Comparative Evaluation of the Short-Term Treatment Outcomes Between Open, Laparoscopic- and Robotic-Assisted Surgical Approaches for Rectal Cancer Treatment.

The open surgeries and more recently minimal invasive surgeries aided by laparoscopic or robotic approaches are employed for rectal cancer treatment procedures. The open approach is the most commonly opted technique, but recent studies have also shown that laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) has become the standard of care. There are certain shortcomings of laparoscopic surgery such as long learning curve, inadequate counter traction, limited dexterity, lack of tactile feedback and limited two-dimensional visions.

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing conventional Intuitive® procedure card recommended port placement with the modified Indian (Manipal) technique.

Introduction: The da Vinci X hybrid systems (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale CA) provides standard sites recommendations for port placement during robotic surgery; including that for colorectal procedures. The author's encountered challenges while adhering to the provided instructions, such as clash of instruments and arms and need for additional ports, and hence to overcome these challenges attempted a few innovative technical modifications. The surgical results as well as merits of the revised Indian (Manipal) port placement with single docking technique are presented here.

A case of synchronous isolated thyroid metastasis from a primary lung cancer presenting as thyroid primary: Diagnostic challenge!

The thyroid metastasis from any primary is rare, and usually is a late event and presents as a thyroid swelling. Further, the diagnosis of a metastatic lesion in a patient with no antecedent history of any malignancy can be very challenging. Recently, a patient presented to us with a history of diagnostic evaluation suggesting a primary thyroid malignancy with a synchronous lung primary.