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Biomedical subjects

V Paolucci

Publications and source records attributed to V Paolucci.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Does laparoscopy worsen the prognosis for incidental gallbladder cancer?

BACKGROUND: More than 75% of cholecystectomies are done laparoscopically and less than one-third of gallbladder carcinomas are known presurgically. It is supposed that the laparoscopic technique could adversely affect the prognosis of gallbladder cancer. METHODS: The C-A-E has started a register of all cases of cholecystectomy with a postoperative incidental finding of gallbladder carcinoma. The aim is to compare the prospectively collected follow-up data on the outcome of these patients and to answer the question of whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy affects the prognosis of incidental gallbladder cancer. RESULTS: A total of 377 cases have been recorded so far. These include 201 patients treated by the laparoscopic procedure, 119 by an open procedure, and 57 by an intraoperative conversion. The survival shows a significantly better life expectancy for the patients treated laparoscopically. CONCLUSION: The life expectancy is higher for the laparoscopically treated patients and this cannot be explained by the fact that the laparoscopic technique is used to treat the earlier stages of cancer. The access technique does not seem to influence the prognosis for gallbladder carcinomas.

Carcinoma↗

[Unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma--the CAE-S/CAMIC registry].

INTRODUCTION: Results of earlier surveys raised the prospect that laparoscopic surgical procedures may specifically increase the risk of port wound metastasis and generally of tumour cell seeding if at the time of operation an unsuspected gallbladder cancer existed. Other observations lead to presume that laparoscopic technique could deteriorate the prognosis of gallbladder cancer. These assumptions are going to be verified by the CAES/ CAMIC-registry. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The Workgroup Surgical Endoscopy (CAE) of the German Society of Surgery has started 1997 a registry of all cases of cholecystectomy--laparoscopic as well open--with a postoperative incidental finding of a gallbladder carcinoma. The aim of our registry is to compare the prospectively collected follow up data on the outcome of these patients and to answer the question whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy affects the course and the prognosis of patients with unsuspected gallbladder cancer. RESULTS: Until now 142 cases of incidental gallbladder cancer following laparoscopic and 79 cases following open cholecystectomy as well as 24 cases after intraoperative conversion to the open procedure have been recorded. The median follow up runs up to 27 (1-69) months. Following laparoscopic primary procedure we registered 10 port site metastases (7 %), following open primary procedure 4 (5.1 %) wound recurrences. The total recurrence rate at the moment is about 27 % after laparoscopic treatment and 31 % for conventionally operated patients. 70 of the 245 patients underwent a second radical procedure after diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma. A postoperative combined radio- and chemotherapy was undertaken in 4 cases, a chemotherapy alone in 14 cases. 64 patients already died due to the underlining disease. DISCUSSION: At the present, after a median follow up of 27 months, the incidence of abdominal wall recurrences is very similar following laparoscopic and conventional procedure (7 % vs. 5.1 %). The total incidence of recurrences is at the moment slightly higher following open cholecystectomy (31 % vs. 27 %). The access technique, open or laparoscopic, doesn't seem to influence the prognosis of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma. Until now we could not find disadvantages for the laparoscopically operated group.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Port site recurrences after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Port site metastasis is a well-documented event after laparoscopic procedures in cancer patients. We summarize current epidemiological knowledge about the risk of this complication after laparoscopic/conventional cholecystectomy in patients with unexpected gallbladder cancer as well as other intraabdominal malignancies. We found 174 cases of port site metastasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 12 recurrences in the surgical scar after converted or open cholecystectomy. A review of all case reports and its comparison with four international surveys show a 14% incidence of port site metastases 7 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cancer. Similar numbers are available for open cholecystectomy. Our data suggest that abdominal wall metastases of gallbladder cancer are not a specific complication of laparoscopy. The long-term prognosis of patients with unknown gallbladder cancer however seems to be worsened by laparoscopy. The registry of the German Society of Surgery, which prospectively compares follow-up and prognosis of all cases of cholecystectomy, laparoscopic as well as open, in patients with incidental gallbladder cancer will definitively clarify whether laparoscopy affects the prognosis of patients with unsuspected gallbladder cancer.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Hepatic tumor spread of colorectal cancer in a laparoscopic animal model.

BACKGROUND: We devised a standardized animal model to study the impact of laparoscopic colorectal surgery on intrahepatic tumor cell growth. METHODS: The technique of laparoscopic surgery in the rat was extended by endoscopic inoculation of colon cancer cells (CC531) into the portal vein (1 x 10(4), 5 x 10(4), 1 x 10(5), 3 x 10(5), 5 x 10(5) cells/ml) of WAG/Rij rats (n = 25). As controls, five animals underwent laparotomy and open intraportal inoculation of 5 x 10(4) cells/ml. RESULTS: Hepatic tumor growth occurred after inoculation of 5 x 10(4), 1 x 10(5), 3 x 10(5), and 5 x 10(5) cells/ml. Extrahepatic tumor and conflating hepatic tumor was observed after the inoculation of 1 x 10(5), 3 x 10(5), and 5 x 10(5) cells/ml. Concentrations of 5 x 10(4) cells/ml injected either laparoscopically or via an open technique led to single hepatic tumor nodules. No tumor growth was seen after inoculation of 1 x 10(4) cells/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic intraportal tumor cell inoculation is a feasible technique to create hepatic metastases. The inoculation of 5 x 10(4) CC531 cells leads to reliable cell growth that can be used to investigate the impact of various laparoscopic techniques on tumor spread.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum is associated with increased liver metastases in a rat model.

BACKGROUND: In patients with primary colorectal cancer, liver metastases are the most important indicators of prognosis and survival; the effect of laparoscopic surgery on the development of hepatic tumor spread is still largely unknown. METHODS: Thirty WAG/Rij rats were randomly divided into 3 operative groups for intraportal tumor cell inoculation: carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum (group I, n = 10), gasless laparoscopy (group II, n = 10) and open laparotomy (group III, n = 10). The total operating time was 90 minutes with tumor cell injection (50,000 CC531 colon carcinoma cells/mL) performed 45 minutes after the start of the procedure. Hepatic tumor growth and the total tumor load were evaluated 28 days after surgery. RESULTS: Hepatic tumor growth and total tumor load were significantly reduced in the gasless laparoscopy group (group II) as compared with the carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum group (group I) and the open laparotomy group (group III) (P < .05). No significant difference was found between the carbon dioxide and the open laparotomy groups. CONCLUSIONS: Insufflation of carbon dioxide may actually stimulate metastatic disease of the liver. Gasless laparoscopy seems to preserve hepatic resistance against tumor growth.

Animals↗

Tumor seeding following laparoscopy: international survey.

The aim of the study was to determine if tumor seeding during laparoscopic surgery for cancer is a rare event or a typical complication of this procedure. Laparoscopic staging and treatment of intraabdominal tumors is increasing in gastroenterology, gynecology, and general surgery. A total of 1052 questionnaires were mailed to surgical department chairmen, members of the German Society of Surgery, Swiss Association for Laparoscopic and Thoracoscopic Surgery, and Austrian Society of Minimal Invasive Surgery asking them to list their department's experience with tumor seeding after laparoscopy for nonapparent or known malignancy. There were 607 (57.7%) surgeons who reported a total of 117,840 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, 409 incidental gallbladder carcinomas, and 412 laparoscopies on patients with colorectal carcinoma. Altogether 109 patients who developed tumor recurrence in connection with laparoscopic surgery have been reported. Port-site recurrence was identified in 70 of 409 patients (17.1%) with a median of 180 days following laparoscopic cholecystectomy for nonapparent gallbladder carcinoma. In 8 cases (11.5%) a protective plastic bag had been used for gallbladder retrieval. Six patients without port-site metastases were found to have a diffuse peritoneal carcinomatosis a median of 120 days after cholecystectomy. Of 412 laparoscopies for colorectal cancer, 19 cases (4.6%) of tumor seeding have been reported, 16 of which (3.9%) had documented port-site and scar recurrences a median of 196 days after laparoscopy. The tumor specimen was intact, and a plastic bag was used for extraction in seven cases. In 14 patients trocar-site metastases have been reported a median of 70 days after laparoscopy for different nonapparent or known malignancies. The probability of developing abdominal wall metastasis is higher after laparoscopy for cancer than after open surgery. An intact surgical specimen and the use of a plastic retrieval bag do not exclude the risk of port-site recurrences. These facts and the early appearance of peritoneal carcinosis in a few cases of intraabdominal malignancies seem to confirm a specific laparoscopic risk for intraperitoneal tumor cell seeding and implantation.

Adult↗

Impact of laparoscopic colonic resection on tumour growth and spread in an experimental model.

BACKGROUND: The influence of surgical manipulation and carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on intraperitoneal tumour growth and port-site metastasis during laparoscopic colon resection is still unknown. METHODS: Some 33 male WAG/Rij rats were randomized into three experimental groups: a laparoscopy group with carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum (n = 11), a gasless laparoscopy group (n = 11) and a laparotomy group (n = 11). After transanal injection of a tumour cell suspension (1 x 106 CC 531 cells) into the distal colon, a colon segment resection and an end-to-end anastomosis (laparoscopy; intra-abdominal technique) were performed. Tumour growth was scored semiquantitatively 24 days after the operation. Data were analysed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The tumour indices from the four locations with the greatest tumour growth were significantly decreased in the laparoscopy group with carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum compared with the gasless laparoscopy and laparotomy groups (P < 0.01). Port-site metastases were significantly decreased in the carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum group compared with the gasless laparoscopy group (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: A full laparotomy incision promotes greater tumour growth than does carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum. Surgical manipulation stimulates local tumour spread more than the establishment of a carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum.

Animals↗

Origin of laparoscopy: coincidence or surgical interdisciplinary thought?

The history of laparoscopy illustrates the interaction between the many areas of medicine and technology; in fact, the development of that technique is a cumulative effort of internists, gynecologists, and surgeons. At the beginning of our century, however, neither group was particularly open to the idea of scholarly exchange. In this respect, an early pioneer of laparoscopy, Georg Kelling (1866-1945) of Dresden and the story surrounding the invention of the laparoscopy are interesting exceptions. Although Kelling regarded himself a surgeon, he devoted a great deal of energy to the development of "nonsurgical" methods of treatment. He spent a great part of his life determining stomach capacity, constructing a semiflexible tube endoscope (straightened after the insertion), and attempting to alleviate gastrointestinal bleeding by means of high-pressure pneumoperitoneum (lufttamponade). To observe the effects of insufflation on abdominal organs, Kelling introduced a cystoscope into the abdominal cavity. In fact, the invention of "celioscopy" or laparoscopy (1901) can be called a synthesis of Kelling's work with insufflation and his fascination with endoscopy.

Germany↗

Laparoscopic surgery: the effects of insufflation gas on tumor-induced lethality in nude mice.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of helium (group 2), carbon dioxide (group 3), and heated carbon dioxide (group 4) pneumoperitoneum on survival in case of intraabdominal spread of tumor cells in nude mice. STUDY DESIGN: The pneumoperitoneum was induced by a microhysteroflator with an intraperitoneal pressure of 8 mm Hg for 30 minutes. A washed tumor solution (0.4 ml) of a mesothelioma was injected intraperitoneally. RESULTS: The survival rate of group 3 was significantly reduced compared with the controls (group 1) and group 4. The latter groups showed similar survival rates. In groups 2 and 3 no significant differences in survival rate were observed. CONCLUSION: Clinical observations and the results of this animal study warn against the use of standard unheated carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum in case of malignant tumors. Heated carbon dioxide seems to be advantageous.

Animals↗

Port site recurrences after laparoscopic surgery. A review.

Port site metastasis has been a surprising event after laparoscopic procedures in cancer patients. No clear data exist about this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to summarize current epidemiologic knowledge about the risk of this complication. A review of all case reports about port site recurrences was undertaken. To date, 164 cases of port site metastases after videoscopic procedures have been reported in 90 papers. We found 108 cases of implantation after laparoscopy for digestive tumors, 23 after thoracoscopy, 29 after gynecological and 4 after urological laparoscopy. Analysis of the current literature confirms that laparoscopy is associated with abdominal cell mobilization to the trocars and instruments. Also low-staged and highly differentiated tumors have been reported to cause post-laparoscopy tumor seeding. The temporary data of the CAE registry 'port site metastases' (Workgroup for Surgical Endoscopy of the German Society of Surgery) are also reported. The analysis of 80 histologically confirmed cases of port site recurrence shows a particular frequency after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for unsuspected gallbladder cancer (n = 59). Postoperative specimen examination revealed a T1 carcinoma in 9 cases (15%), T2 carcinoma in 33 (21%), T3 in 3 (5%) and T4 in 1 case (1.7%). The mean time to clinical tumor relapse was 6 months. Similar patterns were found in a lower number of port site metastases after laparoscopy for colon cancer (n = 2) and for other cancers (n = 9). Clinical evidence that laparoscopy with CO2 pneumoperitoneum can enhance tumor dissemination is given. Port site metastases seem to be secondary to multiple factors including the gas used, local trauma, tumor manipulation, biologic properties of the tumor, and individual surgical skills.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗

Standardized technique of laparoscopic surgery in the rat.

The evolution of advanced laparoscopic techniques requires animal models for instrument development, evaluation of the physiopathological correlation and physician training. Selection of surgical models is primarily based on cost, availability, anatomic and physiologic considerations, and housing and anesthetic methods. The use of large animals is becoming increasingly difficult due to restrictive legislation, public concern, and economic factors. A standardized technique of laparoscopic surgery in the rat has been developed to perform procedures in all abdominal regions including fundoplication, splenectomy, nephrectomy, liver resection, herniorraphy, colotomy, colectomy, and retroperitoneal exploration. The equipment consists of a specially designed small animal operating table, a standard arthroscope and micro-instruments. The rat model gives the opportunity to investigate the physiopathological relations and immune functions of laparoscopic procedures, to develop micro-instruments under realistic conditions of a live organism, and it is an excellent training model especially for pediatric and microsurgery. Besides low costs and easy availability, the rat model requires less logistic and financial efforts.

Animals↗

[CO2 pneumoperitoneum inhibits in vitro proliferation of human carcinoma cells].

Up to this day, the influence of laparoscopy and hyperbaric carbon dioxide on the growth of tumor cells is not yet clear. Cells of human colonic carcinoma CX-2 and pancreatic carcinoma DAN-G were exposed to carbon dioxide under pressures of zero, 6 and 12 mmHg. Proliferation was measured by counting in NEUBAUER's counting chamber and by DNAstaining with Pico Green over five days after exposition. In a third experiment, dead cells were stained with Propidium Iodide and detected by flow cytometry. Only DAN-G after 6 mmHg showed at day five an increasing proliferation rate. Furthermore, exposition to carbon dioxide lead to an increased necrosis of cells. All other groups showed a significantly decreased proliferating activity of the cells exposed to carbon dioxide in comparison to a control group.

Air Pressure↗

Small-bowel obstruction and perforation. A rare complication of an esophageal stent.

To bridge a malignant stenosis after esophageal cancer recurrence two silicon-coated wall stents were inplanted in a 52-year-old patient within 6 months. Two weeks after the second stent was implanted, clinical examination showed dislocation of the prosthesis. Intraoperatively the two stents were found sticking in the side-to-side jejunostomy of a former Billroth II operation, leading to perforation there.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗

The "knot before loop" technique for the endoscopic ligation and suture-instrument set. Knot formation and application.

BACKGROUND: In minimally invasive surgery intracorporal knot-tying is complicated by a limited field of vision and depth perception. METHODS: The "knot before loop" technique aims to reduce intraabdominal movements in number and space needed. A grasping instrument 3 mm in diameter guides a slipfit hollow knot pusher with a notch to hold the thread, when extracorporally forming the knot on the instrument tip and an axial slot. The loop is finished under endoscopic vision, yet a second loop is created along the thread. The knot is tightened and secured by closing the second loop without troublesome instrument change. RESULTS: The strength of the knot was tested and the feasibility of the instrument set was proven in pigs and 25 cholecystectomies and hernia repairs in humans. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic application of a secured slip knot is simplified by the "knot before loop" technique. The independent formation of the knot by the assisting personnel allows quick application, equivalent to the use of clips and staples. The benefit in cost saving is high.

Feasibility Studies↗