Laparoscopic colectomy for carcinoma of the colon in octogenarians.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer increases with age; most patients present with resectable disease. Since there is a high morbidity rate in the elderly, the laparoscopic approach, with its lower complication rate, appears to be the ideal choice for treatment of this patient group. In this retrospective study, we aimed to compare the short-term results of laparoscopic (LC) with open (OC) colectomies for carcinoma in patients 80 years of age or older.

Minimal surgery for pilonidal disease using trephines: description of a new technique and long-term outcomes in 1,358 patients.

Purpose: This study describes and reports the results of a new, minimally-invasive surgical technique for pilonidal disease.

Methods: From March 1993 to January 2003, 1,358 patients (out of a total of 1,435 patients) with symptomatic pilonidal disease underwent treatment in a military surgical clinic dedicated for pilonidal disease. Patients were operated on under local anesthesia, utilizing trephines to excise pilonidal pits and to débride underlying cavities and tracts.

Simultaneous repair of bilateral inguinal hernias: a prospective, randomized study of single versus double mesh laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal repair.

The aim of this study was to compare the double and the single mesh techniques, both used in the laparoscopic totally extra peritoneal (TEP) repair of bilateral inguinal hernia. Sixty-five patients with bilateral inguinal hernia were enrolled in a prospective, randomized trial comparing the single and the double mesh techniques. The single and the double mesh techniques compared favorably in terms of operating time, long-term morbidity, hospital stay, time for return to work, postoperative quality of life and recurrence rate.

Inguinal hernia: challenging the traditional indication for surgery in asymptomatic patients.

Background: It is generally accepted that most inguinal hernias should be operated on electively in order to avoid the high morbidity and mortality associated with incarceration and small bowel obstruction. The present study reassesses the indication for surgery in asymptomatic inguinal hernia patients.

Methods: We analyzed profiles, separately, for elective and emergency inguinal herniorrhaphies and compared the morbidity and mortality rates.