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Background/aims: Radiofrequency-ablation (RFA) is an effective therapeutic option for destruction of irresectable primary and secondary liver tumors and has been successfully performed transcutaneously using sonographic or computer tomographic guidance or by laparotomy. The laparoscopic approach combines a minimal invasiveness with optimal diagnosis., Methodology: Between 02/2003 and 10/2005, 14 patients with a total of 45 unresectable liver tumors were treated with laparoscopic radiofrequency-ablation in our hospital. Laparoscopic RFA was primarily performed in patients' superficial lesions adjacent to neighboring organs that could be displaced by laparoscopic maneuvers, deep-sited lesions with a very difficult or impossible percutaneous approach and in combination with other laparoscopic operations., Results: All intrahepatic tumors could be detected safely by laparoscopic intraoperative ultrasound. Additional liver lesions were identified in 5 (35.7%) of the 14 patients. All 45 tumors of the 14 patients were able to be completely ablated. Laparoscopic RFA yielded no mortality and only one case of postoperative bleeding. During a mean follow-up period of 23.2 months one patient locally recurred, three patients had new malignant nodules and two patients died with disease., Conclusions: Laparoscopic RFA is safe and provides a minimally invasive procedure with the option of simultaneous inflow-occlusion during thermoablation. Even more, neighboring organs can be protected, simultaneous resections can be performed and intraoperative ultrasound is used to gain further diagnosis.

Introduction: Left-sided diverticulitis is a common disease in Western countries, whereas right-sided diverticultitis is rare and symptoms are often similar to the clinical signs of an acute appendicitis. It was the aim of this study to analyse surgical experience in right-sided diverticulitis., Methods: All patients who underwent resectional surgery for both right-sided and sigmoid diverticular disease were entered prospectively in a registry database (8-year observation period, 1996-2003). For the current study, a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent ileocolic resection or right colectomy for right-sided colonic diverticulitis was performed, specifically focussing on incidence, clinical symptoms, indication for surgery, type of procedure, and histopathological parameters including immunohistochemistry, and outcome in right-sided diverticulitis., Results: Within eight years, 481 patients were treated surgically for chronically recurrent or acute complicated diverticular disease: 468 patients with sigmoid diverticulitis, 12 patients with right-sided diverticulitis, and 1 patient with combined right-sided and sigmoid diverticular disease. This corresponds to an incidence of right-sided diverticulitis of 2.5 % related to the total number of resections for diverticulitis, and an incidence of 1.3 % in relation to the appendectomies in our patients. In 4 patients, acute appendicitis was presumed preoperatively. Most common diagnostic tool was ultrasonography. Right colectomy was performed in 9 patients with complicated cecal diverticulitis, whereas ileocolic resection was performed in 2 patients and simultaneous ileocolic and sigmoid resection was carried out in one patient. Postoperatively, no morbidity occurred. Histopathological assessment showed local perforation in 75 % (9/12). Hypoganglionosis or aganglionosis was detected in 5 of 12 resected specimen., Discussion: As right-sided diverticulitis is a rare colonic disease in Western countries, the differentiation from acute appendicitis can be difficult. In general, there is no difference in the treatment of right-sided diverticulitis compared to left-sided diverticulitis, and surgery is only indicated in complicated right-sided diverticulitis. Resection of the inflamed colon with primary anastomosis is safe and can be performed by laparoscopy in experienced centers. At present, it can only be speculated whether hypoganglionosis or aganglionosis are causative factors in the etiology of right-sided diverticulitis.

Malignant tumors require an exact staging in order to initiate individual tumor related therapeutic concepts to avoid unnecessary explorative laparotomy and to compare different treatment regimes. The assessment of the lymph node status with regard to tumor involvement using any of the actual imaging methods is quite unsatisfactory. For the improvement of the pretherapeutic tumor staging including N-classification the diagnostic laparoscopy and laparoscopic sonography are presently being evaluated. Both methods should be carried out according to a standardized investigation record. When limited to the pure diagnostic aspect, the morbidity is approx. 2%. Low patient figures with different tumor entities, insufficient information on the simultaneous occurrence of lymph node and distant metastases and/or of a peritoneal carcinomatosis as well as on the extent of the lymphadenectomy and histopathologic outcomes restrict the signifying value of many studies. It seems to be only clear that, when using the laparoscopic sonography, the sensitivity of the evidence of lymph node metastases increases in comparison with the sole laparoscopy. Definite recommendations based upon the outcomes with the required evidence, can presently neither be made with regard to the use of the method in general nor for the laparoscopic lymph node staging in particular. The use with regard to a lymph node assessment from today's point of view seems to be appropriate above all in case of: Suspect of an advanced tumor stage (existence of M1 lymphomas) For the indication in case of justified application of multimodal therapeutic concepts (exact tumor staging/N-classification). Beyond this, the laparoscopy for lymph node staging should only be used in conjunction with prospective randomized studies. Sufficient experience in the field of laparoscopic surgery and sonography as well as compliance with the rules of action for the prevention of tumor cell conveyance should be demanded.

Background: Bile duct anastomoses are still associated with a high failure rate. Although following iatrogenic bile duct transection only a positive selected group of patients get a primary end-to-end reconstruction, long-term results demonstrate an incidence of postoperative strictures up to 78%. Also in orthotopic liver transplantation biliary tract complications remain a significant cause of morbidity with an incidence of up to 49%. Since these complications can also be seen under optimal circumstances, the methodically based disadvantages of the conventional hand suturing like perforating needle injury of the choledochal wall with intraluminal suture material, the suboptimal approximation of the mucosal edges and an inhibited blood flow in the choledochal stumps caused by a suture related tissue strangulation may also responsible. Thus there is a search for alternative anastomosis techniques., Method: To test extramucous placed titanium clips for biliary reconstruction after complete division of the bile duct we performed an end-to-end-anastomosis in 9 pigs. Therefore we used the VCS (Vascular Closure Staples)-instruments (Auto Suture)., Results: The application of the VCS-clips (medium size) permitted the technical realization of a tension free, everted anastomosis with an exact approximation of the mucosal edges. One of the animals died from aero embolism intraoperatively. All the others showed a complication-free postoperative period without any signs of anastomotic leakage or stenosis (follow-up: 6 months). At histological examination there were smooth and intact mucosal surfaces in all pigs and--especially important for the development of strictures--only a very mild fibrosis and inflammation., Conclusions: The potential advantage of the VCS-clip-technique is the non-penetrating tissue approximation with optimal contact of the mucosal layers that does not compromise the blood flow in the choledochal stumps. Before clinical use can be recommended further studies are required.