Partial meniscectomy was a common method of treatment for a meniscal injury and currently available instruments were scalpel, punch, electrocautery, CO2, laser, Nd: YAG laser, etc. However some methods could cause injuries to adjacent meniscal tissue after meniscectomy. An experimental study was conducted in order to examine the depth of injury to adjacent meniscal tissue according to above 5 different methods of meniscectomy. 25 medial menisci were harvested from Yorkshire pig knee immediately after the death of pig. Meniscal injury, 1.5cm long and 0.5cm wide, was made by using 5 different methods and was analysed macroscopically and microscopically. Average depth of injury was 237 in Nd: YAG laser group. 258um in electrocautery group, 307um in CO2, laser group, and nil in scalpel and punch group. The depth of meniscal injury of Nd: YAG laser and electrocautery group were less than that of CO2, laser group. Scalpel and punch were the most safe methods to adjacent meniscal tissue. CO2, laser, Nd: YAG laser and electrocautery should be carefully applied because they could cause the significant depth of injury in the adjacent meniscal tissue.
Electrocoagulation ; Knee ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Menisci, Tibial ; Methods

A novel system is proposed to control the liquid nitrogen cooling and radio frequency heating of tissue to achieve effective thermal ablation in the treatment using fuzzy logic controller and fuzzy logic PID type controller separately. Results of ex-vivo pig liver experiments demonstrate that this system is useful and could p control the desired treatment procedure.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Cryotherapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Electrocoagulation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Fuzzy Logic ; Liver ; Swine

OBJECTIVETo compare the postoperative depths of the coagulation zones and pathological changes between bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate with plasmakinetic energy (PKRP) and monopolar transurethral prostatectomy (TURP) in canines.

METHODSTwenty-five male dogs were randomly divided into a PKRP group (n = 12), a TURP group (n = 12) and a sham-operation control group (n = 1). The dogs were sacrificed, their prostates harvested at 0 week (immediately after surgery), 1 week, 2 weeks and 8 weeks postoperatively and sectioned for pathologic analysis and measurement of the coagulation zones.

RESULTSAt 0, 1 and 2 weeks after the operation, the coagulation depths were (237.73 +/- 20.12) microm, (113.03 +/- 16.65) microm and (106.01 +/- 16.36) microm in the PKRP group, and (200.75 +/-19.34) microm, (129.46 +/- 17.81) microm and (116.04 +/- 25.67) microm in the TURP group (P < 0.01). At 8 weeks, the coagulation zones completely peeled off and the wounds were covered by regenerated urothelial in both of the groups. At 0, 1, 2 and 8 weeks, different inflammatory reactions were observed in the prostates of the PKRP and TURP groups, with some glandular lumens beneath the coagulation zones expanded and epithelia damaged. However, none of these phenomena occurred in the sham-operation control group.

CONCLUSIONPathologically, PKRP and TURP inflicted basically similar effects on the prostate of the canine. However, the coagulation zone was deeper intraoperatively and became thinner postoperatively with the former than with the latter, which suggests that PKRP causes less bleeding and less penetrative thermal damage than TURP.

Animals ; Dogs ; Electrocoagulation ; Electrosurgery ; Male ; Prostate ; pathology ; surgery ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical value of Ligasure vessel sealing system (LVSS) in haemorrhoidectomy.

METHODSFrom December 2002 to November 2003, clinical data of 36 cases undergoing haemorrhoidectomy with LVSS were compared with those of 30 cases undergoing traditional operation,considering visual analogue scale(VAS), hospital time,operation time,hospital expenses,postoperative complication.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences in hospital expenses,postoperative complications between the two groups,but the postoperative pain scores of Ligasure haemorrhoidectomy was better than that of traditional operation. The hospital stay and operation time of Ligasure haemorrhoidectomy were shorter than those of the traditional operation.

CONCLUSIONLigasure vessel sealing system has more advantages such as less pain, safety, facility to perform, and a shorter operation time.

Adult ; Aged ; Electrocoagulation ; methods ; Female ; Hemorrhoids ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Postoperative ; etiology

Electrocoagulation ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Trigeminal Neuralgia ; surgery

Lumbar radiculopathy is generally caused by such well-recognized entity as lumbar disc herniation in neurosurgical practice; however rare pathologies such as thrombosed epidural varix may mimic them by causing radicular symptoms. In this case report, we present a 26-year-old man with the complaint of back and right leg pain who was operated for right L4-5 disc herniation. The lesion interpreted as an extruded disc herniation preoperatively was found to be a thrombosed epidural varix compressing the nerve root preoperatively. The nerve root was decompressed by shrinking the lesion with bipolar thermocoagulation and excision. The patient's complaints disappeared in the postoperative period. Thrombosed lumbar epidural varices may mimic lumbar disc herniations both radiologically and clinically. Therefore, must be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of lumbar disc herniations. Microsurgical techniques are mandatory for the treatment of these pathologies and decompression with thermocoagulation and excision is an efficient method.
Adult ; Decompression ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electrocoagulation ; Humans ; Leg ; Methods ; Pathology ; Postoperative Period ; Radiculopathy ; Varicose Veins*

BACKGROUND: This study tests the hypothesis that of bipolar radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the thoracic facet joint capsule may provide a safe and effect method of pain control from thoracic facet origin. METHODS: Among patients suffering from localized mid back pain, nine patients with thoracic facet disease confirmed by magnetic resonance image and diagnostic thoracic facet block were enrolled. Bipolar radiofrequency ablation in the inferior aspect of the thoracic facet joint was done. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was measured pre-intervention and 1 month post-intervention. Any complications and changes in amount of pain medication were recorded. RESULTS: Significant 47.6% reduction in VAS was noted at 1 month. There were no serious complications. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-articular bipolarradiofrequency thermocoagulation of the thoracic facet joint may be a technically easier and valid method of treating mid back pain of thoracic facet origin.
Back Pain ; Catheter Ablation ; Electrocoagulation* ; Humans ; Methods ; Visual Analog Scale ; Zygapophyseal Joint*

PURPOSE: The purpose was to compare the accuracy of Miniaci method using picture archiving and communication system (PACS) with a cable method in high tibial osteotomy (HTO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed 47 patients (52 knees) with varus deformity and medial osteoarthritis. From 2007 to 2013, patients underwent HTO using either a cable method (20 knees) or Miniaci method based on a PACS image (32 knees). In the cable method, the 62.5% point of the mediolateral tibial plateau width was located using an electrocautery cord under fluoroscopy (cable group). The Miniaci method used preoperative radiographs to shift the weight bearing axis (PACS group). Full-length lower limb radiographs obtained preoperatively and at the sixth postoperative week were used to compare the percentage of crossing point of the weight bearing line on the tibial plateau with respect to the medial border. RESULTS: The weight bearing line on the tibial plateau was corrected from a preoperative 11.0±7.0% to a postoperative 47.2±7.4% in the cable group and from 12.7±4.9% to 59.5±5.3% in the PACS group. The mechanical femorotibial angle was corrected from varus 8.9±3.7° to valgus 0.3±4.0° in the cable group and from varus 9.0±3.3° to valgus 2.9±2.6° in the PACS group. CONCLUSIONS: In HTO, correction based on the Miniaci method using a PACS was more accurate than correction using the cable method.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Electrocoagulation ; Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Knee ; Lower Extremity ; Methods ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Planning Techniques ; Weight-Bearing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the common site of recurrent epistaxis after initial intervention such as packing and cauterization had failed and to evaluate the efficacy of surgical endoscopic electrocautery. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Retrospective review of 47 patients with recurrent and uncontrolled idiopathic epistaxis between October 1995 and March 2016. All patients underwent endoscopic examination in the operating room after hospitalization. We performed electrocautery when a bleeding site was found. RESULTS: The most common sites of bleeding were the inferior meatus (28%), sphenoethmoid recess (23%), superior septum around the olfactory cleft (13%), and the posterior end of the middle turbinate (15%). There was no serious complication during the one week after surgery. In 46 (98%) patients, refractory epistaxis was successfully controlled. One patient had recurrent epistaxis after electrocautery and underwent endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation. CONCLUSION: In patients with refractory idiopathic epistaxis after failure of first-line treatment, endoscopic examination through a surgical approach and electrocautery for suspected bleeding are effective.
Arteries ; Cautery ; Electrocoagulation ; Epistaxis* ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Ligation ; Methods ; Operating Rooms ; Retrospective Studies ; Turbinates

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tonsillectomy remains to be an ordinary operative process in otorhinolaryngology. The aim of this study is to evaluate four current tonsillectomy techniques, conventional dissection, electrocautery tonsillectomy, laser tonsillectomy, coblation tonsillectomy, comparing operation time, postoperative pain, postoperative otalgia and postoperative hemorrhage. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: From March 2012 to December 2012, a total of 61 patients between the ages of 10 years and 58 years scheduled for tonsillectomy were randomly assigned to conventional dissection, electrocautery, laser, coblation groups. All tonsillectomies were performed under general anesthesia. RESULTS: Coblation tonsillectomy technique produced the shortest total surgical time, averaging 19.1 minutes. Electrocautery was the most painful method and postoperative pain was less in laser and coblation, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two. The incidence of primary and secondary hemorrhage was statistically insignificant between the surgical methods. CONCLUSION: This study found that coblation tonsillectomy led to statistically shorter surgical time. However, the four techniques showed no statistically significant difference in the postoperative pain, postoperative otalgia and hemorrhage. Coblation tonsillectomy and laser tonsillectomy are found to be both useful in patients who are sensitive to postoperative pain.
Anesthesia, General ; Earache ; Electrocoagulation* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Operative Time ; Otolaryngology ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Hemorrhage ; Tonsillectomy*