Dr. Om Tantia

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), a common laparoscopic procedure, is a relatively safe invasive procedure, but complications can occur at every step, starting from creation of the pneumoperitoneum. Several studies have investigated procedure-related complications, but the primary access- or trocar-related complications generally are underreported, and their true incidence may be higher than studies show. Major vascular or visceral injury resulting from blind access to the abdominal cavity, although rare, has been reported. Of the two methods for creating pneumoperitoneum, the open access technique is reported to have the lower incidence of these injuries. The authors report their experience with the closed method and show that if performed with proper technique, it can be as rapid and safe as other techniques. However, injuries still happen, and the search for the predisposing factors must be continued.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard procedure for symptomatic gall stone disease. Situs inversus is a condition where the visceral anatomy is reversed. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a patient of situs inversus is a technically difficult procedure. Six patients of situs inversus underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy from January 2003 to December 2009. In the first patient of situs inversus, we operated by placing the ports in mirror image fashion as that of standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However in next five patients we modified the technique by interchanging the epigastric and left mid clavicular line ports to overcome the problem of handedness. The procedure was successfully completed in all six patients. No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. The mean operating time was 65 mins (45–85 mins). Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe in patients of situs inversus. However, extreme care and skill is required to identify the reversed anatomy and to overcome the problem of handedness. Interchanging the epigastric and left mid clavicular line ports makes the procedure easier.

Background: Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair is evolving rapidly worldwide to become a standard procedure. The purpose of this study was to compare the benefits, effectiveness, and postoperative outcome of laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) and intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) repair of ventral hernia. Patients and Methods: Prospectively collected data of 279 patients who underwent laparoscopic ventral hernia repair between January 2005 and December 2009, of whom 68 underwent TAPP and 211 underwent IPOM repair, were retrospectively reviewed. For each patient demographic, preoperative and postoperative data were studied. Statistical analysis was performed by Student's t-test, Fisher exact test, and chi-square test. Results: The study included a total of 279 patients, of whom 68 underwent TAPP procedure and 211 underwent IPOM procedure. Both the groups were comparable in age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, mean fascial defect size, and mean size of mesh. Although the operating time was longer in TAPP group than IPOM group of patients, the overall cost of surgery in IPOM group ($752.3±355.7) was much higher than TAPP group ($903.6±28.0) of patients. Seroma formation was more common in IPOM group than TAPP group (8.5% versus 5.8%). There were 2 (2.9%) recurrences in TAPP group and 7 (3.3%) in IPOM group of patients. Mean postoperative hospital stay (1.5±0.6 versus 1.4±0.7 days, P=.35) and mean follow-up (22.7±13.4 versus 22.5±11.9 months, P=.90) were similar in both groups of patients. Conclusion: Besides the cost-effectiveness of TAPP procedure, it reduces the risk of complication related to intra-abdominal position of mesh and fixating devices. Before we label the TAPP repair of ventral hernia as the first choice, a comparative multicentric prospective trial with IPOM repair is warranted.