Laparoscopic versus open insertion of the peritoneal catheter in ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement: review of 810 consecutive cases.

Object: Traditional ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery involves insertion of the distal catheter by minilaparotomy. However, minilaparotomy may be a significant source of morbidity during shunt surgery. Laparoscopic insertion of the distal catheter is an alternative technique that may simplify and improve the safety of shunt surgery.

Elective surgical case cancellation in the Veterans Health Administration system: identifying areas for improvement.

Background: This study evaluated elective surgical case cancellation (CC) rates, reasons for these cancellations, and identified areas for improvement within the Veterans Health Administration (VA) system.

Methods: CC data for 2006 were collected from the scheduling software for 123 VA facilities. Surveys were distributed to 40 facilities (10 highest and 10 lowest CC rates for high- and low-volume facilities).

Laparoscopic versus open approach for implantation of the peritoneal catheter during ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement.

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is the mainstay of therapy for hydrocephalus. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes of laparoscopic (LVPS) versus open (OVPS) techniques for placement of distal VPS catheters.

Methods: All patients undergoing new VPS placement at a tertiary care center between January 2004 and August 2007 were included.

Pancreatic resection with islet cell autotransplant for the treatment of severe chronic pancreatitis.

Pancreatic resection can alleviate pain in properly selected patients with severe chronic pancreatitis (CP), although the apancreatic state causes "brittle" diabetes. Islet auto-transplantation (IAT) after resection can decrease diabetes-related morbidity. Twenty-six consecutive patients with CP who underwent 27 pancreatic resections with IAT from April 2005 to December 2007 were evaluated in this retrospective case control study.