Laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) has the advantage of high resolution,multi-angle exploration,and is widely used in minimally invasive surgery of biliary tract.LUS has a series of auxiliary function in difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC),common bile duct exploration,surgery of intrahepatic biliary calculi,and intraoperative staging of pancreato-biliary tumor.This paper summarizes the application of LUS in laparoscopic biliary surgeries and the related technical essentials.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) with inferior vena cava thrombosis is rare and has a poor prognosis, and the current literature overwhelmingly supports aggressive surgical intervention. This article summarizes the management of a patient with ACC with inferior vena cava thrombosis, and discusses the feasibility of detailed preoperative imaging data and intraoperative ultrasound to assess the superior and inferior boundaries of ACC with inferior vena cava thrombosis, while describing the intraoperative ultrasound-guided surgical planning and procedure for ACC with retrohepatic inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. Furthermore, it also demonstrates that it is feasible to accurately assess the superior and inferior boundaries of ACC with inferior vena cava thrombosis by preoperative multimodal imaging and intraoperative ultrasound, determine the mode of flow blockage during the operation, and obtain radical resection of the tumor.

The detection of peripheral pulmonary lesions has increased gradually with the popularity of CT. Rapid and accurate diagnosis, and individualized treatment are two aspects we need to pay great attention to. These situations also raise higher request for the technique in diagnosis and treatment. At present, the commonly used transthoracic methods can increase the risk of complications such as pneumothorax and bleeding. The newly bronchoscopic approaches for diagnosis and treatment make less injury via natural lumen and have been applied widely in clinics. This review will introduce the worth expecting progress in bronchoscopic diagnosis and treatment for peripheral pulmonary lesions.

Objective:To evaluate the day-surgery unit-based training of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).Methods:Perioperative data of 438 patients (187 males and 251 females) with a median age of 54 (aged 17 to 91) years undergoing LC during January 2019 to April 2021 in the day-surgery unit of Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively collected and subdivided according to the training methods of surgeons [Group A( n=260): conventional training vs. Group B ( n=178): protocoled stepwise training]. The protocoled stepwise training consists of the rotation in open biliary surgery unit, the stimulator-based laparoscopic training, and the stepwise procedural tutoring. The conventional training features the traditional surgical practice following senior surgeons. The technical data involving operation time, blood loss, the percentages of intraoperative decision-making by senior surgeons and the handing-over of procedure to senior surgeons, etc. were statistically analyzed. Results:The operation time was shortened in Group B [(55±30) min vs. (61±33) min], with significantly decreased percentages of intraoperative decision-making by senior surgeons [7.9% (14/178)vs. 16.9%(44/260), P<0.05] and the handing-over of procedure to senior surgeons [3.4%(6/178) vs. 11.2%(29/260), P<0.05]. Conclusion:Based on the protocoled stepwise training and the consecutive, high-volumed and standardized procedures, the laparoscopic technical proficiency and competency of the trainee surgeons have been improved.

The Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently driving the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we analyzed the clinical laboratory test results of 9911 Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages-infected symptomatic patients without earlier infection histories during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Shanghai in spring 2022. Compared to an earlier patient cohort infected by SARS-CoV-2 prototype strains in 2020, BA.2.2 infection led to distinct fluctuations of pathophysiological markers in the peripheral blood. In particular, severe/critical cases of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection were associated with less pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and stronger interferon alpha response in the bronchoalveolar microenvironment. Importantly, the abnormal biomarkers were significantly subdued in individuals who had been immunized by 2 or 3 doses of SARS-CoV-2 prototype-inactivated vaccines, supporting the estimation of an overall 96.02% of protection rate against severe/critical disease in the 4854 cases in our BA.2.2 patient cohort with traceable vaccination records. Furthermore, even though age was a critical risk factor of the severity of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection, vaccination-elicited protection against severe/critical COVID-19 reached 90.15% in patients aged ≽ 60 years old. Together, our study delineates the pathophysiological features of Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages and demonstrates significant protection conferred by prior prototype-based inactivated vaccines.
Humans ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control* ; Vaccination