Treatment of failed vasectomy reversal using a microsurgical two-layer anastomosis technique

Objective

To evaluate the application of a microsurgical two-layer anastomosis technique in the treatment of failed vasectomy reversal.

Methods

A microsurgical two-layer anastomosis was used in a series of 24 patients with confirmed anastomotic obstruction after previous vasectomy reversal. The patients were followed up for 9 months to 6 years, and the efficacy of the procedure was evaluated by regular seminal analysis and pregnancy records. The results were compared with those obtained from 34 patients who had received primary microsurgical vasovasostomy in our hospital using the same microsurgical technique.

Results

In the treatment group for failed vasectomy reversal patients, the postoperative patency rate was 87.5% (21/24), resulting in a pregnancy rate of 54.2% (13/24). In primary reversal group, the postoperative patency rate was 94.1% (32/34), resulting in a pregnancy rate of 67.6% (23/34). Both the patency and pregnancy rate were not significantly different between these two groups.

Conclusions

The microsurgical vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy provided satisfactory patency rate and natural pregnancy rate for patients with a previous failed vasectomy reversal, which is comparable with the results of patients who had undergone primary procedure.     

Robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus retropubic radical prostatectomy: a prospective assessment of postoperative pain

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic prostatectomy, whether or not coupled with robotic assistance, is often considered less invasive than open radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). Minimal postoperative pain has been reported following robot assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) but there have been few comparative studies with RRP. We compared perioperative narcotic use and patient reported pain in a prospective patient series. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 2003 and May 2004, 314 patients underwent radical prostatectomy at our institution, including RALP in 159, RRP in 154 and conversion in 1. All patients were treated on a postoperative clinical pathway that included 30 mg ketorolac intravenously immediately postoperatively, followed by 15 mg intravenously every 6 hours. No regional anesthesia (epidural/spinal) narcotics or patient controlled analgesic pumps were used. All narcotic use was converted to morphine sulfate equivalents for purpose of analysis. A Likert scale of 0 to 10 was used to assess pain on the day of surgery, and on postoperative days 1 and 14. RESULTS: The total mean morphine sulfate equivalent +/- SD in patients in the RALP and RRP groups was low and, when corrected for length of stay, it was not statistically different (22.41 +/- 1.13 vs 23.01 +/- 1.16 mg, p = 0.72). Mean Likert pain perception scores were low at all time points in the RALP and RRP groups but statistically lower on the day of surgery in the RALP cohort (2.05 +/- 1.99 vs 2.60 +/- 2.25, p = 0.027). Patient reported mean pain scores were almost identical for RALP vs RRP on postoperative days 1 (1.76 +/- 1.87 vs 1.73 +/- 1.77, p = 0.880) and 14 (2.51 +/- 1.91 vs 2.42 +/- 1.84, p = 0.722). CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative narcotic use and patient reported pain are low regardless of the surgical approach used for radical prostatectomy. RALP did not provide a clinically meaningful decrease in pain compared with RRP, primarily because of the low pain scores reported in each group. Outcomes other than pain will ultimately determine the role of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and RALP.     

Robotic microsurgical vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy: a prospective randomized study in a rat model

PURPOSE: Microsurgical vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy remain technically challenging procedures. Refinements in technique have continually improved patency and pregnancy rates for the 2 procedures in experienced hands. Advances in surgical robotics produced the Da Vinci robot (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, California) with motion reduction and no tremor, features that may improve outcomes in microsurgery. We report a randomized prospective study of vasoepididymostomy and vasovasostomy using the Da Vinci robot in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 adult male Wistar rats underwent vasectomy through a midline abdominal incision. Two weeks later the animals were randomized to microsurgical multilayer vasovasostomy, longitudinal vasoepididymostomy or robotic vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy groups. Outcomes measured included surgical time, complications, patency and sperm granuloma formation at 9 weeks. RESULTS: Animals were sacrificed 9 weeks after microsurgery. There were no significant differences in complications among the groups. Robotic vasovasostomy was significantly faster than the conventional microsurgical technique (68.5 vs 102.5 minutes, p = 0.002). The robotic and microsurgical vasoepididymostomy groups did not differ significantly in time. Patency rates were 100% for the robotic vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy groups, and 90% in the microsurgical vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy groups. These differences were not significant. Sperm granulomas were found in 70% of microsurgical vasovasostomy anastomoses and 27% of robotic vasovasostomy anastomoses (p = 0.001). No significant difference in the sperm granuloma rate was found between the robotic or microsurgical vasoepididymostomy groups (42% and 50%, respectively, p = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge we report the first randomized prospective study using the Da Vinci robot for microsurgery. We believe that the improved stability and motion reduction during microsurgical suturing with the robot helped achieve excellent patency rates for vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy. The robot may also allow experienced microsurgeons to perform microsurgical procedures in patients at remote locations where no experienced microsurgeons are available.     

Laparoscopic versus open appendectomy: prospective randomized trial

Although classic open surgery is simple, expeditious, and effective, it has some drawbacks, including wound sepsis, delayed recovery, operative difficulties, and possibility of unnecessary appendectomies for false appendicitis. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability and safety of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) in a prospectively randomized trial. Seventy nonselective patients with suspected appendicitis were randomized to laparoscopic (n = 35, 17 male) or open appendectomy (n = 35, 15 male) and operated on an emergency basis. Operative findings, operating time, postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay were compared. We found that LA is associated with a shorter hospital stay, fewer postoperative complications, and better diagnostic accuracy, and it is recommended as the procedure of choice for the diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis.     

Transtubular versus microsurgical approach for single lumbar disc herniation: a prospective study

Earlier studies have compared transtubular discectomy with microsurgical discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniations, but a few prospective studies with homogeneous groups of patients have been conducted. The aim of this study was to compare intraoperative and immediate postoperative results in a group of patients submitted to discectomy with the use of a tubular retractor (TTD) to the one operated with standard microdiscectomy as described by Caspar (MSD). A total of 83 patients were prospectively observed and reviewed. Two homogeneous groups of patients were compared. All patients were preoperatively examined by the operating surgeon and the anaesthesiologist. All surgical data and constatations were collected on the operative summary. Several parameters like operative time, morphinic consumption in recovery room, length of hospital stay and peri- and post-operative complications were compared. Results show that both procedures lead to excellent recovery and that TTD is a viable alternative to MSD. There was no statistically significant difference in most of the examined parameters between the two techniques.     

Complete versus assisted thoracoscopic approach: a prospective randomized trial comparing a variety of video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy techniques

Background Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy does not represent a unified approach, but rather a spectrum of operative techniques ranging from a complete endoscopic thoracotomy to a minithoracotomy. A prospective randomized trial was conducted to compare the differences in these techniques and their results to determine the best of VATS lobectomy for lung cancer.Methods This study randomized 39 consecutive patients with clinical stage I lung cancer to undergo either a complete (C-VATS, n = 20) or an assisted (A-VATS, n = 19) VATS approach for pulmonary lobectomy.Results The operating time was longer (p = 0.002) and blood loss was less (p = 0.004) with C-VATS than with A-VATS. Although there was no significant difference in analgesic use or duration of thoracic drainage between the groups, a shorter hospitalization was observed after C-VATS. Serum peak levels of postoperative inflammatory markers (white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, creatine phosphokinase) were lower with C-VATS and an earlier return to normalization than with A-VATS.Conclusion Various differences exist among the VATS lobectomy techniques, and complete VATS lobectomy as a purely endoscopic surgery may be technically feasible and a satisfactory alternative to the conventional procedure for stage I lung cancer.     

Robotic versus laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy: a French prospective single-center experience and cost-effectiveness analysis

Surgical Endoscopy - Benefits and cost-effectiveness of robotic approach for distal pancreatectomy (DP) remain debated. In this prospective study, we aim to compare the short-term results and real...     

Subcuticular closure versus Dermabond: a prospective randomized trial

2-Octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (Dermabond, Ethicon, Inc, Somerville, NJ) is being used successfully for closure of minor lacerations. To date, however, there have been no studies evaluating its use in the operating room for surgical incisions. We conducted a prospective randomized trial to compare the closure of inguinal herniorrhaphy incisions using 2-octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (Dermabond) with closures using 4-0 Monocryl (Ethicon, Inc) in a running subcuticular closure. A total of 46 incisions were randomized at the time of closure. Of these incisions 24 were randomized to Dermabond closure (TA) and 22 were randomized to subcuticular closure (SC). Performance measures included: time for closure, wound complications, and cosmesis. Cosmesis was evaluated by blinded evaluation of photographs of the incisions taken 4 weeks after surgery. Closure times for the TA group were faster than in the SC group (mean of 155 vs 286 seconds; P < 0.001). Wound complications were higher in the TA group (P = 0.045). Cosmesis was also felt to be better in the SC group with a score of 4.2 versus 3.88, but this did not reach statistical significance. Although the use of Dermabond did result in faster wound cultures it also resulted in an increase in wound complications. The difference in mean cosmetic score for each group was not statistically significant but trended toward better scores in the SC group. Based on these findings we do not feel Dermabond is an acceptable alternative to subcuticular suture closure in inguinal herniorrhaphy incisions.     

Computer-assisted knee arthroplasty versus a conventional jig-based technique. A randomised, prospective trial

We have compared a new technique of computer-assisted knee arthroplasty with the current conventional jig-based technique in 70 patients randomly allocated to receive either of the methods. Post-operative CT was performed according to the Perth CT Knee Arthroplasty protocol and pre- and post-operative Maquet views of the limb were taken. Intra-operative and peri-operative morbidity data were collected and blood loss measured. Post-operative CT showed a significant improvement in the alignment of the components using computer-assisted surgery in regard to femoral varus/valgus (p = 0.032), femoral rotation (p = 0.001), tibial varus/valgus (p = 0.047) tibial posterior slope (p = 0.0001), tibial rotation (p = 0.011) and femorotibial mismatch (p = 0.037). Standing alignment was also improved (p = 0.004) and blood loss was less (p = 0.0001). Computer-assisted surgery took longer with a mean increase of 13 minutes (p = 0.0001).     

腹腔镜右半结肠切除中间入路与侧方入路的前瞻性随机对照研究

目的 对比中间入路法与传统侧方入路法在右半结肠癌行腹腔镜右半结肠切除术中的效果.方法 于2007年1月至2009年7月,将入院拟行手术治疗的48例右半结肠癌患者按随机数字表法前瞻性随机分为两组（各24例）,分别行中间入路和侧方入路腹腔镜右半结肠切除术,对比两组手术时间、术中出血量、淋巴结清扫情况、术中及术后并发症及术后住院时间.结果中间入路法与侧方入路法两组患者手术时间分别为（122.5±25.8）min及（162.9±30.9）min（P=0.01）;术中出血量分别为（55.8±36.2）ml及（104.6±58.2）ml（P=0.01）;差异均有统计学意义.两组术中并发症分别为4.2%和8.3%,术后并发症分别为8.3%和16.7%,淋巴结清扫数分别为（17.4±3.2）枚和（17.8±3.4）枚,术后住院时间分别为（7.8±2.2）d和（8.0±3.6）d,差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）.结论 中间入路法较传统的侧方入路法在腹腔镜右半结肠切除术中可明显缩短手术时间,减少术中出血量.     

腹腔镜胃旁路术结肠前与结肠后胃空肠吻合术的前瞻性比较研究

目的比较腹腔镜Roux-en—Y胃旁路术（LRYGB）治疗肥胖症术中结肠前与结肠后两种胃空肠吻合术式的疗效差异。方法前瞻性地将2008年3月至2010年7月暨南大学附属第一医院收治的40例肥胖症患者按随机数字表法分为结肠前组（20例）和结肠后组（20例）。比较两种术式术中、术后恢复情况及短期消化道症状。结果所有病例均顺利完成手术。两组术中失血量、术后排气时间、进食半流时间及术后住院时间方面的差异均无统计学意义（均P〉0．05）;但结肠后组手术时间明显长于结肠前组[（163．4±28．1）min比（131．8±22．7）min,P〈0．05]。两组均未出现腹内疝及吻合口瘘等并发症;术后3个月,两组患者消化道症状的差异亦无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论尽管LRYGB结肠后胃空肠吻合更加符合生理结构．但在术后短期疗效上结肠前与结肠后吻合术相当．其远期效果有待进一步研究证实。     

腹腔镜右半结肠切除中间入路与侧方入路的前瞻性随机对照研究

Objective To compare the medial-to-lateral approach with the lateral-to-medial approach in laparoscopic right hemi-colectomy for right colon cancer. Methods A prospective randomized controlled trial was performed in the Fujian provincial tumor hospital between January 2007 and July 2009. Forty-eight cases with right eolon cancer were randomly divided into two groups:medial-to- lateral laparoscopic right hemi-colectomy group(group M) and lateral-to-medial laparoscopic right hemicolectomy group(group L). Primary outcome(operative time) and secondary outcomes (estimated blood loss, intra-operative complication, post-operative complication, number of lymph node retrieval, hospital stay) were compared between two groups. Results Operative time was (122.5±25.8) min in group M and (162.9±30.9) min in Group L (P=0.01). Estimated blood loss was(55.8±36.2) ml in group M and (104.6±58.2) ml in group L (P=0.01). There were no significant differences between the two groups in intra-operative complications(4.2% vs 8.3%, P=1.00), post-operative complications (8.3% vs 16.7%,P=0.66), number of lymph node retrieval (17.4±3.2 vs 17.8±3.4, P=0.67), and hospital stay [(7.8± 2.2) d vs (8.0±3.6)d, P=0.81]. Conclusion The medial-to-lateral approach reduces operative time and blood loss in laparoscopic right hemi-colectomy as compared with the lateral-to-medial approach.