Inadvertent vaginal insertion of barium sulfate is an uncommon complication of a barium enema examination. In the few reported cases, venous embolizaton of barium occurred and this usually resulted in death. We present here a case of vaginal insertion of the enema catheter in a young woman, resulting in barium in the uterus, fallopian tubes and abdominal cavity, but not in the veins. After an emergency laparoscopic operation, the patient had been doing well for 6 months without evidence of complication.
Abdominal Cavity ; Barium ; Barium Sulfate ; Catheters ; Colon ; Emergencies ; Enema ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Humans ; Peritonitis ; Uterus ; Veins

Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of an acute abdomen. But torsion of the appendix is a rare disorder that causes abdominal symptoms that are indistinguishable from acute appendicitis. So, making the preoperative diagnosis of torsion of the appendix is difficult. In 1918, Payne et al. reported the first case of torsion of the appendix in a 37 years old woman. Since then, more than thirty cases have been reported. Torsion of the appendix can occur at any age & gender. Here, we report on a case of secondary torsion of appendix with mucinous cystadenoma in a 52 year-old woman, which was initially thought to be a right adnexal mass. Abdomen CT showed an 11x5 cm sized intra-abdominal mass growing along the right fallopian tube. On the small bowel series, an extra-luminal mass was found and this was pushing aside the small intestine. We performed diagnostic laparoscopic exploration and found inflammation of appendix with torsion. It was twisted 720degrees in a clockwise direction with ischemic change. The histological result was mucinous cystadenoma.
Abdomen ; Abdomen, Acute ; Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intestine, Small

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic instruments have been remarkably developed through many trials. Various studies and experiments on laparoscopic instruments are underway in other countries. Laparoscopic surgery is also very actively applied in Korea. However, research on the use and safety of the instruments is stagnant. Furthermore, reuse of some disposable laparoscopic instruments is frequently observed, but there are only rare studies on the safety of this. Thus, we tried to provide study cases on the safety of repeated use of disposable laparoscopic instruments. METHODS: To investigate the effectiveness of sterilization and a re-package procedure, we divided the laparoscopic instruments that are commonly used in our institution into 10 types. Among all the available instruments, 32 instruments were selected for the simulation experiment. Each instrument was sterilized using ethylene oxide gas or glutaraldehyde 2%, and then packaged. Then, each was observed grossly and microscopically under aseptic conditions and we looked for any remnant foreign body or contaminant. When remnant foreign body or contaminant was found, they were collected and separately cultured. RESULTS: Residual contaminants were found in 15 instruments (46.9%) out of a total of 32 and microorganisms, including coagulase-negative staphylococcus and gamma-hemolytic streptococcus, were cultured from (9.38%), and each had different types of microorganisms. CONCLUSION: It is remarkable that the bacteria were cultured from recycled laparoscopic instruments after sterilization. The reuse of laparoscopic instruments might be cost-effective, but further studies on its safety are required. Moreover, careful inspection on the method of surgical instrument sterilization in each institution will be necessary.
Bacteria ; Ethylene Oxide ; Ethylenes ; Foreign Bodies ; Glutaral ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Staphylococcus ; Sterilization ; Streptococcus ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the advantage of adequate PTGBD in acute complicated cholecystitis patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of a collected database from September 2001 to July 2008. Acute cholecystitis with gangrene or perforation was defined as acute complicated cholecystitis. A PTGBD was performed for these patients immediately after the diagnosis using US or CT and then a tubogram was performed after 5~7 days. After evaluating the gallbladder (GB) and common bile duct (CBD) with a tubogram, we removed the drainage tube and the patients underwent a LC after readmission. RESULTS: Three hundred seventy four of the 893 patients who were diagnosed with acute cholecystitis underwent PTGBD. While 19 (3.2%) of the total acute cholecystitis patients were converted to open cholecystectomy due to severe inflammation, 14 (3.7%) of the acute complicated patients were converted to open cholecystectomy. In 79 patients, the pre-operative tubogram showed the presence of CBD stone and so ERCP was performed. There were no post-operative deaths. CONCLUSION: PTBGD in acute complicated cholecystitis patients allows the early relief of acute cholecystitis symptoms. This allows sufficient evaluation and treatment for CBD during the PTGBD state. Furthermore, this decreases the mortality and morbidity in the high-risk patients due to sufficient evaluation and management of the underlying critical disease, which allows elective cholecystectomy when the patients is in better condition for surgery. Therefore, PTGBD can be useful for acute complicated cholecystitis.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Common Bile Duct ; Drainage ; Gallbladder ; Gangrene ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; Inflammation ; Nitro Compounds ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Due to coverage by the nationwide medical insurance system for laparoscopic appendectomy, the laparoscopic approach for complicated appendicitis has been widely performed in Korea. The aim of this study is to evaluate the surgical outcomes and cost effectiveness of laparoscopic appendectomy for complicated appendicitis. METHODS: This study included 33 patients who underwent the laparoscopic approach (LA) and 26 patients who underwent the open approach (OA) for the complicated appendicitis between March, 2005 and February, 2010. We compared the outcomes of the length of stay, the complications and the costs. RESULTS: The hospital stay was 4.9 days for LA and 6.2 days for OA. (p>0.05) The overall complication rates were 21% (7/33) for LA and 27% (7/26) for OA. (p>0.05) All the complications were managed conservatively and there was no mortality in either group. The total cost and the patient's charge was Won 3,390,421 and Won 1,574,093 for LA and Won 3,260,523 and Won 1,493,510 for OA, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic approach is safe, efficacious and cost effective. It should be the initial procedure of choice for most cases of complicated appendicitis.
Appendectomy ; Appendicitis ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Fees and Charges ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Compared to traditionally used abdominoperineal resection and low anterior resection for the treatment of rectal neoplasm, transanal excision (TAE) has several benefits such as a lower complication rate, a shorter average hospital stay and improved quality of life. Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) was recently introduced for resecting rectal neoplasm. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic results between TAE and TEM in patients with rectal neoplasm. METHODS: From October 2000 to December 2008, 115 patients underwent TEM or TAE at the NCC. Among the patient with rectal neoplasm, the patients with recurred rectal cancer and pathologic T2 or T3 stage were excluded. Thirty four and 33 patients were included for this study in the TAE and TEM groups, respectively. The locations of the lesion, the average number of fragmented specimens, the resection margin, postoperative complications and recurrence were retrospectively compared between the TEM and TAE groups. For the patients with T1 cancer, the disease-free survival rates were compared between the TAE and TEM groups. RESULTS: The median distance of lesions from the anal verge in the TEM group was higher than that in the TAE group: (mean distance: 6.75 cm, range: 3~15 cm) for TEM group and (mean distance: 3.13 (range: 1~8 cm) for the TAE group, p<0.001). The TAE group had more fragmented specimens than the TEM group (mean for the TAE: 1.44 (range: 1~4), mean for the TEM group: 1.06 (range: 1~2), p=0.031). For the patients with T1 cancer, the 3 year disease-free survival rate was not significantly different between the two groups (83.9% for the TAE group and 91.7% for the TEM group p=0.734). CONCLUSION: TEM can remove higher located rectal neoplasm and a less fragmented specimen was aquired that that in TAE. TEM seems to have similar oncologic outcomes as compared with TAE.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Microsurgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Quality of Life ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

We report a case of laparoscopic removal of a retained foreign body, a broken surgical instrument, after posterior lumbar decompression and interbody fusion (PLIF) for infection control of the vertebrae. The surgical instrument was broken during PLIF surgery. However, the orthopedic surgeon could not remove the broken instrument because of bleeding and a poor operative view; the surgeon finished the operation leaving the broken surgical instrument in the vertebral body. Plain films revealed a metallic pin-like material at the anterior side of the lumbar vertebral body. Six days later, through a laparoscopic approach, the broken surgical instrument was removed without complication, and the orthopedic surgeon completed the planned operation successfully.
Decompression ; Foreign Bodies ; Hemorrhage ; Infection Control ; Laparoscopy ; Orthopedics ; Spine ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy (LH) can be used to examine the asymptomatic contralateral side and repair occult contralateral hernias coincidentally with reduced morbidity. In this prospective study, we evaluated the results of diagnostic exploration of the right side during total extraperitoneal (TEP) laparoscopic repair of left side inguinal hernias. METHODS: A prospective study of 100 consecutive male patients undergoing TEP repair by a single surgeon (C.S) between January and June 2008 was conducted. Two cases that had transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) prosthetic repair and one intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) were excluded. We routinely explored the contralateral side to determine the incidence of right side occult hernia. RESULTS: The mean age was 52 (range; 18~82 years). Among the 100 patients, 17 had bilateral, 52 right and 31 left hernias on physical examination prior to surgery. Three of 31 diagnosed preoperatively as left inguinal hernia were confirmed to have occult right hernias (3/31, 9.7%). Among the three patients, two patients with a direct type had the same type of hernia as on the contralateral side (2/10, 20%). Another one patient with an indirect type had direct type of hernia on the contralateral side (1/21, 4.8%). CONCLUSION: Given the low incidence of contralateral side occult hernia with indirect types of hernias, routine exploration may not be indicated during TEP repair. However, it might be, reasonable to explore the contralateral side in patients with a direct type of hernia because of the higher incidence of contralateral occult hernias.
Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inlays ; Male ; Physical Examination ; Prospective Studies ; Pyrazines

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) herniorrhaphy is an effective surgical technique for recurrent inguinal hernia. The recent introduction of various types of prosthetic mesh and the technical improvements in laparoscopic herniorrhaphy have allowed this modality to be used for various types of recurrent inguinal hernias, although careful selection of surgical techniques is required according to the patient's condition and the type of previous surgery. METHODS: One thousand and thirty cases were scheduled to undergo laparoscopic TEP herniorrhaphies from December of 2000 to August of 2008. We retrospectively collected and analyzed the data on the patient characteristics, the types of hernia, the number of previous recurrences, the operating technique, the operating time, the postoperative hospital stay and the postoperative complications. RESULTS: A total of 86 herniorrhaphies were performed in 83 patients with recurrent inguinal hernias. The mean patient age was 50.4 years. The total number of recurrences among the 83 patients was 118 cases and the number of recurrences was as follows: 1st in 65 patients, 2nd in 12 patients, 3rd in 7 patients and 4th in 2 patients. Eighty one laparoscopic TEP herniorrhaphies were performed, and 5 cases were performed by laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal repair or laparoscopic intraperitoneal onlay mesh repair. The mean operative time was 29.9 minutes, and there was no statistical correlation between the type of prior herniorrhaphy and the operative time. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 0.9 days and no major complications occurred. CONCLUSION: Selecting the type of surgery to perform for treating recurrent inguinal hernia has become complicated due to many recent diversified techniques of herniorrhaphy. Although laparoscopic TEP herniorhaphy is effective for treating recurrent inguinal hernia, a meticulous approach and various surgical techniques are required when prosthetic mesh has been previously placed on the preperitoneal space.
Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Inlays ; Length of Stay ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Complications ; Pyrazines ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic colectomy is technically demanding. Here we share of experience with laparoscopic procedures with focusing on (1) preoperative localization by a colonoscopic tattoo and (2) comparing the laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (lapaTME) with the conventional TME (openTME) according to microscopic examination. METHODS: We retrospectively collected 112 cases of laparoscopic colectomy that was performed for treating colorectal cancer during the past 6 years. Preoperative colonoscopic tattoo was done by using india ink. The tattoo cases were compared with the non-tattoo cases. Comparison between 13 cases of lapaTME and 15 cases of openTME was assessed by both gross and microscopic examination in the 28 cases for 9 months. The lapaTME and openTME were applied to mid-rectal cancer and mid&low rectal cancer, respectively. RESULTS: Tattoo was carried out for the Tis (100%), T1 (92%), T2 (72%), T3 (36%) cases. Of the significant cases, T3 lesion was not identified at laparoscopic colectomy. LapaTME grossly showed a greater incidence of defect than that of openTME, but there was no difference microscopically between lapaTME and openTME. CONCLUSION: A tattoo was useful for early lesion and it should be considered for advanced lesion. LapaTME for mid-rectal cancer can be done without compromising the principles of TME.
Carbon ; Colectomy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Incidence ; India ; Ink ; Laparoscopy ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies