Cold Atmospheric Plasma Is a Promising Alternative Treatment Option in Case of Split Skin Graft Failure.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has shown promising potential in promoting wound healing. This case report presents the successful application of CAP in a 42-year-old female patient with extensive wound healing disorders and superinfections following the excision of an abscess in the left thoracic region. After several failed split skin graft attempts, the implementation of CAP led to significant improvements in wound healing.

Abdominal Morphologic Changes in MRI during Gastric Balloon Therapy.

Introduction: Adiposity and excessive weight are on the rise in western industrialized countries. In cases where conservative measures fail and surgical interventions are not (yet) desired, gastric balloon therapy has proven to be a safe and reversible endoscopic method.

Methods: Aside from weight progression under gastric balloon therapy and by using MRI, our research paper describes the behavior of different abdominal body fat compartments at the beginning and at the end of the gastric balloon therapy.

Gastric Balloon Implantation as Part of Morbid Adiposity Therapy Changes the Structure of the Stomach Wall.

Purpose: The implantation of a gastric balloon (also known as intragastric balloon) is an established and reversible endoscopic procedure for adiposity therapy. Structural changes of the stomach wall are expected to occur with gastric balloon implantation; however, until now these changes have rarely been investigated.

Methods: We compared the histological structure of the stomach wall after gastric-sleeve resection in a group of patients following gastric balloon implantation and a group without previous gastric balloon implantation.

A case of giant retroperitoneal lymphangioma and IgG4-positive fibrosis: Causality or coincidence?

Several chronic inflammatory diseases have been found to be a subtype of IgG4-related disease, all of which have a typical clinical and histological change, which is based in particular on an overexpression of IgG4 and subsequent fibrosis. At least a part of the retroperitoneal fibrosis, which was originally classified as idiopathic, seems to be assigned to IgG4-related disease. Lymphangiomas are benign, cystic tumors that rarely occur in adults.

Efficacy and Safety of Endoscopic Full-Thickness Resection in the Colorectum: Results From the German Colonic FTRD Registry.

Introduction: Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) is a powerful option for resection of colorectal lesions not amenable to conventional endoscopic resection. The full-thickness resection device (FTRD) allows clip-assisted EFTR with a single-step technique. We report on results of a large nationwide FTRD registry.

Early removal of urinary drainage in patients receiving epidural analgesia after colorectal surgery within an ERAS protocol is feasible.

Background: ERAS guidelines recommend early removal of urinary drainage after colorectal surgery to reduce the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). Another recommendation is the postoperative use of epidural analgesia (EA). In many types of surgery, EA was shown to increase the risk of postoperative urinary retention (POUR).

Laparoscopic-endoscopic Rendezvous Procedures for Upper Gastrointestinal Tumors Guided by Laser-supported Reverse Diaphanoscopy: A Modified Technique.

Introduction: Precisely locating benign upper gastrointestinal tumors during laparoscopic-endoscopic surgery remains difficult and inaccurate. We describe reverse laser-supported diaphanoscopy (RLSD) for locating gastrointestinal tumors during laparoscopic surgery and present prospective evaluation results of the first cases.

Materials And Methods: We studied 13 patients [women:men=7:6; mean age, 67 (range, 41 to 83) y] who underwent gastroscopic-laparoscopic rendezvous procedures during 2015 to 2018.

Over-the-Scope Clip Closure of Pancreatico-Colonic Fistula Secondary to Acute or Chronic Pancreatitis: A Case Series.

Pancreatico-colonic fistula (PCF) is a rare adverse effect secondary to severe acute or chronic pancreatitis and potentially life-threatening because of abdominal sepsis. Over-the-scope clip (OTSC) system is a recently developed endoscopic device and has been successfully used for bleeding and perforations of the gastrointestinal tract. We hereby report a series of patients with PCFs in whom OTSC was used.

Endoscopic full-thickness resection for early colorectal cancer.

Background And Aims: Current international guidelines recommend endoscopic resection for T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) with low-risk histology features and oncologic resection for those at high risk of lymphatic metastasis. Exact risk stratification is therefore crucial to avoid under-treatment as well as over-treatment. Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) has shown to be effective for treatment of non-lifting benign lesions.

Retrieval of a self-expanding metal stent after migration and incorporation in the omental bursa, using a gastroscopic-transgastric laparoscopic rendezvous technique.

Endoscopic drainage is a widely used treatment for pancreatic pseudocysts. Drainage-related complications may be related directly to the procedure or may occur later as stents migrate or erode into adjacent structures. Migration of a self-expanding metal stent into peritoneal cavity and incorporation in the omental bursa is rare.

Evaluation of short-term and long-term results after laparoscopic antireflux surgery: esophageal manometry and 24-h pH monitoring versus quality of life index.

Purpose: The objective of this long-term study is to compare data on postoperative quality of life with objective functional measurements in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who have undergone laparoscopic antireflux surgery.

Methods: Between 1995 and 2005, 162 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease underwent laparoscopic surgery. A minimum of 4 years after surgery, 60 patients were contacted at random, 29 of whom agreed to follow-up examination.

Single-port versus standard laparoscopic resection for a gastric benign tumor in gastroscopic-laparoscopic rendezvous procedures using a laser-supported diaphanoscopy.

In this study, the standard laparoscopic technique versus the single-port approach was evaluated for the excision of benign gastric tumors using tissue-sparing laser-supported diaphanoscopy for localization. The first group consisted of 10 patients suffering from benign gastric tumors treated by standard laparoscopic resection. The second group included 10 patients treated using the single-port technique.

Pre-study protocol MagPEP: a multicentre randomized controlled trial of magnesium sulphate in the prevention of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

Background: Acute pancreatitis is the most common complication of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). In spite of continuing research, no pharmacologic agent capable of effectively reducing the incidence of ERCP-induced pancreatitis has found its way into clinical practise. A number of experimental studies suggest that intrapancreatic calcium concentrations play an important role in the initiation of intracellular protease activation, an initiating step in the course of acute pancreatitis.

Laparoscopic partial splenectomy using a detachable clamp with and without partial splenic embolisation.

Background: In many centres, the laparoscopic total splenectomy is a well-established routine procedure. However, the crucial immunological role of the spleen in combating bacterial infections, in particular pneumonias, has led to a search for splenic-preserving techniques whenever possible. Yet, laparoscopic partial splenectomies are still rarely described possibly due to difficulties in controlling intra-operative parenchymal bleeding during splenic transection.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery as an option for the laparoscopic resection of an urachal fistula: first description of the surgical technique.

Background: Persistent urachal sinuses or fistulas are rare but may potentially cause various symptoms and lead to repeated operations. Both laparoscopic and open surgery have been used for the resection of the urachus.

Methods: This report describes the first case of an external urachal fistula with recurrent infections and discharge of the umbilicus treated by complete resection using single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS).

Unexpected findings on laparoscopy for suspected acute appendicitis: a pro for laparoscopic appendectomy as the standard procedure for acute appendicitis.

Purpose: Evaluation of the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, time of surgery, morbidities, and other/additional findings during laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis.

Methods: Prospective evaluation of 148 laparoscopies for suspected acute appendicitis.

Results: Laparoscopic appendectomy was safe and cost-effective.

Rectal intussusception due to re-recurrent ovarian fibrosarcoma.

Background: Primary ovarian fibrosarcomas are very rare tumours associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Most patients relapse or die within 2 years. Because of the low incidence, it is difficult to identify prognostic factors or to establish treatment guidelines.

ETVARD (endoscopic transanal vacuum-assisted rectal drainage) leads to complete but delayed closure of extraperitoneal rectal anastomotic leakage cavities following neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to prospectively assess the impact of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy on the formation of major anastomotic rectal leaks and treatment by endoscopic transanal vacuum-assisted rectal drainage (ETVARD).

Materials And Methods: Twenty six patients with malignancies with rectal anastomotic leaks were prospectively treated, including 14 of 26 patients following neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy. ETVARD was the first-line treatment.