Modified uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery in children

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been traditionally performed by a multi-port approach, but uniportal VATS is gaining popularity among thoracic surgeons. The use of only one intercostal space may result in less pain, but competition among camera and operating instruments may be a disadvantage. In children, the limited space in the thorax makes the uniportal VATS difficult to accomplish. We present a modification of the uniportal VATS, using a single skin incision but placing the thoracoscope in the superior or inferior intercostal space relative to the working instruments to increase instrument range of motion within a single intercostal space

Modified uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery in children

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been traditionally performed by a multi-port approach, but uniportal VATS is gaining popularity among thoracic surgeons. The use of only one intercostal space may result in less pain, but competition among camera and operating instruments may be a disadvantage. In children, the limited space in the thorax makes the uniportal VATS difficult to accomplish. We present a modification of the uniportal VATS, using a single skin incision but placing the thoracoscope in the superior or inferior intercostal space relative to the working instruments to increase instrument range of motion within a single intercostal space

Single-Incision Pediatric Endosurgery (SIPES) oophoropexy in an adolescent with Hodgkin lymphoma prior to pelvic irradiation

Oophoropexy for fertility preservation during pelvic irradiation dates back to the mid-1960s. For Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), this was performed during a staging laparotomy. Laparoscopic ovarian fixation has supplanted open pexy with advancements in technology and abandonment of staging laparotomies. Single-Incision Pediatric Endosurgery (SIPES) is applicable to numerous multi-port operations. Use of this technique for oophoropexy prior to pelvic irradiation, however, has not been reported. A 19 year-old with stage IVb HL involving the left iliac node basin was to receive radiotherapy and was evaluated for bilateral oophoropexy. An Olympus TriPort™ was introduced at the umbilicus, through which a 5 mm zero-degree laparoscope and a needle driver were introduced. Transabdominal passage of a ski needle through a 2 mm nick in the skin of the anterolateral wall allowed for right sided fixation of the ovaries. Operative recovery was uncomplicated, and post-operative imaging demonstrated satisfactory positioning of the gonads outside the planned radiation field. In conclusion, SIPES oophoropexy is a technically simple method for fertility preservation that offers improved cosmesis

Risk of incomplete pyloromyotomy and mucosal perforation in open and laparoscopic pyloromyotomy

BackgroundDespite randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, it remains unclear whether laparoscopic pyloromyotomy (LP) carries a higher risk of incomplete pyloromyotomy and mucosal perforation compared with open pyloromyotomy (OP).MethodsMulticenter study of all pyloromyotomies (May 2007–December 2010) at nine high-volume institutions. The effect of laparoscopy on the procedure-related complications of incomplete pyloromyotomy and mucosal perforation was determined using binomial logistic regression adjusting for differences among centers.ResultsData relating to 2830 pyloromyotomies (1802 [64%] LP) were analyzed. There were 24 cases of incomplete pyloromyotomy; 3 in the open group (0.29%) and 21 in the laparoscopic group (1.16%). There were 18 cases of mucosal perforation; 3 in the open group (0.29%) and 15 in the laparoscopic group (0.83%). The regression model demonstrated that LP was a marginally significant predictor of incomplete pyloromyotomy (adjusted difference 0.87% [95% CI 0.006–4.083]; P = 0.046) but not of mucosal perforation (adjusted difference 0.56% [95% CI ? 0.096 to 3.365]; P = 0.153). Trainees performed a similar proportion of each procedure (laparoscopic 82.6% vs. open 80.3%; P = 0.2) and grade of primary operator did not affect the rate of either complication.ConclusionsThis is one of the largest series of pyloromyotomy ever reported. Although laparoscopy is associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of incomplete pyloromyotomy, the effect size is small and of questionable clinical relevance. Both OP and LP are associated with low rates of mucosal perforation and incomplete pyloromyotomy in specialist centers, whether trainee or consultant surgeons perform the procedure