Multivisceral Resection in Robotic Liver Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery techniques are expanding in utilization in liver resections and now include robotic approaches. Robotic liver resection has been demonstrated to have several benefits, including surgeon ergonomics, wrist articulation, and 3D visualization. Similarly, for multivisceral liver resections, the use of minimally invasive techniques has evolved and expanded from laparoscopy to robotics. The aim of this article is to review the literature and describe multivisceral resections, including hepatectomy, using a robotic technique. We describe over 50 published cases of simultaneous robotic liver resection with colon or rectal resection. In addition, we describe several pancreatectomies performed with liver resection and one extra-abdominal pulmonary resection with liver resection. In total, these select reported cases at experienced centers demonstrate the safety of robotic multivisceral resection in liver surgery with acceptable morbidity and rare conversion to open surgery. As robotic technology advances and experience with robotic techniques grows, robotic multivisceral resection in liver surgery should continue to be investigated in future studies.

Three Port Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy by a Modified Technique

Introduction:Since the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) several modifications have been introduced to its procedure. Main aim of these modifications is to improve cosmesis & reduce pain. Several institutes are routinely performing conventional 3 ports laparoscopic. In modified 3 ports LC, the third port was moved from right hypochondrium to umbilicus, to conceal it in the umbilical scar, thereby giving the three port comfort to the surgeon and two port benefits to the patient. Methods: This observational study was conducted in the Department of Surgery of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College & Hospital from September 2015 to October 2016. After taking valid consent a total 45 patients were selected for modified 3 ports LC. Here we tried to see the safety and benefit of this modified technique by assessing operating time, intra-operative complications, open conversion rate, postoperative wound infection, post-operative hospital stay, pain score and satisfaction with cosmetic outcome. Results: 3 patients were excluded from study due to different reasons. So, among total 42 (N) patients 30 (71.4%) were female & 12 (28.6%) were male. Operative time was 58.48 ± 32.52 minutes (range 34 to 180 minutes). 2 patients required conversion to open surgery. Pain score was 2.07 ±1.71 and cosmetic score was 8.67 ± 1.99. Conclusion: Modified 3 port laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely with a higher cosmetic satisfaction in selected cases by expert surgeon. J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll 2020; 12(2): 90-94

Double gallbladder—intraoperative finding at laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Literature review

Duplication of the gallbladder is a rare entity. It is often appreciated at surgery and has a higher propensity for complications and conversion to open surgery. We report a case of laparoscopic recognition and removal of a duplicated gallbladder opening into the bile duct through separate cystic ducts, in a young male presenting with biliary colics. Both cystic ducts were clipped and divided, and cholecystectomy completed laparoscopically. Although uncommon, awareness of this anomaly may contribute to minimising iatrogenic bile duct injuries.

Intraoperative scoring system for grading severity of cholecystitis at laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: Various studies had been carried out to evaluate the risk of preoperative conversion in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, there was no grading or scoring of operative findings during surgery at present, making it difficult to compare the publications citing outcomes, including the conversion to open surgery. Sugrue in 2015 devised a scoring system based upon the intraoperative findings in Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Aim of the study was to grade the severity of cholecystitis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy using intraoperative scoring system, to evaluate the spectrum of cholecystitis in cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a tertiary center using the grades of intraoperative scores and to validate the scoring system devised by Michael Sugrue.Methods: This prospective cross sectional observatory study of 200 patients admitted for laparoscopic cholecystectomy was conducted in the Department of Surgery, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India over a period of 12 months. All patients directly planned for open cholecystectomy and carcinoma gall bladder were excluded from the study. Patients were subjected to the intra operative grading system for cholecystitis severity as devised by Micheal Sugrue and the grades were classified with a score of <2 - mild; 2 to 4 -moderate, 5– 7- severe and 8 to 10 – extreme.Results: The operative grading system showed a positive correlation with the severity of cholecystitis.Conclusions: Use of this intra-operative scoring system will help us to provide a trigger for a prompt early conversion to avoid intra-operative complications associated with difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

P-BN27 Novel technique for safe and efficient cannulation of the cystic and common bile duct

Background Concomitant stones in the common bile duct (CBD) at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) are present in up to 15% of patients. In conjunction with intra-operative cholangiogram (IOC), transcystic common bile duct exploration (TCBDE) enables diagnosis and management of ductal stones in a single stage procedure. However, cannulation of the cystic duct (CD) and CBD can be challenging. With repeated attempts at cannulation, there is increased risk of iatrogenic injury by creating a false passage or perforating the duct. We propose a novel technique for the safe cannulation of the CD and CBD. Methods Once critical view of safety is achieved, a clip is placed distally in the CD and opened with scissors. A flexible tip 80cm guidewire is then preloaded into 5-French ureteric catheter. The complex is then passed into the introducer through the lateral port. A grasper placed at Hartmann’s pouch is used to retract the gallbladder and straighting the CD. Only the guidewire is advanced out of the catheter, traversing the CD and CBD. Once safely advanced, the catheter can then be slid over the guidewire and the guidewire can be removed. IOC and TCBDE can then be performed if indicated. Results This technique was performed on 18 patients who failed CD cannulation during elective and emergency LC for symptomatic gallstone disease in a single center performed by the same surgical team. Median age was 46 years and there was 15 females. A total of 34 cannulations were attempted (in 18 patients) which 100% success rate. There was no added time required for the technique. In majority of cases it decreased the operative time due to quick intubation of CBD. None of the cases required conversion to open surgery. Conclusions The novel technique described for cannulation of the cystic duct uses a Seldinger ‘like’ approach. This is a safe an effective strategy for cannulation of the CD, making the skills more accessible and more time efficient. This should encourage more surgeons to perform IOC and TCBDE where indicated.

O-BN02 Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy for difficult gallbladders: A lifesaving bailout or an incomplete operation? A systematic review

Background Cholecystectomy is one of the commonest abdominal operations performed worldwide. Sometimes, the operation can be technically difficult due to dense adhesions in Calot’s triangle. Conversion to open surgery or subtotal cholecystectomy have been described to deal with these situations. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis on STC suggested high perioperative morbidity associated with STC. These findings are at odds with a previous systematic review and meta-analysis on the topic which concluded that morbidity rates for STC were comparable to those reported for total cholecystectomy. However, both these reviews included patients undergoing Open Subtotal Cholecystectomy (OSTC). This makes it difficult for us to understand the outcomes of LSTC as surgeons are not faced with the choice of converting to open surgery to perform a subtotal cholecystectomy. The choice they face is whether they should perform a LSTC or convert to open surgery to perform a total cholecystectomy. It is, therefore, important to establish the outcomes of LSTC alone (without including patients who underwent OSTC). This is all the more important during COVID-19 pandemic when the complexity of gall stone disease appears to have worsened. There is thus an enhanced need to understand technical nuances and outcomes of LSTC alone. Methods Search strategy: We searched PUBMED (Medline), Google Scholar, and Embase for all relevant English language articles describing experience with LSTC in adult human population (≥18 years) anywhere in the world using key-words like “subtotal cholecystectomy”, “gallbladder resection”, “gallbladder excision”, “gallbladder removal”, “partial”, “incomplete”, “insufficient”, “deroofing”, and “near-total”. Case reports, articles only published as conference abstracts, case series with &lt;5 cases, and reviews were excluded. Only English-language studies were included. Participants: All studies with 5 or more cases, describing any experience with an adult cohort (≥18 years) of patients undergoing STC while attempting a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy were included. Studies on patients who underwent preoperative cholecystostomy were excluded. Studies that had LSTC as part of another surgery were also excluded as we wanted to understand the morbidity and mortality of LSTC alone. Studies on patients who underwent OSTC (Open from start) were excluded as were those where the LSTC cohort was merged with the OSTC cohort and outcomes of LSTC were not separately reported. Study outcome: Primary outcome measure was early (≤30 days) morbidity and mortality. Secondary outcome measures were bile duct injury, bile leak rates, conversion to open surgery rates, duration of hospital stay, and late (&gt;30 days) morbidity. Results 45 studies were identified, with a total of 2166 patients. Mean age was 55 +/- 15 years with 51% females; 53% (n = 390) were elective procedures. The conversion rate was 6.2% (n = 135). Most common indication was acute cholecystitis (n = 763). Different techniques were used with the majority having a closed cystic duct/gallbladder stump (n = 1188, 71%). The most common closure technique was intracorporeal suturing (53%) followed by endoloop closure. There were a total of four, 30-day mortality [1] in this review. Early morbidity (≤30 days) included bile duct injury (0.23%), bile leak rates (18%), intra-abdominal collection (4%). Reoperation was reported in 23 patients (1%), most commonly for unresolving intra-abdominal collections and failed ERCP to control bile leak. Long term follow-up was reported in 30 studies with a median follow up period of 22 months. Late morbidity included incisional hernias (6%), CBD stones (2%), and symptomatic gallstones in 4% (n = 41) with 2% (n = 22) requiring completion of cholecystectomy. Conclusions Laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy is an acceptable alternative in patients with a “difficult” Calot’s triangle. However, this has to be taken seriously as it is associated with a high early and late morbidity and mortality.

Modified vein clamping technique for renal cell carcinoma complicated with level I–II IVC thrombi: a study at a single centre

Objectives To share our initial experience with the modified vein clamping technique for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma complicated with level I–II IVC thrombi. Methods From March 2018 to April 2021, 11 patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) involving an IVC tumour thrombus were admitted to our hospital. They all underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy (LRN-IVCTE) using a modified vein clamping technique. Results All procedures were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery. The median operative time was 185.00 min (145.00–216.00 min); the median estimated blood loss was 200.00 ml (155.00–300.00 ml), and four patients received an intraoperative transfusion. In addition, the median IVC clamping time was 18.00 min (12.00–20.00 min); the median postoperative hospital stay was 6.00 days (4.00–7.00 days), while the median follow-up period was 28.00 months (4.00–34.00 months). Conclusions The modified vein clamping technique for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma complicated with level I–II IVC thrombi may be a safe and technically feasible alternative technique.

Robotic-assisted pancreatic surgery in the elderly patient: experiences from a high-volume centre

Background Robotic-assisted pancreatic surgery (RPS) has fundamentally developed over the past few years. For subgroups, e.g. elderly patients, applicability and safety of RPS still needs to be defined. Given prognosticated demographic developments, we aim to assess the role of RPS based on preoperative, operative and postoperative parameters. Methods We included 129 patients undergoing RPS at our institution between 2017 and 2020. Eleven patients required conversion to open surgery and were excluded from further analysis. We divided patients into two groups; ≥ 70 years old (Group 1; n = 32) and < 70 years old (Group 2; n = 86) at time of resection. Results Most preoperative characteristics were similar in both groups. However, number of patients with previous abdominal surgery was significantly higher in patients ≥ 70 years old (78% vs 37%, p < 0.0001). Operative characteristics did not significantly differ between both groups. Although patients ≥ 70 years old stayed significantly longer at ICU (1.8 vs 0.9 days; p = 0.037), length of hospital stay and postoperative morbidity were equivalent between the groups. Conclusion RPS is safe and feasible in elderly patients and shows non-inferiority when compared with younger patients. However, prospectively collected data is needed to define the role of RPS in elderly patients accurately. Trial registration Clinical Trial Register: Deutschen Register Klinischer Studien (DRKS; German Clinical Trials Register). Clinical Registration Number: DRKS00017229 (retrospectively registered, Date of Registration: 2019/07/19, Date of First Enrollment: 2017/10/18).

A Consensus Meeting on Expert Recommendations on Operating Specifications for Laparoscopic Radical Resection of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Background: With advances in techniques and technologies, laparoscopic radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) has gradually been carried out in major medical centers in China. Its feasibility and safety have been accepted by a group of Chinese surgical experts.Methods: To standardize perioperative management of HCCA by using laparoscopic resectional approach, to ensure safety of the patient with standardized management, improve prognosis of the patient, and enable proper application and refinement of this surgical approach, the expert group on specifications for laparoscopic radical resection of HCCA in China organized a consensus meeting.Results: Laparoscopic radical resection of HCCA is difficult and associated with high risks. Appropriate patients should be carefully selected and this surgical approach should be promoted gradually. The experts met and arrived at 16 recommendations on perioperative management of HCCA by using laparoscopic surgery. There were three recommendations on preoperative diagnosis and evaluation; one recommendation on surgical principles of treatment; one recommendation on indications and contraindications; one recommendation on credentialing, staffing, and equipment; nine recommendations on laparoscopic techniques in different stages of operation; and one recommendation on indications for conversion to open surgery.Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery for HCCA is still in the early phase of development. This consensus provides a clinical reference with the aim to promote and to facilitate its further development.