Search

The aim of this study was to evaluate the practices of laparoscopic specimen retrieval among Gynaecologists in the United Kingdom and to determine any variation in practice. A survey of Consultant Gynaecologist members of the British Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE) was conducted using Survey Monkey™. Of the 460 registered consultants, 187 (40%) responded to the questionnaire. Sixty-two percent (62%) of the respondents considered themselves to be advanced laparoscopic surgeons whilst 34% considered themselves to be intermediate laparoscopic surgeons. The umbilical port was the most commonly used port for specimen retrieval and it was used to remove 49% of ectopic pregnancies, 43% of ovarian cysts and 43% of endometrioma. Most respondents would not insert an extra port or extend the existing port just for the retrieval of a specimen. The level of laparoscopic experience and the gender did not affect the method of specimen retrieval in cases of ectopic pregnancies, endometrioma and ovarian cysts (p value >.05, not significant). The majority of respondents used power morcellation for a laparoscopic myomectomy (85% of respondents) and laparoscopic subtotal hysterectomy (93% of respondents), despite the recent concerns surrounding power morcellation. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? There is a paucity of literature regarding laparoscopic specimen retrieval in gynaecology. In view of recent controversy pertaining to the potential upstaging of leiomyosarcoma with morcellation, other methods of specimen retrieval are gaining an importance. What do the results of this study add? This study shows that the umbilical port is the most commonly used port for specimen retrieval among UK gynaecologists and that most gynaecologists would not insert an additional port purely for specimen retrieval. Most respondents would still use power morcellation for a laparoscopic myomectomy and subtotal hysterectomy, despite the recent concerns over morcellation and its safety. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This paper demonstrates the need for development of a database of morcellation practices to enable analysis of both benefits and potential adverse outcomes. This paper will also encourage future research and the audit of specimen retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand health‐related issues in women following mesh‐augmented prolapse surgery. Design: Inductive thematic analysis of free‐text comments from participants in a cross‐sectional study of laparoscopic mesh sacrohysteropexy. Setting: Tertiary urogynaecology centres, United Kingdom. Population: Women who underwent laparoscopic mesh sacrohysteropexy by surgeons based at two tertiary urogynaecology centres between 2010 and 2018. Methods: A total of 1766 potential participants were contacted by post and invited to complete paper, online or telephone questionnaires containing a free‐text comments section. Of 1121 participants (response proportion 63.5%), 752 (67.1%) provided such comments. These were analysed with a six‐stage inductive thematic analysis, using NVivo 11® software. Main outcome measures: Themes developed from free‐text comments. Results: Following familiarisation, 29 codes and 189 sub‐codes were identified. These defined six themes: pelvic floor symptoms, health status, treatment success, mesh, pain and care received. The majority of comments centred on the first of these six themes. There were concerns about mesh use and a desire for more information. A range of pain symptoms were mentioned, often associated with pelvic floor symptoms, prolapse surgery or mesh. Conclusions: Despite the mesh controversy, pelvic floor symptoms and their impact on quality of life remain the principle concern of women following mesh‐augmented prolapse surgery. There is a need for quality, accessible and evidence‐based information sources for those women with concerns, and for those considering such surgery in the future, particularly regarding mesh safety and postoperative recovery. The relationships between pain, prolapse, mesh and pelvic floor surgery require further study. Following mesh‐augmented prolapse surgery, pelvic floor symptoms remain women's main focus; pain deserves further research. Following mesh‐augmented prolapse surgery, pelvic floor symptoms remain women's main focus; pain deserves further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Undertaking randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in emergency surgical settings is associated with methodological and practical challenges. This study explored patients' and clinicians' perspectives associated with the conduct of an RCT comparing laparoscopic and open colorectal surgery in the acute setting. Methods All eligible patients screened and enrolled for the 'Laparoscopic versus open colorectal surgery in the acute setting (LaCeS)' multicentre, randomized clinical feasibility trial in five UK NHS Trusts were invited to respond to a survey. Patients and healthcare professionals were also invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Survey and interviews explored the acceptability of the feasibility trial. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Survey data were analysed descriptively to assess patient views of the trial and intervention. Results Out of 72 patients enrolled for the LaCeS RCT, survey data were collected from 28 patients (38.9 per cent), and interviews were conducted with 16 patients and 14 healthcare professionals. Thirteen out of 28 patients (46 per cent) had treatment preferences but these were not strong enough to deter participation. Twelve of the patients interviewed believed that their surgeon preferred laparoscopic surgery, but this did not deter them from participating in the trial. Half of the surgeons interviewed expressed the view that laparoscopic surgery was of benefit in this setting, but recognized that the need for research evidence outweighed their personal treatment preferences. Eight of the 14 recruiters reported that the emergency setting affected recruitment, especially in centres with fewer recruiting surgeons. Interviewees reported that recruitment was helped significantly by using surgical trainees to consent patients. Conclusion This study identified specific challenges for the LaCeS trial design to address and adds significant insights to our understanding of recruiting to emergency surgical trials more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enhanced or accelerating recovery programs have significantly reduced hospital length stay after elective colorectal interventions. Our work aims at reporting an initial experience with ambulatory laparoscopic colectomy (ALC) to assess the criteria of discharge and outcomes. Methods: Between 2006 and 2016, data regarding patients having benefited from elective laparoscopic colorectal resections in two main centres in the United Kingdom have been analysed. Both benign and malignant pathologies were included. A standardised enhanced recovery program was performed for each patient, except epidural analgesia was replaced with single shot spinal infiltration. Patients were followed up through a telephone call system by a nurse. Short-term clinical outcomes were analysed. Results: A total of 833 patients were included and 51 (6.1%) were discharged within 24 h following surgery. Of these, 4 out of 51 (7.8%) patients came back hospital within 30 days of discharge; 2 (3.9%) required reoperation (Small bowel obstruction and wound abscess drainage). Conclusions: This study highlights that a 24-h discharge following elective laparoscopic colorectal interventions seems safe and feasible in selected patients. Although challenging to achieve, a standardised approach to laparoscopic surgery in combination with strict adherence to an enhanced recovery protocol are the fundamental elements of this path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Risk stratification has become a key part of the care processes for patients having emergency bowel surgery. This study aimed to determine if operative approach influences risk-model performance, and risk-adjusted mortality rates in the United Kingdom. Methods: A prospectively planned analysis was conducted using National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) data from December 2013 to November 2018. The risk-models investigated were P-POSSUM and the NELA Score, with model performance assessed in terms of discrimination and calibration. Risk-adjusted mortality was assessed using Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMR). Analysis was performed for the total cohort, and cases performed open, laparoscopically and converted to open. Sub-analysis was performed for cases with ≤ 20% predicted mortality. Results: Data were available for 116 396 patients with P-POSSUM predicted mortality, and 46 935 patients with the NELA score. Both models displayed excellent discrimination with little variation between operative approaches (c-statistic: P-POSSUM 0.801–0.836; NELA Score 0.811–0.862). The NELA score was well calibrated across all deciles of risk, but P-POSSUM over-predicted risk beyond 20% mortality. Calibration plots for operative approach demonstrated that both models increasingly over-predicted mortality for laparoscopy, relative to open and converted to open surgery. SMRs calculated using both models consistently demonstrated that risk-adjusted mortality with laparoscopy was a third lower than open surgery. Conclusion: Risk-adjusted mortality for emergency bowel surgery is lower for laparoscopy than open surgery, with P-POSSUM and NELA score both over-predicting mortality for laparoscopy. Operative approach should be considered in the development of future risk-models that rely on operative data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in the case selection of patients for pelvic exenteration to treat recurrent cervical or endometrial cancer. Pelvic exenteration is a rare surgical procedure performed by specialised multidisciplinary surgical teams. We performed a review of 55 consecutive laparoscopies for patients being evaluated for possible exenterative surgery for recurrent cervical or endometrial cancer at a single centre in the UK with a significant exenterative surgical practice. All patients had no evidence of metastatic disease on imaging prior to the laparoscopy. Despite thorough radiological assessment laparoscopy detected peritoneal, nodal or extrapelvic metastases in 20.8% of cases. 5.6% of the patients who underwent exenterative surgery were found to have unresectable pelvic disease intraoperatively. In these cases, the extent of disease was not determined radiologically or during the initial exploratory laparotomy. In our view, laparoscopic assessment is an essential component of the pre-operative work up of patients with recurrent cervical or endometrial cancer being considered for exenterative surgery. What is already known on this subject? Pelvic exenteration is potentially curative in cases of recurrent pelvic malignancy. Case selection is essential to determine those patients without metastases and with resectable pelvic disease – this will improve patient outcomes, avoid the unnecessary morbidity of major surgery, as well as the psychological consequences of abandoned procedures. The only two previous studies, published in 1998 (Plante and Roy 1998) and 2002 (Köhler et al. 2002) have shown laparoscopic assessment to be safe and improve case selection. What do the results of this study add? This study provides evidence that in the context of modern imaging modalities, including PET-CT scans, laparoscopic assessment continues to improve case selection for exenterative surgery. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study provides further evidence of the benefit of laparoscopy in the assessment of patients being considered for exenterative surgery for recurrent pelvic cancer. Routine laparoscopy improves case selection and will enhance patient experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and in the UK. Surgical resection is the main curative treatment modality available and using a laparoscopic vs. an open approach may have a direct influence on the inflammatory response, influencing cancer biology and potentially the recurrence kinetics by promoting cancer growth. Methods: This systematic review aims to compare laparoscopic with open surgery for the treatment of colon cancer with a specific focus on the moment of the recurrence. We included randomised controlled trials in intended curative surgery for colon cancer in adults. Interventions: Studies investigating laparoscopic vs. open resection as an intended curative treatment for patients with confirmed carcinoma of the colon. The two co-primary outcomes were the time to recurrence and the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) at three and five years. Meta-analyses were done on the mean differences. Results: After selection, we reviewed ten randomised controlled trials. Most of the trials did not display a statistically significant difference in either DFS or OS at three or at five years when comparing laparoscopic to open surgery. Groups did not differ for the OS and DFS, especially regarding the time needed to observe the median recurrence rate. The quality of evidence (GRADE) was moderate to very low. Conclusion: We observed no difference in the recurrence kinetics, OS or DFS at three or five years when comparing laparoscopic to open surgery in colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare electrodiathermy with helium thermal coagulation in laparoscopic treatment of mild-to-moderate endometriosis.Design: Parallel-group randomised controlled trial.Setting: A UK endometriosis centre.Population: Non-pregnant women aged 16-50 years with a clinical diagnosis of mild-to-moderate endometriosis.Methods: If mild or moderate endometriosis was confirmed at laparoscopy, women were randomised to laparoscopic treatment with electrodiathermy or helium thermal coagulator.Main Outcome Measures: Cyclical pain and dyspareunia (rated on a 100-mm visual analogue scale, VAS), quality of life at baseline and at 6, 12 and 36 weeks following surgery, operative blood loss and surgical complications.Results: A total of 192 women were randomised. Of these, 155 (81%) completed the primary outcome point at 12 weeks. In an intention-to-treat analysis, VAS scores for cyclical pain were significantly lower in the electrodiathermy group compared with the helium group at 12 weeks (mean difference, 9.43 mm; 95% CI 0.46, 18.40 mm; P = 0.039) and across all time points (mean difference, 10.13 mm; 95% CI 3.48, 16.78 mm; P = 0.003). A significant difference in dyspareunia also favoured electrodiathermy at 12 weeks (mean difference, 11.66 mm; 95% CI 1.39, 21.93 mm; P = 0.026). These effects were smaller than the proposed minimum important difference of 18.00 mm, however. Differences in some aspects of quality of life favoured electrodiathermy. There was no significant difference in operative blood loss (fold-change with helium as reference, 1.43; 95% CI 0.96, 2.15; P = 0.081).Conclusions: Although electrodiathermy was statistically superior to helium ablation in reducing cyclical pain and dyspareunia, these effects may be too small to be clinically significant.Tweetable Abstract: Helium coagulation is not superior to electrodiathermy in laparoscopic treatment of mild-to-moderate endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) affects 24% of premenopausal women, accounts for 20%-30% of UK gynecology outpatient appointments, and has an annual pan-European economic cost of €3.8 billion. Despite extensive investigation, often including laparoscopy, up to 55% of women do not receive a diagnosis and endure persistent symptoms. In these patients, clinical management focuses on symptom control rather than treatment. It is possible that pelvic vein incompetence (PVI) is a cause of CPP, although the quality of studies investigating an association is generally low. PVI may develop during and after pregnancy, as uterine blood flow increases significantly, pushing venous valve leaflets apart, and enabling retrograde venous flow. Analogies with varicose veins of the lower limb are helpful, and symptoms are similar. Women with symptomatic PVI report a dull pelvic ache that is worse on standing and sitting and persists throughout the day. It can be relieved by lying down. Early treatments for PVI included laparoscopic ligation; however, since the advent of endovascular occlusive techniques, treatments have lower risk and lower cost, and can be undertaken without sedation or anesthetic. However, there have been no high-quality randomized controlled trials of interventions and, therefore, the evidence is limited to single-center case series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Positive surgical margins are a strong prognostic marker of disease outcome following radical prostatectomy, though prior evidence is largely from a PSA-screened population. We therefore aim to evaluate the biochemical recurrence in men with positive surgical margins (PSM) after minimally-invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP) in a UK tertiary centre.Methods: Retrospective study of men undergoing laparoscopic or robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy between 2002 and 2014. Men with positive surgical margins (PSM) were identified and their biochemical recurrence (BCR) rate compared with men without PSM. The primary outcome measures were BCR rates and time to BCR. Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios for biochemical recurrence rate (BCR), accounting for potential confounders.Results: Five hundred ninety-two men were included for analysis. Pre-operative D'Amico risk stratification showed 37.5%, 53.3% and 9.3% of patients in the low, intermediate and high-risk groups, respectively. On final pathological analysis, the proportion of patients with local staging pT2, pT3a and pT3b was 68.8%, 25.2% and 6.1% respectively. Overall positive margin rate was 30.6%. On multivariate analysis, the only pre-operative factor associated with PSM was age >65years. Patients with PSM were more likely to have higher tumour volume and more advanced pathological local stage. The BCR rate was 10.7% in margin-positive patients and 5.1% in margin-negative patients, at median 4.4-year follow-up. Upon multivariate analysis, high pre-operative PSA and high Gleason group were the only significant predictors of BCR (P<0.05).Conclusions: In comparison to patients with negative surgical margins, those with PSM do not translate into worse medium-term oncological outcomes in the majority of cases amongst our cohort. We found that high pre-operative PSA and high Gleason group were the only significant predictors of BCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To find out the negative laparoscopy rate for suspected ectopic pregnancy. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Electronic medical record databases in North Cumbria University Hospital, Carlisle, United Kingdom. Period: August 2014 to August 2018. Materials and Methods: The data of total 150 laparoscopies performed for ectopic pregnancy management was collected for gestational age at presentation, symptoms, serial beta human chorionic gonadotrophic hormone (HCG) levels, ultrasound findings, time interval for diagnosis, time to surgery and histology. Results: One hundred and fifty patients (52 under 5 weeks and 98 over 5 weeks' gestation) were incorporated into this study. The primary presenting symptoms were pain and vaginal bleeding. Suboptimal rise in serial beta HCG (performed 48 hours apart) was seen in 69 patients (46%) while other 81 patients (54%) had confirmed ectopic on USS and were offered surgical management after the scan. One hundred forty for women (96%) went for surgical management and one patient had conservative management as she was asymptomatic with low HCG(less than 1000IU) at the first visit and rapid drop in serial BHG results. Fifty three women (35%) had surgery on the same day when they had ectopic pregnancies seen on USS, 63 (42%) went to theatre for surgery between 0-6 days, while 34 patients (23%) had surgery between 7-14 days of USS. All women were operated through laparoscopic route and tubal ectopic pregnancies were confirmed at laparoscopy. There was no negative laparoscopy in our study period. Conclusion: Judicious and timely surgical intervention made it possible to treat every case through laparoscopic route with zero negative laparoscopy rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical trials have typically experienced recruitment difficulties when compared with other types of oncology trials. Qualitative studies have an important role to play in exploring reasons for low recruitment, although to date few such studies have been carried out that are embedded in surgical trials. The BOLERO trial (Bladder cancer: Open versus Lapararoscopic or RObotic cystectomy) is a study to determine the feasibility of randomisation to open versus laparoscopic access/robotic cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer. We describe the results of a qualitative study embedded within the clinical trial that explored why patients decline randomisation.Methods: Ten semi-structured interviews with patients who declined randomisation to the clinical trial, and two interviews with recruiting research nurses were conducted. Data were analysed for key themes.Results: The majority of patients declined the trial because they had preferences for a particular treatment arm, and in usual practice could choose which surgical method they would be given. In most cases the robotic option was preferred. Patients described an intuitive 'sense' that favoured the new technology and had carried out their own inquiries, including Internet research and talking with previous patients and friends and family with medical backgrounds. Medical histories and lifestyle considerations also shaped these personalised choices. Of importance too, however, were the messages patients perceived from their clinical encounters. Whilst some patients felt their surgeon favoured the robotic option, others interpreted 'indirect' cues such as the 'established' reputation of the surgeon and surgical method and comments made during clinical assessments. Many patients expressed a wish for greater direction from their surgeon when making these decisions.Conclusion: For trials where the 'new technology' is available to patients, there will likely be difficulties with recruitment. Greater attention could be paid to how messages about treatment options and the trial are conveyed across the whole clinical setting. However, if it is too difficult to challenge such messages, then questions should be asked about whether genuine and convincing equipoise can be presented and perceived in such trials. This calls for consideration of whether alternative methods of generating evidence could be used when evaluating surgical techniques which are established and routinely available.Trial Registration: Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN38528926 (11 December 2008). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context The ability to interpret visual cues is important in many medical specialties, including surgery, in which poor outcomes are largely attributable to errors of perception rather than poor motor skills. However, we know little about how trainee surgeons learn to make judgements in the visual domain. Objectives We explored how trainees learn visual cue interpretation in the operating room. Methods A multiple case study design was used. Participants were postgraduate surgical trainees and their trainers. Data included observer field notes, and integrated video- and audio-recordings from 12 cases representing more than 11 hours of observation. A constant comparative methodology was used to identify dominant themes. Results Visual cue interpretation was a recurrent feature of trainer-trainee interactions and was achieved largely through the pedagogic mechanism of co-construction. Co-construction was a dialogic sequence between trainer and trainee in which they explored what they were looking at together to identify and name structures or pathology. Co-construction took two forms: 'guided co-construction', in which the trainer steered the trainee to see what the trainer was seeing, and 'authentic co-construction', in which neither trainer nor trainee appeared certain of what they were seeing and pieced together the information collaboratively. Whether the co-construction activity was guided or authentic appeared to be influenced by case difficulty and trainee seniority. Co-construction was shown to occur verbally, through discussion, and also through non-verbal exchanges in which gestures made with laparoscopic instruments contributed to the co-construction discourse. Conclusions In the training setting, learning visual cue interpretation occurs in part through co-construction. Co-construction is a pedagogic phenomenon that is well recognised in the context of learning to interpret verbal information. In articulating the features of co-construction in the visual domain, this work enables the development of explicit pedagogic strategies for maximising trainees' learning of visual cue interpretation. This is relevant to multiple medical specialties in which judgements must be based on visual information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic fistula (PF) is a common postoperative complication following distal pancreatectomy. The prolonged prefiring compression (PFC) technique to reduce PF has been described by Nakamura and colleagues in Japan. The present study assessed if this technique can be applied to the United Kingdom patient population in a tertiary referral center and replicate the low incidence of PF after the laparoscopic approach to distal pancreatectomy (Lap-DP).Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of all patients who underwent Lap-DP using the modified PFC technique by the senior author between June 2011 and July 2014. The modified PFC technique involved compression of the pancreatic parenchyma with an endo-stapler for a 3-minute period prior to firing and further 1-minute compression after firing prior to removal of the stapler, which is a small variant to the original technique of maintaining a 2-minute compression post firing.Results: Twenty patients (15 females; median age, 66 [range, 25-77] years) underwent Lap-DP using the PFC technique during the study period. Six patients had splenic-preserving Lap-DP. Median operating time was 240 minutes (range, 150-420 minutes) with a median length of hospital stay of 6 days (range, 3-22 days). Six patients (30%) developed Type A (biochemically noted as high drain fluid amylase) PF, and none of the patients had Type B/C PF. In the splenic preservation group, 1 patient had complete splenic infarction requiring laparoscopic splenectomy on Day 3, and 1 patient had partial infarction requiring prolonged hospital stay for pain relief. One patient required prolonged respiratory support due to severe preexisting lung disease. Overall mortality was zero.Conclusions: Our data confirm that the PFC technique is safe, feasible, and effective in reducing clinically significant PF post-Lap-DP in the United Kingdom patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the research that investigates the expectations of patients and family members of new clinical methodologies in Great Britain. The topics discussed include the varied range of clinical innovative specialization showcased by the organization the Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the importance of the perspectives of patients and their families in health care evaluation.