Omentectomy for oncological surgical staging by transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES): a preliminary study

Clinical efficacy and safety study of vNOTES for benign ovarian tumors in obese patients

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) for treating benign ovarian tumors in obese patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 35 obese patients who underwent vNOTES for benign ovarian tumor resection and 41 obese patients who underwent multi-port laparoscopic surgery (MPLS) during the same period from January 2021 to June 2024 at Qinghai Red Cross Hospital. Key parameters such as operative time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative and postoperative complications, hospitalization duration, postoperative anal exhaust time, postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score, and SF-36 score were analyzed. No statistical differences were observed between the two groups regarding baseline characteristics such as age, body mass index (BMI), tumor diameter, parity, and history of pelvic surgery. The vNOTES group exhibited shorter operative times compared to the MPLS group, with no significant differences in tumor pathology, intraoperative blood loss, or tumor rupture rates. Postoperatively, the vNOTES group had shorter hospital stays, fewer postoperative complications, lower 24-hour postoperative VAS scores, and higher three-month postoperative SF-36 scores compared to the MPLS group. No differences were found between the groups concerning anal exhaust time, sexual satisfaction rate, or 24-hour postoperative VAS scores. vNOTES is a safe and feasible surgical method for treating benign ovarian tumors in obese patients, offering advantages such as no abdominal incisions and quicker postoperative recovery.

Early surgical outcomes of 550 consecutive patients treated for benign gynecological conditions by transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery

INTRODUCTION

Evidence about intra- and postoperative complication rates related to transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) for benign gynecological conditions is still limited. We report and analyze data from a large cohort of patients operated in a single institution during 3.5 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

To evaluate the safety and feasibility of vNOTES for benign gynecological indications, we performed a single-center observational study reporting and analyzing perioperative outcomes of 550 consecutive patients operated between 2020 and 2024.

RESULTS

Of the 550 included patients, 365 (66.4%) underwent a vNOTES hysterectomy, 167 (30.4%) a procedure limited to the adnexa, and 18 (3.3%) other interventions, including myomectomy, pelvic adhesiolysis, post-hysterectomy pelvic hematoma drainage, pelvic organ prolapse repair, and appendectomy. The mean age was 49.4 ± 12.2 years, and the mean BMI was 26.2 ± 5.8 kg/m2. The total complication rate was 6.5% (36 cases), of which 2.7% (15 cases) were intraoperative complications and 4.0% (22 cases) were postoperative complications. Patients presented postoperative complications classified as Clavien-Dindo (CD) grade I in 4 cases (0.7%), grade II in 10 cases (1.8%), and grade III in 8 cases (1.5%). We observed no CD grade IV and V complications. Three patients (0.5%) were rehospitalized for postoperative complications management. The conversion rate was 1.6%, with nine cases of conversion to conventional laparoscopy and none to laparotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of vNOTES appears safe and feasible for most benign gynecological surgeries. Our study focused on surgical complications and demonstrated a profile similar to those reported in previous studies.

Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping by Retroperitoneal vNOTES for Uterus-Confined Malignancies: A Standardized 10-Step Approach

(1) Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping represents an accurate and feasible technique for the surgical staging of endometrial and cervical cancer. This is commonly performed by conventional laparoscopy or robotic-assisted laparoscopy, but in recent years, a new retroperitoneal transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) approach has been described and developed by Jan Baekelandt. This technique provides easy visualization of lymphatic afferent vessels and pelvic lymph nodes, early SLN assessment, and a coherent mapping methodology following the lymphatic flow from caudal to cranial. However, only a few publications have reported it. Following the IDEAL (Idea Development Exploration Assessment Long-term follow-up) framework, research concerning this technique is in Stage 2a, with only small case series as evidence of its feasibility. Its standardized description appears necessary to provide the surgical homogeneity required to move further. (2) Methods: Description of a standardized approach for retroperitoneal pelvic SLN mapping by vNOTES. (3) Results: We describe a 10-step approach to successfully perform retroperitoneal vNOTES SLN mapping, including pre-, intra-, and postoperative management. (4) Conclusions: This IDEAL Stage 2a study could help other surgeons approach this new technique, and it proposes a common methodology necessary for evolving through future IDEAL Stage 2b (multi-center studies) and Stage 3 (randomized controlled trials) studies.

Anatomical Distribution of Sentinel Lymph Nodes Harvested by Retroperitoneal vNOTES in 34 Consecutive Patients With Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer: Analysis of 124 Lymph Nodes

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the anatomical distribution of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), the overall, unilateral, and bilateral detection rates, and the bilateral SLN concordance in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) mapped through a retroperitoneal transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) approach.

DESIGN

Prospective single-center observational study.

SETTING

Swiss teaching hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients with EC or endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia who had undergone surgical staging with SLN mapping by a retroperitoneal vNOTES approach between October 2021 and November 2023.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were placed in a horizontal dorsal lithotomy position under general anesthesia, and indocyanine green (ICG) was injected into the cervix. Access to the retroperitoneal space was achieved through vaginal incisions. A 7 cm GelPoint V-Path Transvaginal Access Platform was used as a vNOTES port, and CO2 was insufflated to expand the retroperitoneal space. The pelvic retroperitoneal space was inspected for ICG uptake by lymph nodes. After identification, SLNs were removed and sent for definitive histological examination.

MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS

A total of 34 patients were included in this study; 33 (97.1%) had a successful procedure (unilateral or bilateral mapping), and 1 (2.9%) had failed mapping. A total of 124 SLNs were identified and removed. SLNs were observed in the obturator region (81.5%), the external iliac region (10.5%), the internal iliac region (4.8%), and the common iliac region (3.2%). Similar proportions were observed on both pelvic sides. No SLNs were detected in other regions. The SLN locations were symmetrical in 22/31 (71.0%) patients. SLNs were negatives in 120 cases (96.8%), while 2 lymph nodes (1.6%) presented isolated tumor cells, and 2 others (1.6%) presented macrometastases.

CONCLUSION

We report anatomical distributions and detection rates for SLNs mapped by retroperitoneal vNOTES. Our results suggest substantial differences in the localization of SLNs compared to those reported for laparoscopic mapping.

Transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) in gynecological emergencies

Objective

Transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) is an emerging minimally invasive approach increasingly applied to perform many gynecological procedures. Despite a still limited level of evidence, compared to conventional laparoscopy, vNOTES seems to be associated with reduced blood loss, shorter operative time, less postoperative pain, shorter hospitalization time, better cosmetic results and decreased postoperative morbidity. Although growing evidence supports the effectiveness of vNOTES for elective adnexal surgeries, there is still limited knowledge regarding its feasibility and safety in emergency settings. In the present study, we report our experience performing vNOTES in gynecological emergency cases.

Study design

We prospectively collected and analyzed data from patients who underwent vNOTES for gynecological emergencies between November 2021 and June 2023. Demographic and perioperative characteristics were collected and analyzed.

Results

Seventeen patients were included. Interventions were realized for suspicion of ectopic pregnancy in 7 cases (41.2%), for suspicion of adnexal torsion in 7 cases (41.2%), for post-hysterectomy hemoperitoneum in 2 cases (11.8%), and for uncontrollable uterine bleeding in 1 case (5.9%). Emergency procedures included unilateral salpingectomy (35.3%), ovarian cystectomy (23.5%), ovarian cystotomy (17.6%), adnexal detorsion (11.8%), hemoperitoneum drainage (11.8%), hysterectomy (5.9%), and appendectomy (5.9%). The overall median operative time was 38 [18-72] minutes. The median estimated intraoperative blood loss was 30 [5-150] mL, and no intraoperative complications occurred. Conversion to conventional laparoscopy or laparotomy was never needed. Patients stayed hospitalized for a median time of 30 [4-144] hours after the intervention. The median visual analog scale value for postoperative pain evaluation was 2 [0-5] at 12, 24, and 48 postoperative hours. No complications associated with the procedure occurred.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the feasibility of performing vNOTES procedures for managing gynecological emergencies such as tubal ectopic pregnancy, adnexal torsion, painful ovarian lesions, post-hysterectomy hemoperitoneum, and uncontrollable uterine bleeding. Associated with data reported in the available literature, our results suggest potential benefits in treating gynecological emergencies by vNOTES over conventional laparoscopy. However, stronger evidence from larger studies is needed to confirm it.