Since its introduction 6 years ago, almost all abdominal procedures have been attempted laparoscopically. Despite their retroperitoneal location, kidneys and adrenals have also been reached by the blitz of endoscopic surgery since 1992. We present here the techniques, indications, advantages or disadvantages of the videoscopic approach-either laparoscopic or retroperitoneoscopic- of those solid retroperitoneal organs. Preliminary results of the international literature are presented, while objectively comparing currently available data about the efficacy and cost of endoscopic versus open procedure. Despite the time-consuming nature and high operative cost of the endoscopic approach, decreased convalescence and better patient comfort are evident. Furthermore videoendoscopic adrenal surgery performed, even sporadically, by surgeons experienced in laparoscopic surgery is as safe as the open approach, provided that those surgeons are also familiar with the rules and potential drawbacks of adrenal surgery for endocrine disorders.
Adrenalectomy ; economics ; methods ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Endoscopy ; economics ; methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; economics ; methods ; Nephrectomy ; economics ; methods ; Retroperitoneal Space

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was conducted to evaluate whether medical costs can be reduced using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) instead of conventional surgeries in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). METHODS: Patients who underwent open gastrectomy (OG), laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG), and ESD for EGC were recruited from three medical institutions in 2009. For macro-costing, the medical costs for each patient were derived from the expenses incurred during the patient's hospital stay and 1-year follow-up. The overall costs in micro-costing were determined by multiplying the unit cost with the resources used during the patients' hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 194 patients were included in this study. The hospital stay for ESD was 5 to 8 days and was significantly shorter than the 12-day hospital stay for OG or the 11- to 17-day stay for LAG. Using macro-costing, the average medical costs for ESD during the hospital stay ranged from 2.1 to 3.4 million Korean Won (KRW) per patient, and the medical costs for conventional surgeries were estimated to be between 5.1 million and 8.2 million KRW. There were no significant differences in the 1-year follow-up costs between ESD and conventional surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: ESD patients had lower medical costs than those patients who had conventional surgeries for EGC with conservative indications.
*Costs and Cost Analysis ; Dissection/*economics/methods ; Gastrectomy/*economics/methods ; Gastric Mucosa/surgery ; Gastroscopy/*economics/methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data ; Republic of Korea ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was conducted to evaluate whether medical costs can be reduced using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) instead of conventional surgeries in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). METHODS: Patients who underwent open gastrectomy (OG), laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG), and ESD for EGC were recruited from three medical institutions in 2009. For macro-costing, the medical costs for each patient were derived from the expenses incurred during the patient's hospital stay and 1-year follow-up. The overall costs in micro-costing were determined by multiplying the unit cost with the resources used during the patients' hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 194 patients were included in this study. The hospital stay for ESD was 5 to 8 days and was significantly shorter than the 12-day hospital stay for OG or the 11- to 17-day stay for LAG. Using macro-costing, the average medical costs for ESD during the hospital stay ranged from 2.1 to 3.4 million Korean Won (KRW) per patient, and the medical costs for conventional surgeries were estimated to be between 5.1 million and 8.2 million KRW. There were no significant differences in the 1-year follow-up costs between ESD and conventional surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: ESD patients had lower medical costs than those patients who had conventional surgeries for EGC with conservative indications.
*Costs and Cost Analysis ; Dissection/*economics/methods ; Gastrectomy/*economics/methods ; Gastric Mucosa/surgery ; Gastroscopy/*economics/methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data ; Republic of Korea ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery

Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer was first adopted 16 years ago. There are various limitations in performing laparoscopic surgery including the technical complexity and question of positive impact on the long-term oncologic outcome. The purpose of this review is to outline the important issues surrounding the laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer based on the most recently published articles. The laparoscopic approach provides the advantages of an illuminated and magnified view, which may be superior to open surgery. There was no significant difference on the oncologic clearance, especially its proportion of positive radial margins to the number of harvested lymph nodes. In addition, laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer was associated with earlier recovery of bowel function, need for fewer analgesics, and with a shorter hospital stay compared to open surgery. Long-term oncologic outcome does not appear to be impaired by laparoscopic resection and local recurrence and disease specific survival has been reported to be similar for both laparoscopic and open surgery for colorectal cancer. Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer is feasible and safe when performed by experienced surgeons. The oncologic results of many ongoing prospective randomized controlled trials are eagerly awaited.
Colorectal Neoplasms/*surgery ; Humans ; *Laparoscopy/economics/methods ; Neoplasm Staging ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive/methods ; Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nodal staging surgery before chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer in the era of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). METHODS: A modified Markov model was constructed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of para-aortic staging surgery before definite CRT when no uptake is recorded in the para-aortic lymph nodes (PALN) on PET/CT. Survival and complication rates were estimated based on the published literature. Cost data were obtained from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Strategies were compared using an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Sensitivity analyses were performed, including estimates for the performance of PET/CT, postoperative complication rate, and varying survival rates according to the radiation field. RESULTS: We compared two strategies: strategy 1, pelvic CRT for all patients; and strategy 2, nodal staging surgery followed by extended-field CRT when PALN metastasis was found and pelvic CRT otherwise. The ICER for strategy 2 compared to strategy 1 was $19,505 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Under deterministic sensitivity analyses, the model was relatively sensitive to survival reduction in patients who undergo pelvic CRT alone despite having occult PALN metastasis. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of the case results, with a 91% probability of cost-effectiveness at the willingness-to-pay thresholds of $60,000/QALY. CONCLUSION: Nodal staging surgery before definite CRT may be cost-effective when PET/CT imaging shows no evidence of PALN metastasis. Prospective trials are warranted to transfer these results to guidelines.
Chemoradiotherapy/*economics ; Combined Modality Therapy/economics ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/economics ; Lymph Node Excision/*economics/methods ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Markov Chains ; Multimodal Imaging/economics ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography/economics ; Quality of Life ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/economics ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*economics/therapy

OBJECTIVETo examine the operative approaches, major indications, and medical economic parameters of the hysterectomy.

METHODSData on hysterectomy performed due to benign gynecological disorders in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from 1996 to 2001 were reviewed. The cases were classified into three groups according to the operative approaches: total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), vaginal hysterectomy (VH), and laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH). The major indications, length of hospital stay, operative cost, and total medical cost were analyzed.

RESULTSRecords of 4,180 women who had hysterectomies in PUMCH were examined. Operations included TAH (78.4%), LAVH (13.0%), and VH (8.6%). The use of LAVH increased from 2.4% in 1996 to 17.3% in 2001. The common indications for surgery included uterine leiomyoma (56.2%), adenomyosis (12.2%), benign ovarian tumor (9.2%), genital prolapse (7.7%), endometriosis (6.9%), atypical endometrial hyperplasia (3.0%), and cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (2.0%). The most common indications for TAH and LAVH were uterine leiomyomas and adenomyosis, whereas the most common indication for VH was genital prolapse, followed by uterine leiomyoma. The lengths of hospital stay in TAH, VH, and LAVH were (11.0 +/- 4.9) d, (10.9 +/- 3.9) d, and (8.9 +/- 3.7) d respectively. The total medical cost was (5,666.6 +/- 1,709.4) RMB Yuan for TAH, (5,027.6 +/- 1,067.0) RMB Yuan for VH, and (7,473.8 +/- 1,464.8) RMB Yuan for LAVH.

CONCLUSIONSThe use of LAVH has been increasing. Although the direct medical cost for LAVH is higher than that for TAH, its indirect benefit appeares superior to TAH. The major indications for LAVH and TAH are similar, whereas the indications for VH are different from those for TAH and LAVH.

Costs and Cost Analysis ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; economics ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; economics ; methods ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal ; Laparoscopy ; Leiomyoma ; surgery ; Uterine Neoplasms ; surgery

The conventional laparoscopic approach to rectal surgery has several limitations, and therefore many colorectal surgeons have great expectations for the robotic surgical system as an alternative modality in overcoming challenges of laparoscopic surgery and thus enhancing oncologic and functional outcomes. This review explores the possibility of robotic surgery as an alternative approach in laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer. The da Vinci(R) Surgical System was developed specifically to compensate for the technical limitations of laparoscopic instruments in rectal surgery. The robotic rectal surgery is associated with comparable or better oncologic and pathologic outcomes, as well as low morbidity and mortality. The robotic surgery is generally easier to learn than laparoscopic surgery, improving the probability of autonomic nerve preservation and genitourinary function recovery. Furthermore, in very complex procedures such as intersphincteric dissections and transabdominal transections of the levator muscle, the robotic approach is associated with increased performance and safety compared to laparoscopic surgery. The robotic surgery for rectal cancer is an advanced technique that may resolve the issues associated with laparoscopic surgery. However, high cost of robotic surgery must be addressed before it can become the new standard treatment.
Digestive System Surgical Procedures/*methods ; Laparoscopy/*methods ; Postoperative Complications/surgery ; Rectal Neoplasms/*surgery ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/economics/*methods ; Robotics/methods ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo study the efficacy of laparoscopic placement of total peritoneum intraperitoneal onlay mesh (TPIPOM) for treatment of inguinal hernia.

METHODSTPIPOM was placed laparoscopically in 125 cases of inguinal hernia, and the clinical outcomes of the patients were observed and compared with 64 patients receiving transabdominal preperitoneal laparoscopic mesh repair (TAPP) and 53 with total extraperitoneal laparoscopic hernioplasty (TEP).

RESULTSThe laparoscopic operations were successfully performed in all the patients. In TPIPOM, TAPP and TEP groups, the operating time was 30.8-/+10.3 min, 68.4-/+22.4 min and 69.5-/+23.4 min (P<0.05), the mean hospital stay was 3.8-/+1.3 days, 4.3-/+1.5 days and 4.5-/+1.6 days (P<0.05), the average time to ambulation was 1.2-/+0.5 days, 1.8-/+0.7 days and 2.2-/+0.8 days (P<0.05), the duration of pain was 1.0-/+0.5 days, 1.6-/+0.9 days and 1.9-/+0.8 days (P<0.05), and the cost was 5000.8-/+800.5 yuan, 8000.5-/+950.6 yuan and 8900.2-/+750.3 yuan (P<0.05), respectively. No scrotum edema occurred in these patients. The patients were followed up for 59.9-/+6.5 months and recurrence was found.

CONCLUSIONTPIPOM is safe and effective for management of inguinal hernia with such advantages as minimal invasion, simple procedures, shorter operation time, reduced relapse and quick recovery.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hernia, Inguinal ; surgery ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; economics ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peritoneum ; surgery ; Prosthesis Implantation ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Surgical Mesh ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONLocal data comparing laparoscopic appendicectomy (LA) and open appendicectomy (OA) is lacking. We perform a cost and outcome comparison between LA and OA.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA retrospective review of all appendicectomies performed for suspected appendicitis from July 2010 to December 2010 was conducted. Patient demographics, duration of surgery, complication rates, total cost of stay (COS) and length of stay (LOS) were compared between LA and OA.

RESULTSA total of 198 patients underwent appendicectomy during the duration of study; 82 LA and 116 OA. There were 115 males (58.1%) and 83 females (41.9%). Median age was 33 years. Patients who underwent LA were significantly younger (P <0.001) with a greater proportion of females (P <0.0001) and were more likely to be negative appendicectomies (18.3% vs. 6.9%, P = 0.023). Duration of surgery was significantly longer in LA patients (86 min vs. 74 min, P = 0.003). LOS in the LA group was shorter by 1.3 days compared to OA (2.0 days vs. 3.3 days, P <0.0001). The differences in operative duration and LOS between LA and OA remained significant on multivariate analysis (P = 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). The COS (P = 0.359), wound infection rates (P = 0.528) and complication rates (P = 0.131) were not significantly different between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONLA is associated with a shorter LOS while its cost is equivalent to OA. From the perspective of utilisation of healthcare resources, LA appears to be superior.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Appendectomy ; economics ; methods ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo assess the clinical effects of combined endoscopic-laparoscopic technique for one-stage treatment of cholelithiasis with concomitant choledocholithiasis.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was conducted of the clinical data of 30 patients (Group A) with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis receiving one-stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) combined with intraoperative encoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) and 32 patients (Group B) receiving LC combined with 1aparoscopic common bile duct exploration. The operative time, blood loss, conversion to open surgery rate, time to postoperative ambulation, calculi residual rate, hospitalization cost and length of hospital stay were analyzed comparatively.

RESULTSThere were statistically differences between the two groups in hospitalization cost and length of hospital stay (P<0.05) but not in the other indices (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined endoscopic-laparoscopic techniques can be a safe and feasible option for one-stage treatment of concomitant cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis to allow rapid postoperative recovery with a shortened hospital stay.

Adult ; Aged ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; methods ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; methods ; Choledocholithiasis ; complications ; surgery ; Cholelithiasis ; complications ; surgery ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Length of Stay ; economics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies