Deep anterior lamellar and penetrating keratoplasty in developed and advanced stages of keratoconus

This article presents the results of surgical treatment of 30 patients (30 eyes) with keratoconus stage 3-4, which were divided into two groups depending on the performed surgery technique. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) was performed on 20 eyes using a femtosecond laser and the surgery technique including separation of the residual corneal stroma using the "big bubble" technique, and in some cases using the manual dissection technique. In 25% of cases (5 out of 20 eyes), the DALK operation was complicated by Descemet's membrane perforation and therefore, the surgical intervention was completed by switching to penetrating keratoplasty (PK). These patients were excluded from the DALK group and included in the PK group, who underwent penetrating keratoplasty (15 eyes). The maximum follow-up period was 2 years. After DALK transparent engraftment was achieved in all cases, and after PK in 93.4% of cases, in one case (6.6%) graft rejection was observed. Key words: keratoconus, surgical treatment, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, penetrating keratoplasty.

Colon Graft Stomach Replacement Surgery Technique

Recently, in the literature, there are more and more reports of a number of complications after total or subtotal resections of the stomach.

An open-label randomized multi-Centre study to evaluate anterior controllable Antedisplacement and fusion versus posterior Laminoplasty in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament: study design and analysis plan (STAR)

Background In treating patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (COPLL), a novel surgery technique - anterior controllable antedisplacement and fusion (ACAF) suggested promising clinical benefits in recent exploratory studies. Methods This is a multicentre, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active controlled trial that will compare the clinical benefits of ACAF versus conventional posterior laminoplasty (LAMP) in severe COPLL patients. A total of 164 patients will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either ACAF or LAMP group. The primary efficacy measure is cervical- Japanese Orthopaedic Association (C-JOA) recovery rate at 12 months post operation, which is to be derived by Hirabayashi’s method from JOA data (range, 0 [worst] to 17 [normal condition]). Other important secondary efficacy endpoints include visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score (range, 0 [no pain] to 10 [most severe]), 10-item neck disability index (NDI, a total range of 0 to 50 points, the highest index the worst) and 6-level Nurick disability grade (range, 0 [mild] to 5 [severe]). Safety endpoints including adverse events, perioperative complications, and adverse events of special interest will also be assessed in this study. Full analysis set for baseline and efficacy data analyses according to the intention-to-treat principle will be established as the primary analysis population. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) will be used to analyze the C-JOA recovery rate, with random stratification factors (if appropriate) and the treatment group as fixed factors, and the baseline level of C-JOA score as covariate. Discussion This study is designed to demonstrate the clinical benefits of ACAF as compared to conventional LAMP in COPLL patients. It will provide clinical evidence that the novel surgery technique – ACAF might be more favorable in treating patients with severe cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. (Words: 290). Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04968028.

Laparoscopic-assisted percutaneous herniorrhaphy as an alternative to open surgery technique in farm swines

Background Despite numerous experimental studies presenting laparoscopic treatment of inguinal hernia in a pig model so far no described technique has been used in clinical patients of this species. Minimal invasiveness and the simplicity of closure of the inguinal canal using the Percutaneous Internal Ring Suturing (PIRS) technique makes it the world’s first technique for laparoscopic treatment of inguinal hernia in pigs as clinical patients. Aim This study aims to assess the applicability and effectiveness of the laparoscopic PIRS technique in the treatment of inguinal hernia in pigs as clinical patients and to compare the PIRS technique with the open surgery technique, which is currently being used. Methods The study was conducted on 22 non-castrated male pigs with inguinal hernia (clinical patients), divided into two equal groups: PIRS and open surgery (OS). In the PIRS group, the inner inguinal ring was closed with an optical trocar inserted at the umbilicus level and an injection needle with a suture material inserted percutaneously over the inguinal canal. The suture material was threaded through the inner inguinal ring and then tied, leaving the knot under the skin. As a result to this the inguinal canal was closed. In the OS group the procedure was performed with open access above the inguinal canal where, after dissection of the vaginal processus and reducing the contents of the hernia to the abdominal cavity, it was ligated as close to the inguinal canal as possible, and the wound was then closed in layers. Results All operated pigs returned to full fitness immediately after recovery from anesthesia. There was one case of hernia recurrence in the PIRS group. In the OS group all the operated pigs had a temporary swelling of the postoperative wound and the scrotum on the side of the operated inguinal hernia, which was not found in the PIRS group. Conclusions The effectiveness of the PIRS technique is comparable to that of open surgery. Considering the simplicity of the PIRS procedure and its minimal invasiveness, this technique may be used as an alternative to the open technique in the treatment of inguinal hernias in pigs not subjected to surgical castration.