Laparotomy or thoracolaparotomy is a traditional management approach for thoracoabdominal impalement injury associated with major liver and diaphragmatic injuries. We successfully treated the impalement injury with minimally invasive management. A male was brought to our trauma centre with the 15 cm long handle of the knife protruded from right lateral thoracoabdominal region. CT scan revealed that the knife blade traversed through the right costophrenic recess into segment 8 of the liver. There was an intraparenchymal haematoma and a collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity. The conservative management plan consisting of removing the impaled knife, observing, monitoring and managing complications was undertaken. A multidisciplinary approach to manage a patient with less invasive techniques yielded a good outcome. This management option may be considered as an alternative for open surgery for hemodynamically stable patients in experienced centres.
Abdominal Injuries ; therapy ; Adolescent ; Diaphragm ; injuries ; Humans ; Liver ; injuries ; Male ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Thoracic Injuries ; therapy ; Wounds, Penetrating ; therapy

PURPOSE: The laparoscopic colectomy is avoided principally because of its technical difficulty, steep learning curve, and increased operative time. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) is an alternative technique that addresses these problems while preserving the short-term benefits of a laparoscopic colectomy. Our study was aimed to describe the characteristics of patients admitted due to left-sided colon and rectal cancer for HALS. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database was used to identify patients who underwent HALS at the Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University, from July 1, 2009, to October 1, 2012. RESULTS: One hundred-three HALS colorectal resections were performed. The patients' mean age was 64 +/- 13.4 years. There were 46 male and 57 female patients. The body mass index was 27.3 +/- 5.8 kg/m2. Forty-three patients (41.8%) had experienced prior abdominal surgery. The mean HALS time was 105 minutes (range, 55-85 minutes). The conversion rate was 2.7% (3/103). The median of return of gastrointestinal function was 2.5 days (range, 2.2-4.5 days). The median length of hospital stay was 9 days. The postoperative complication and mortality rates were 10.7% and 0.97%, respectively. Four incisional hernias (3.9%) were seen at a mean follow-up of 7.0 +/- 3.4 months. None of the patients had a trocar or a hand-port site recurrence. CONCLUSION: A HALS colorectal resection is a safe and effective technique, and it provides all the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.
Body Mass Index ; Colectomy ; Colon* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand-Assisted Laparoscopy ; Hernia ; Humans ; Laparoscopy* ; Learning Curve ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Mortality ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Surgical Instruments