A systematic review on laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy for difficult gallbladders: a lifesaving bailout or an incomplete operation?

INTRODUCTION

Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy (LSTC) is a bailout procedure that is undertaken when it is not safe to proceed with a laparoscopic total cholecystectomy owing to dense adhesions in Calot's triangle. The main aim of this review was to investigate the early (≤30 days) and late (>30 days) morbidity and mortality of LSTC.

METHODS

A literature search of the PubMed® (MEDLINE®), Google Scholar™ and Embase® databases was conducted to identify all studies on LSTC published between 1985 and December 2020. A systematic review was then performed.

RESULTS

Overall, 45 studies involving 2,166 subtotal cholecystectomy patients (51% female) were identified for inclusion in the review. The mean patient age was 55 years (standard deviation: 15 years). Just over half (53%) of the patients had an elective procedure. The conversion rate was 6.2% (n=135). The most common indication was acute cholecystitis (49%). Different techniques were used, with the majority having a closed cystic duct/gallbladder stump (71%). The most common closure technique was intracorporeal suturing (53%), followed by endoloop closure (15%). Four patients (0.18%) died within thirty days of surgery. Morbidity within 30 days included bile duct injury (0.23%), bile leak (18%) and intra-abdominal collection (4%). Reoperation was reported in 23 patients (1.2%), most commonly for unresolving intra-abdominal collections and failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography to control bile leak. Long-term follow-up was reported in 30 studies, the median follow-up duration being 22 months. Late morbidity included incisional hernias (6%), symptomatic gallstones (4%) and common bile duct stones (2%), with 2% of cases requiring completion of cholecystectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

LSTC is an acceptable alternative in patients with a "difficult" Calot's triangle.

210 An Audit to Evaluate Abdominal XR Requests in Surgical Patients

Abdominal x-rays (AXR) are a useful tool in investigating a number of pathologies. However, they expose the patient to up to 7 times more radiation than a standard chest x-ray1. AXR’s that are requested without appropriate indication are not an efficient use of resources. Our aim was to evaluate if requests for AXR’s being made are in line with Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) iRefer guidelines2 and try improving their adherence.

Three data cycles of AXR requests made by surgical staff at Crosshouse hospital were gathered – between January & February, April, and July. Clinical history of the patients and indications in the request for the AXR were compared with guideline recommendations.

In total 52 requests for AXR’s were made during January-February, of which 32 (62%) were made appropriately and 20 (38%) did not match guidelines, as the patient’s presenting complaint and clinical history did not match one of the recommended indications to perform AXR. After circulation of educational posters, 70% of requests were made in line with guidelines in April. Followed by 77% in July after a departmental presentation on the use of AXR.

AXR’s requested during these time periods were not all made in line with guidelines. The most commonly noted error was the AXR being requested to rule out obstruction when the clinical history wasn't suspicious of obstruction. This QI project has demonstrated sustainable change and increased the adherence of AXR requests with RCR guidelines within the department.

Suprapatellar versus infrapatellar nailing for tibial shaft fractures: A comparison of surgical and clinical outcomes between two approaches

BACKGROUND

Tibial shaft fractures are a relatively common injury and contemporary treatment includes on-axis fixation with a locked intramedullary nail in the majority of cases. The conventional technique is via an infrapatellar approach but currently there is a trend towards the use of a suprapatellar approach. We compared key variables including operative time, radiation exposure and early patient reported outcomes when adopting a suprapatellar approach to tibial nailing in our unit versus our previous experience of infrapatellar tibial nailing.

METHOD

Twenty-eight consecutive patients with tibial fracture underwent tibial nailing via the suprapatellar (SPN) approach. Six patients in the study group were excluded due polytrauma and need for dual orthopaedic and plastic surgery management. We compared outcomes with our most recent 20 consecutive patients who had undergone tibial nailing via an infrapatellar (IPN) approach. Primary surgical outcomes were: operative time, radiation exposure and accuracy of entry point of the nail on both anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. Clinical outcomes included time to weightbearing, time to radiographic union and patient-reported outcome score (Lysholm score).

RESULTS

Forty-eight consecutive patients underwent intramedullary nail fixation for tibial shaft fractures and 42 were eligible for inclusion in our study (22 SPN vs 20 IPN). There were no significant differences in patient demographics or injury patterns between the two groups. Operative time and radiation exposure were significantly lower in the SPN group when compared to the IPN group (115 min vs 139 min ± 12.5) (36 cGY/cm² vs 76.33 cGY/cm² +/- 20.1). Furthermore, patients in the SPN group reported superior outcome scores at a mean follow up of 3 months (8-24 weeks) There were no observed differences in complication rate between groups and time of final clinical follow up at a minimum of 6 months.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that adoption of the SPN approach requires minimal learning curve, and has the potential benefits of reduced operative time, radiation exposure and superior patient reported outcomes when compared to the conventional infrapatellar approach.

The excised preauricular sinus in 14 years of experience: is there a problem?

The congenital preauricular sinus is usually asymptomatic. However, if recurrent infection occurs, complete surgical excision of the sinus is required. If the sinus tracts are not entirely removed, recurrence is likely to follow. A retrospective study of the surgical results at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, was completed. One-hundred sixty-five primary preauricular excision procedures, performed in 146 patients between the years 1982 and 1996, were reviewed. All clinical, operative, and postoperative data were gathered. Patient outcome and epidemiologic issues were addressed. The overall recurrence rate of this series was 9.09 percent (15 of 165 sinuses). For the group of patients with active infection present at surgery, the recurrence rate was 15.79 percent, and when no infection was present, recurrence rate was 8.22 percent (p value = 0.32, odds ratio = 2.09). Moreover, in patients who underwent surgical drainage of an abscess before the procedure, 16.7 percent of the sinuses recurred, whereas in the patients who did not have an abscess, only 8.16 percent recurred (p value = 0.25, odds ratio = 2.25). In the group of patients in whom auricular cartilage was not excised from the base of the tract, 18.52 percent of the sinuses recurred; when cartilage was excised, the recurrence rate was 4.5 percent (p value = 0.006). A very high recurrence rate of 21.95 percent was found in the group of patients in whom no modality was used to demonstrate the sinus tract at surgery. A high recurrence rate of 10.87 percent was found in the group for whom probing with a cannula was used to identify the tract (p value = 0.17); a low recurrence rate of 2 percent was found in a group with dye injection only (p value = 0.015). In those patients in whom sinus probing and dye injection were used simultaneously, there were no recurrences (0 percent, p value < 0.05). In conclusion, a patient with an actively infected preauricular sinus or one with a previous abscess may have a tendency to experience a higher recurrence rate after excisional surgery. Excising a cartilage piece at the base of the tract and demonstrating the sinus with dye injection or with dye injection and probing at the time of surgery will reduce recurrence rates. In conclusion, we advise the excision of cartilage in the base of the tract as well as the use of methylene blue injection and probing of the sinus at surgery.