Laparoscopic harvest of an omental flap to reconstruct an infected sternotomy wound.

Sternotomy dehiscence is associated with a high mortality rate. In most cases this complication may be treated by simple debridement and antibiotic therapy, but sometimes it is necessary to fill the sternal defect with viable tissue. The greater omentum seems to be the ideal tissue to be transposed because of its malleability, good vascularization, and high lymphatic tissue content.

[Identification of gallbladder pedicle anatomy during laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is widely accepted nowadays as the gold standard in the treatment of cholelithiasis. This new technique was initially associated with a significant increase in morbidity, and in particular in iatrogenic biliary injuries and arterial haemorrhages, perhaps due to a lack of knowledge of the "laparoscopic anatomy" of the gallbladder pedicle. In this technique the anatomical structures are viewed on a two-dimensional video monitor, and the dissection is performed with long instruments without manual sensitivity.