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Study Objective: To assess the reproductive outcome (spontaneous and assisted conception rates) in women who underwent laparoscopic resection of bladder endometriosis.Design: This was a retrospective, observational study analyzing prospectively recorded data (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).Setting: A tertiary referral center.Patients: Over a 9-year period, we identified 69 consecutive women with symptomatic pelvic endometriosis who underwent laparoscopic resection of bladder endometriosis at our center.Interventions: Group A patients (n = 21) had full-thickness endometriotic invasion of the bladder and underwent laparoscopic partial cystectomy. Group B (n = 48) patients had partial endometriotic bladder penetration and underwent partial-thickness excision of the detrusor muscle. Most patients (over 70%) had additional, nonbladder endometriotic lesions, which were also removed during surgery.Measurements and Main Results: Fertility outcomes were analyzed in patients who wished to conceive (n = 42), and improvements in symptoms were assessed for all patients. The minimum follow-up after surgery was 36 months. Of the 42 patients who wished to conceive, 35 patients (83.3%) conceived: 16 patients spontaneously and 18 patients after IVF treatment. No difference was observed in fertility outcome between group A (partial cystectomy) and group B (partial-thickness excision of the detrusor muscle). For all patients, long-term follow-up revealed that 80% of the patients (55 patients) had no urinary/endometrial symptoms after surgery.Conclusion: Pregnancy rates after laparoscopic surgery for bladder endometriosis by either partial cystectomy or deep excision of the detrusor muscle are favorable, both for spontaneous pregnancy and conception after IVF treatment. Additionally, urinary symptoms were improved for the majority of patients. Based on our findings, it seems warranted to offer laparoscopic surgical management to symptomatic infertile patients diagnosed with bladder endometriosis, even after IVF failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High intensity focused ultrasound for renal lesions is still experimental. In a porcine model we evaluated the safety and efficacy of a newly designed laparoscopic high intensity focused ultrasound probe and software that allows real-time ultrasound guidance during renal tissue ablation. Materials and Methods: A Sonatherm® 600 high intensity focused ultrasound system with a newly designed laparoscopic high intensity focused ultrasound probe was used through a standard Endopath® 18 mm port. A total of 16 lesions were created in 15 kidneys in a total of 8 animals and randomized into 2 groups, including acute with sacrifice 4 days postoperatively and subacute with sacrifice 14 days postoperatively. Lesion size and location varied for each surgical procedure to simulate various treatment scenarios. Results: Mean ± SD planned ablation volume was 7.1 ± 5.1 cc and mean treatment time was 7.2 ± 06.88 minutes. For all lesions an injury volume was observed with a central zone of complete necrosis and no viable tissue. Mean total injury volume was 6.5 + 3.5 cc (range 1.1 to 13.7), comparable to preoperative mean planned ablation volume (p = 0.84). Mean necrosis volume was 4.89 ± 2.9 cc (range 0.8 to 10.5), appreciably lower than preoperative mean planned ablation volume (p = 0.33). Presence of the collecting system interposed with the treatment region did not impact the injury volume-to-planned ablation volume ratio or the necrosis volume-to-planned ablation volume ratio. No animals died before study completion. Two intraoperative complications occurred, including a back wall musculature burn and a ureteral burn. Conclusions: Laparoscopic high intensity focused ultrasound for renal tissue using the newly developed probe was feasible and efficacious. The ability to perform renal high intensity focused ultrasound through an 18 mm laparoscopic port offers a new alternative for renal tumor ablation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: It is generally accepted that simultaneous occlusion of the renal artery and vein during warm ischemia is more damaging than occlusion of the artery alone. Pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopy may impair venous backflow, negating the benefits of clamping the artery alone. We evaluated the effect of laparoscopic vs open surgery on the recovery of renal function after clamping of the renal artery and vein, and the artery alone in a solitary kidney porcine model. Materials and Methods: Right laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed in 36 pigs. After a 12-day recovery period the animals were randomized into 3 groups, including 1) 120-minute warm ischemia with renal artery and vein occlusion, 2) 120-minute warm ischemia with artery alone occlusion and 3) control sham surgery. The groups were further subdivided into an open and a laparoscopic arm. Serum creatinine was assessed preoperatively, and on postoperative days 1, 3, 8 and 15. Results: Artery alone clamping resulted in a significantly lower serum creatinine increase on postoperative days 1 and 3 in the open arm compared to the laparoscopic arm. Compared to open renal artery and vein clamping the increase in serum creatinine for open artery alone clamping was also significantly lower on postoperative days 1 and 3. No significant difference in postoperative serum creatinine was found between the laparoscopic artery alone, and the renal artery and vein arms at any time point. No significant serum creatinine changes were observed in the control sham surgery group compared to preoperative values at all followup time points. Conclusions: In this porcine model clamping of the artery alone during open surgery better protected the kidney from warm ischemia compared to renal artery and vein occlusion. This benefit was not observed during laparoscopic surgery. We speculated that the presence of pneumoperitoneum causes at least partial occlusion of the renal vein, thus, negating the benefit of renal artery clamping only. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: We assessed the safety and efficacy of microparticulate ice slurry for laparoscopic hypothermia during renal ischemia in a single kidney porcine model. Materials and Methods: A total of 18 farm pigs were randomized to 3 groups of 6 each. All groups underwent initial right laparoscopic nephrectomy, followed by 1 of 3 procedures on the left kidney. Group 1 underwent 90-minute hilar clamping under warm ischemia, group 2 underwent 90-minute hilar clamping under cold ischemia using laparoscopically delivered microparticulate ice slurry and control group 3 underwent hilar dissection, no clamping and no microparticulate ice slurry. Body and renal cortical temperatures were measured. Serum creatinine and the glomerular filtration rate were assessed preoperatively, and on postoperative days 1, 3, 8 and 15. Results: Average time to achieve a renal temperature of 20C or less was 9.7 minutes and it remained constant during the 90-minute cold ischemia time. Mean serum creatinine was significantly higher in the warm ischemia group than in the cold ischemia and control groups on postoperative days 1 and 3. Additionally, mean serum creatinine in the cold ischemia and control groups was similar at all time points. The mean glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower in the warm ischemia group than in the cold ischemia and control groups on postoperative days 1, 3 and 8. The mean glomerular filtration rate in the cold ischemia group was lower than in the control group on postoperative day 1, while it was similar on postoperative days 3, 8 and 15. Conclusions: In the porcine model laparoscopic renal hypothermia achieved with microparticulate ice slurry was safe and efficient. It significantly decreased renal dysfunction secondary to an ischemic insult with no adverse effects or complications associated with microparticulate ice slurry use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]