PURPOSE: Single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) has recently emerged as a method to improve the morbidity and cosmetic benefit of conventional laparoscopic surgery. We describe our experience of SPLS for an anterior resection (AR). The results of a prospective series of single-port laparoscopic anterior resection procedures are presented. METHODS: Anterior resections were performed on 16 cases using a single-port laparoscopic technique between March 2009 and March 2010. The surgical and oncologic outcomes were recorded on a prospective database. RESULTS: Sixteen (8 women) unselected patients (eight males, eight females), aged 43~82 years (median 66.5 years), underwent a SPLS anterior resection for sigmoid colon cancers (median 16 cm above AV, range 13~27). All patients were alive at 30 days. The surgery time ranged from 150~415 min (median 242 min) and the median wound incision length was 2.4 cm (range 1.5~4.0 cm). The median hospital stay was 7.5 days. Pathological reports from the resected specimens revealed adenocarcinoma in 15 patients and mucinous carcinoma in one. There was one case of an anastomotic leak that required reanastomosis. The median number of lymph nodes harvested was 27.5 (range 10~56). CONCLUSION: SPLS is a possible approach to an anterior resection with the potential for minimal access. A SPLS anterior resection is feasible and safe when performed by an experienced laparoscopic surgeon and team. On the other hand, the technique and oncologic safety warrants further prospective randomized studies.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Aged ; Anastomotic Leak ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Cosmetics ; Hand ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: Several techniques and devices have recently been introduced for single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We describe our technique using standard laparoscopic instruments and ports, and report the initial results. METHODS: Between March 2009 and June 2010, 60 consecutive patients underwent single-fulcrum laparoscopic cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder disease. The general patient characteristics and perioperative results, including the operation time, conversion rate and complications, were assessed retrospectively. RESULTS: Seventeen (28.3%) patients were male and 43 (71.7%) patients were female. The mean age was 47.4+/-12.4 years, and the mean total operation time was 57.5+/-13.9 min. The operation time became stable after 30 cases. There was no conversion to conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy or open surgery. Additional trocars were required in three patients due to intraoperative complications, which were managed successfully with additional trocars. The intraoperative complications included loosening of the clips on the cystic duct, vertical laceration of the cystic duct, and burn injuries to the duodenal wall. There was no postoperative morbidity. CONCLUSION: Despite the limited sample size in this series, the results suggest that single-fulcrum laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible for the treatment of benign gallbladder disease. Nevertheless, a further prospective randomized controlled trial comparing this technique with conventional techniques will be needed to confirm its true clinical value.
Burns ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cystic Duct ; Female ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Lacerations ; Male ; Sample Size ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: To assess the technical feasibility of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) focusing on the development of postoperative complications including pancreatic fistula (POPF). METHODS: From March 2001 to April 2010, 57 patients underwent a distal pancreatectomy. The patients were divided into two groups, LDP group (L group, n=15) and open distal pancreatectomy group (O group, n=42). The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical variables and postoperative outcomes of these 2 groups were compared retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients with a malignancy constituted 7% of the L group and 31% of the O group (p=0.084). The tumor size was significantly larger in the O group (2.6 vs. 5.3 cm). The body mass index (BMI) was significantly higher in the L group (24.9 vs. 22.9 kg/m2). One case of a pancreas pseudocyst in the L group was converted to open surgery due to intraoperative bleeding. The L group showed significantly less intraoperative bleeding, earlier start of solid meals and shorter hospital stay. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications and POPF between the 2 groups. POPF of ISGPF grade B developed in 0 and 2 patients in the L group and O group, respectively. One intestinal obstruction and 1 fluid collection that required intervention was encountered in the O group. One patient with adenocarcinoma who underwent LDP was alive 25 months after surgery without recurrence. CONCLUSION: LDP provides the advantages of minimal access surgery with a comparable rate of POPF to ODP. LDP is considered suitable for benign and borderline-malignant pancreatic lesions.
Adenocarcinoma ; Body Mass Index ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Length of Stay ; Meals ; Pancreas ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Fistula ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Postoperative Complications

PURPOSE: Polypoid lesions of the gallbladder have a range of causes. A problem exists in the selection of patients for surgery. This study examined the usefulness of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, suspected risk factors and plan of patients with gallbladder polyps. METHODS: This study examined 57 patients who underwent laparoscopy cholecystectomy with gallbladder polyps. All patients had been diagnosed preoperatively by ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography between October 2001 and October 2010. Preoperative radiologic diagnosis, age, gender, symptoms, size of polyps, number, concurrent gallstones and histological diagnosis of the polyps as well as the postoperative complications were reviewed retrospectively. The operation indications were polyps >10 mm, age above 55 years, symptomatic polyps, coincidence of a stone, focal thickening of gallbladder wall and detection during other operations. RESULTS: The number of each type of polyp lesion of the gallbladder was as follows: 26 cases (45.6%) had cholesterol polyps, 2 cases (3.6%) inflammatory polyps, 1 case (1.7%) mucosal lymphoid follicles, 12 cases (21.1%) adenomatous polyps, 1 case (1.7%) adenocarcinoma. Non-neoplastic and neoplastic polyps accounted for 50.9% and 22.8%, respectively. Forty-eight cases had an accepted operative indication and underwent surgery. The nine other cases also underwent surgery. Among those with operative indications, 27.1% had neoplastic polyps. Of the patients who had non-indication operative surgery or polyps <5 mm in size, there were non neoplastic polyps in any cases. Two of the patients developed complications; wound infection (1 case), and common bile duct obstruction (1 case). CONCLUSION: Observation and careful surgery is necessary for patients with polyps <5 mm in size, and who do not have accepted operative indications. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be considered an adequate treatment for patients with accepted operative indications.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenomatous Polyps ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholesterol ; Common Bile Duct ; Gallbladder ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Polyps ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Wound Infection

Obesity is associated with high mortality. Bariatric surgery is considered the only evidence-based approach to sustainable weight loss. The most popular bariatric surgeries are Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric banding and sleeve gastrectomy. The laparoscopic approach is favored over the open method for its good recovery. Recently, the robotic system was applied to bariatric surgery, and was reported to have strengths during suturing and anastomosis. On the other hand, there is no report of robotic bariatric surgery in Korea. In the present study, robotic Roux-en Y gastric bypass and robotic sleeve gastrectomy was performed successfully on morbidly obese patients.
Bariatric Surgery ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Obesity ; Weight Loss

An intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma is a benign neoplasm that rarely occurs within the abdominal cavity. Intra-abdominal cystic lymphangioma is treated by a resection performed through a radical procedure. We report a case of a 37-year-old woman who had an asymptomatic mesenteric cyst that was discovered incidentally during a routine physical check-up. Treatment was completed without complications using a laparoscope.
Abdominal Cavity ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopes ; Lymphangioma ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Mesenteric Cyst

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) catheter insertion is used instead of open CAPD insertion because additional measures to prevent complications can be made without a conventional laparotomy. This study compared the early experience of laparoscopic CAPD catheter insertion with open CAPD insertion in children. METHODS: Between January 2006 and May 2011, 52, 16 and 36 patients who underwent CAPD insertion, laparoscopic CAPD insertion and open CAPD insertion, respectively, for end stage renal disease at Seoul National University Children's Hospital were enrolled in this study. The clinicopathological factors, operative factors and outcomes were analyzed by a retrospective medical record review. RESULTS: The mean operative time of the laparoscopic group was longer than that of the open groups (78 minutes vs 60 minutesm, p value=0.079). In the laparoscopic group, 3 patients underwent closure of the processus vaginalis and the occurrence of an inguinal hernia was prevented, whereas 3 patients in the open group underwent herniorrhaphy for an inguinal hernia. The mean period of catheter use in the laparoscopic and open group was 201 and 984 days, respectively. Complications occurred more frequently in the open group than in the laparoscopic group (14 patients (38.9%) vs. 2 patients (12.5%), p value=0.059). Peritonitis (19.4%) was the most common complication, which occurred only in the open group, followed by catheter obstruction due to omental wrapping. Catheter migration occurred more frequently in the open group (20%) than the laparoscopic group (12.5%). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that laparoscopic CAPD catheter insertion can be a suitable method for CAPD catheter insertion in children.
Catheter Obstruction ; Catheters ; Child ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Medical Records ; Operative Time ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic appendectomy is a popular surgical treatment of choice for children with appendicitis. This study compared laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) with an open appendectomy (OA) in children with simple appendicitis (SA) and perforated appendicitis (PA) to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the laparoscopic procedure. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was performed on 193 patients who underwent an appendectomy at our institution from January, 2008 to August, 2011. The demographic properties and postoperative factors including complications were assessed. RESULTS: Among 140 SA, there were 81 and 59 cases of OA and LA, respectively. In SA, the time to bowel movement in LA was shorter than OA (0.9 vs. 1.2 days, p=0.0005) and the number of times analgesics were used in LA were significantly lower than OA (1.8 vs. 2.5, p=0.027). Of 53 PA, 30 cases received OA whereas 23 cases underwent LA. In patients with PA, the LA group were older (124.0 vs. 98.8 months, p=0.027) with a longer operative time (93.5 vs. 68.2 minutes, p=0.02). On the other hand, the time to diet was faster in LA (1.8 vs. 3.2 days, p=0.02). In both SA and PA, there were no significant differences between OA and LA with respect to gender, hospital stay, drain insertion, duration of antibiotics usage, and complications. In SA, the LA group had fewer complications than the OA group with borderline significance. CONCLUSION: LA is a safe and effective way to treat SA and PA in children.
Analgesics ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis ; Child ; Diet ; Hand ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (TEP) was developed as an alternative treatment of inguinal hernias to open hernia repair. This study evaluated 92 cases of laparoscopic surgery to determine the effectiveness and safety of laparoscopic TEP. METHODS: Laparoscopic TEP was performed on 92 patients with inguinal hernias from January 2008 to December 2010. Through a retrospective study of these patients, information om TEP repair was collected including the patients' characteristics, operation time, hospital stay, analgesic use and related complications. RESULTS: Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy were performed on a total of 92 patients (85 men and 7 women, age ranging from 16 to 83 years, with a mean of 56 years). The mean operation time for a unilateral inguinal hernia and bilateral inguinal hernia was 58.7 and 84.2 min, respectively. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 4.0 days (range, 2~9 days). Thirty nine patients were discharged without an analgesic injection, whereas 36 patients were injected with analgesic on the day of surgery. Of these 92 procedures, 10 complications were recorded; one granuloma complication, two patients with operation site discomfort, five with urinary retention issues, one patient with a scrotal seroma, and one patient with scrotal edema. CONCLUSION: TEP repairs have minimal morbidity and are more effective with less pain than the open procedure. TEP repair can be considered a favorable procedure for patients who request minimally invasive procedures for inguinal hernia repairs.
Female ; Granuloma ; Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Pyrazines ; Retrospective Studies ; Seroma ; Urinary Retention

PURPOSE: Recently, laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) inguinal hernia repair has established itself as a safe and effective treatment for inguinal hernia. Nevertheless, there are difficulties in learning the technique. In particular, patients with a medical history of having undergone lower abdominal surgery are generally excluded from laparoscopic hernia repair due to the technical difficulty of the procedure. This study evaluated the early surgical outcome and examined the feasibility of techniques for laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair in patients who had previously undergone lower abdominal surgery. METHODS: Ten cases of laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair in patients with a prior history of lower abdominal surgery between November 2006 and January 2010 were reviewed. All cases were treated by a single highly experienced laparoscopic surgeon. RESULTS: Previous operations included 5 cases of radical prostatectomies for prostate cancer, 2 cases of open suprapubic prostatectomies for benign prostate hypertrophy, 2 cases of radical cystectomies for bladder cancer and 1 case of laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer. In all 10 cases, the patients were male with 9 cases involving an indirect hernia and 1 case involving a direct hernia. The mean operation time was 136.5+/-33.7 minutes, and in 1 case, the surgical method was converted to the transabdominal preperitoneal approach. Postoperatively, there were 3 cases of urinary retention, and the administration of analgesics were required 1.0+/-0.6 times on average. The mean length of hospitalization was 1.2+/-0.8 days. During the mean 18 month (1~36 months) follow-up period, there was no recurrence and chronic pain but 1 case of mesh infection was encountered 6 months after TEP repair. CONCLUSION: Although the laparoscopic TEP inguinal hernia repair can be carried out safely on patients with previous lower abdominal surgery, it needs to be carried out by fully trained surgeons with sufficient experience in the TEP technique. Nevertheless, more extensive experience and a longer follow-up period will be needed to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of the TEP approach.
Analgesics ; Chronic Pain ; Cystectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Laparoscopy ; Learning ; Male ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Pyrazines ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Recurrence ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Retention