Category Archives: General Surgery

PUBLISHED: Right Orchiopexy to Correct Undescended Testicle and Circumcision to Correct Phimosis

Right Orchiopexy to Correct Undescended Testicle and Circumcision to Correct Phimosis
Lissa Henson, MD1Domingo Alvear, MD2
1Capitol Medical Center, Philippine Society of Pediatric Surgeons
2World Surgical Foundation

Cryptorchidism, or undescended testis, is a condition in which one or both testes fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum during fetal development. Phimosis, on the other hand, is a condition characterized by the inability to retract the foreskin over the glans penis.

This video serves as a step-by-step guide on orchiopexy to correct an undescended testicle and circumcision to correct phimosis. The importance of this surgical intervention lies in the preservation of testicular function, fertility potential, and the prevention of long-term complications associated with cryptorchidism. Early treatment is crucial, as it significantly reduces the risk of testicular damage and associated complications.

PUBLISHED: Laparoscopic Paraesophageal Hernia Repair

Laparoscopic Paraesophageal Hernia Repair
Douglas Cassidy, MDDavid Rattner, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Surgical repair should be considered in all symptomatic paraesophageal hernias. Laparoscopic repair is considered the gold standard with a quicker recovery and lower morbidity and mortality compared to open repairs. The patient in this case presented with worsening dysphagia to solids and dyspnea in the setting of an enlarging paraesophageal hernia with a component of organoaxial volvulus. She underwent a laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repair with a Toupet fundoplication and posterior gastropexy. The patient exhibited subjective improvement in her dysphagia to solids and dyspnea with exertion as well as an objective improvement in her pulmonary function tests postoperatively.

PUBLISHED: Open Parastomal Hernia Repair with KeyBaker Mesh Placement Technique

Open Parastomal Hernia Repair with KeyBaker Mesh Placement Technique
Michael J. Rosen, MD, FACS
Cleveland Clinic

This video demonstrates a case involving an open parastomal hernia repair with retromuscular KeyBaker mesh placement. The case involves an obese patient with a large symptomatic parastomal hernia repair after a laparoscopic end sigmoid colostomy. The CT scan shows an intact linea alba with a 7-cm parastomal defect involving the small bowel and sigmoid colon. The use of a retromuscular KeyBaker mesh placement provides the advantages of offsetting the fascial and peritoneal defects afforded by a standard Sugarbaker repair with the added benefit of reinforcing the lateral abdominal wall by performing a keyhole slit in the mesh.

PUBLISHED: Open Radical Cholecystectomy with Partial Hepatectomy for Gallbladder Cancer

Open Radical Cholecystectomy with Partial Hepatectomy for Gallbladder Cancer
Shoichi Irie, MDMamiko Miyashita, MDYu Takahashi, MDHiromichi Ito, MD
Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR, Tokyo

Gallbladder cancer (GBCA) is a relatively uncommon disease with dismal prognosis. As the symptoms associated with GBCA are vague and non-specific, most patients present when the disease is at an advanced stage and the majority are diagnosed when the disease is beyond the possibility of resection. On the other hand, GBCA can be discovered incidentally and appropriate oncologic surgery provides a great chance of cure for patients with GBCA. We present a case of incidentally-diagnosed GBCA and describe the surgical management for operable GBCA with a focus on the operative technique and perioperative management. A 60-year-old male presented with incidentally-discovered GBCA during a follow-up imaging study for his previously treated bladder cancer. The patient had been asymptomatic, and CT showed a growing mass in the gallbladder without evidence of metastatic disease. GBCA was suspected, and resection was recommended. He underwent extended cholecystectomy including cholecystectomy en bloc with partial hepatectomy at segment IVb and 5 and portal lymphadenectomy. His postoperative course was uneventful, and histologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of GBCA, pT3N1M0, stage IIIB.

PUBLISHED: Femoral Artery Cut-Down and Proximal Anastomosis Procedure (Cadaver)

Femoral Artery Cut-Down and Proximal Anastomosis Procedure (Cadaver)
Adrian Estrada1Adam Tanious, MD2Samuel Schwartz, MD2
1Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
2Massachusetts General Hospital

Femoral-to-popliteal/distal bypass surgery is a procedure used to treat femoral artery disease. It is performed to bypass the narrowed or blocked portion of the main artery of the leg, redirecting blood through either a transplanted healthy blood vessel or through a man-made graft material. This vessel or graft is sewn above and below the diseased artery such that blood flows through the new vessel or graft. The bypass material used can be either the great saphenous vein from the same leg or a synthetic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or Dacron graft.

This procedure is recommended for patients with peripheral vascular disease for whom medical management has not improved symptoms, for those with leg pain at rest that interferes with quality of life and ability to work, for non-healing wounds, and for infections or gangrene of the leg where there is a danger of loss of limb caused by decreased blood flow. This article demonstrates how to perform femoral artery cut-down and proximal anastomosis procedure in a cadaver. This procedure is commonly used when performing a femoral-popliteal below the knee bypass to restore blood flow to areas affected by arterial blockages or injuries․

PUBLISHED: Squamous Cell Carcinoma Excision from Right Forearm with Split-Thickness Skin Graft from the Thigh

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Excision from Right Forearm with Split-Thickness Skin Graft from the Thigh
Geoffrey G. Hallock, MD
Sacred Heart Campus, St. Luke’s Hospital

Skin is the largest organ by surface area of the body and is essential to prevent dehydration as the first barrier to infection, permit unrestricted movement, and provide a normal profile and appearance. A skin graft is a paper-thin piece of skin that has no fat or other body tissues attached and has been completely removed from its blood supply. Therefore, a skin graft can be transferred anywhere in the body as long as where placed, the so-called recipient site, does have a sufficient blood supply to nourish the skin until new blood vessels can grow into it within a short timeframe. Otherwise, if that does not occur, the graft will shrivel up and die. The downside even of a successful skin graft is the variable final color and inharmonious appearance of the skin, a tendency to contract possibly causing deformities especially limiting motion across joints, and similar healing issues at a second wound, that is the donor site of the graft itself. Nevertheless, this is a rapidly performed surgical procedure requiring but the simplest of instrumentation for the harvest of that graft that can then permit replacement of extensive skin deficiencies. In this video article, these virtues are displayed as a split-thickness skin graft is used to replace the skin missing following the removal of a large squamous cell skin cancer of the forearm.

PUBLISHED: Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Partial Fundoplication for Achalasia

Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Partial Fundoplication for Achalasia
Marco Fisichella, MD, MBA, FACS
VA Boston Healthcare System

The gold standard for achalasia is surgical correction via laparoscopic Heller myotomy with a partial fundoplication. The goal of this technical report is to illustrate the authors preferred approach to patients with achalasia and to provide the reader with a detailed description of his operative technique, its rationale, and preoperative and postoperative management.

PUBLISHED: Airway Equipment

Airway Equipment
Stephen Estime, MDAbdullah Hasan Pratt, MDNicholas Ludmer, MD
UChicago Medicine

Airway trauma is a critical and potentially life-threatening condition, and timely diagnosis and management is imperative for patient survival, as concomitant injuries and nonspecific symptoms may otherwise lead to fatal outcomes. Efficient airway management is paramount to addressing airway trauma, necessitating a comprehensive approach involving timely diagnosis, appropriate interventions, and the use of specialized equipment to ensure optimal patient outcomes.

Prompt and efficient management not only ensures the patient’s immediate survival but also plays a pivotal role in minimizing the impact on respiratory function and overall quality of life. The main objective is to establish a secure and patent airway, enabling efficient ventilation and later surgical repair. This video delivers a thorough and detailed exposition of the equipment utilized in airway management.

PUBLISHED: Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Treatment of Morbid Obesity

Robotic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Treatment of Morbid Obesity
Hany M. Takla, MD, FACS, FASMBS, DABS-FPMBS
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Mass General Brigham

Robotic surgery as an approach for bariatric surgery has been a subject of debate for at least two decades since the platform passed FDA approval. One could argue that the exponential growth of robotics in surgery could end such a debate. The robotic platform offers several advantages that are always advertised, but in the morbidly obese population it offers an added advantage. It is arguable that with the advanced ergonomics, superior visual tools, and wristed instruments the robotic platform is superior in its offerings to the surgeon and enables a wider variety of surgeons with variable skill set to adopt minimally-invasive surgery (MIS), especially in bariatrics.

The Sleeve gastrectomy is technically a straightforward procedure to perform and is easier to learn for trainees and novel surgeons. It could, however, pose some challenges especially in patients with increased BMI, which is a huge advantage for the robotic platform as it allows easier exposure and comfort during the operation.

PUBLISHED: Aortopexy for Innominate Artery Compression of the Trachea

Aortopexy for Innominate Artery Compression of the Trachea
Andrew Scott, MDCarl-Christian A. Jackson, MDWalter Chwals, MD
Tufts University School of Medicine

Tracheomalacia is a rare congenital condition that results in incompetence of the trachea, the main airway, leading to collapse of the trachea during respiration. Most often this is due to inadequate bone formation in the trachea, and this causes it to be dynamically collapsed, which can result in breathing difficulties for the child. Upper respiratory infections can also be more common. While most cases of tracheomalacia resolve by 18 to 24 months of age, a small percentage either continue or cause such severe breathing or feeding issues that surgical intervention is warranted. In cases where the innominate artery is the cause of compression of the weakened trachea, an aortopexy to elevate the vessel up to the sternum and away from the trachea is performed.