper surfaces of various grits (60, 100, 150 and 220). These movements were generated with either vision or no vision. Participants were asked to estimate the roughness of the surfaces they explored. The normal and tangential forces of either the finger or instrument on the sandpaper surfaces were measured. Results showed that participants were able to judge the roughness of the sandpaper surfaces when using both the finger and the instrument. However, post hoc comparisons showed that perceptual judgements of surface texture were altered in the no vision condition compared to the vision condition. This was also the case when using the instrument, compared to the judgements provided when exploring with the finger. This highlights the importance of the completeness of the video images during laparoscopic surgery. More normal and tangential force was used when exploring the surfaces with the finger as opposed to the instrument. This was probably an attempt to increase the contact area of the fingertip to maximize tactile input. With the instrument, texture was probably sensed through vibrations of the instrument in the hand. Applications of the findings lie in the field of laparoscopic surgery simulation techniques and tactile perception.

Minilaparoscopy versus conventional laparoscopy in the diagnosis of hepatic diseases

BACKGROUND

Minilaparoscopy (ML) is being used increasingly in the diagnosis of liver disease. This is a prospective study of the accuracy and safety of ML compared with conventional laparoscopy (CL) in the diagnostic workup of liver disease.

METHODS

One hundred four patients with suspected liver disease were randomized either to undergo CL (n = 50) or ML (n = 54). CL was performed with a standard Storz laparoscope (Ø 11 mm, Storz GmbH, Tuttlingen, Germany) according to accepted guidelines. For ML a 1.9-mm small-diameter optical telescope was used (Richard Wolf GmbH, Knittlingen, Germany). In all cases, an attempt was made to obtain a liver biopsy specimen.

RESULTS

Laparoscopy could successfully be performed in 100 of 104 (96%) patients with simultaneous procurement of biopsy specimens of the liver. In 4 cases, postoperative adhesions prevented sufficient inspection of the liver and in another patient the technique was switched from CL to ML for the same reason. Minor self-limiting bleeding at the biopsy site was observed in 20% of CL and 15% of ML examinations. One patient in each group required surgery for uncontrollable bleeding from the biopsy site. The patients' subjective perception of the examination was comparable in both groups. Compared with CL, ML could be performed in a significantly shorter time (27 vs. 22 min, p < 0.05). Liver cirrhosis diagnosed during laparoscopy was histologically confirmed in 77%, independent of the method of examination. Cirrhosis was diagnosed by histology in 1 of 14 (7%) and 1 of 21 (5%) patients without macroscopic signs of cirrhosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopy with a small diameter telescope in the workup of liver disease is comparable in terms of results to CL. Possible advantages of ML are a shorter examination time and a subjective impression of lower degree of invasiveness.