Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Left Donor Nephrectomy for Living Kidney Donation
Srilakshmi Atthota, MBBS; Jessica Grasso, PA-C; Leigh Anne Dageforde, MD, MPH
Massachusetts General Hospital
Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease and is associated with a better quality of life and survival compared to other renal replacement therapies. Compared to deceased donor kidneys, living donor kidney donation is associated with shorter wait times, improved patient and graft survival, and the possibility of preemptive transplantation.
After the initial learning curve, robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy has similar outcomes compared to open and laparoscopic nephrectomy, and in some settings an overall decreased length of stay. This article presents the case of a robotic-assisted living donor nephrectomy, including evaluation, technique, and considerations for the surgeon preoperatively and intraoperatively.
Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Interval Cholecystectomy
Chloe A. Warehall, MD1; Divyansh Agarwal, MD, PhD1; Charu Paranjape, MD, FACS1,2
1Massachusetts General Hospital
2Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Acute cholecystitis occurs when gallstones become impacted in the neck of the gallbladder or cystic duct in approximately 90–95% of cases. Symptoms may include acute right upper quadrant pain, fever, nausea, and emesis often associated with eating. Acute cholecystitis generally has imaging findings of gallbladder wall thickening, edema, gallbladder distension, pericholecystic fluid, and positive sonographic Murphy sign. However, acute cholecystitis is largely a clinical diagnosis of persistent right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain and associated tenderness on palpation of the RUQ in the setting of gallstones.
The standard treatment is a cholecystectomy to prevent recurrent cholecystitis or sequelae of gallstones. Timing of the cholecystectomy is dependent on length of symptoms, which reflect the degree of inflammation. This is the case of a 74-year-old male who presented with six days of acute cholecystitis symptoms who was initially managed with antibiotics. After improvement of his pain and no systemic symptoms of infection, he underwent an interval robotic cholecystectomy. This article and the associated video describe the pertinent history, evaluation, and operative steps of the procedure.
Robotic Heineke-Mikulicz Pyloroplasty for Pyloric Stenosis
Jonathan Durgin, MD; Emily Mackey, MD; Nicole Cherng, MD
UMass Memorial Medical Center
Pyloric stenosis resulting in gastric outlet obstruction can present with nausea, vomiting, and early satiety. Imaging including fluoroscopic upper gastrointestinal series and computed tomography can diagnose gastric outlet obstruction. Upper endoscopy is included in the work-up to visualize the extent of stenosis and to obtain a tissue biopsy. After a malignancy is ruled out, treatment involves management of underlying causes.
This may include acid suppression, treatment of H. pylori, and dietary modification. Patients who fail conservative management may benefit from endoscopic therapies including pneumatic dilation and botulinum toxin injection. However, these therapies may not offer lasting symptomatic relief.
Pyloroplasty can be performed with the goal of widening the pylorus to improve gastric emptying. Pyloroplasty can be accomplished through open, laparoscopic, and robotic techniques. Here we describe a robotic-assisted Heineke-Mikulicz pyloroplasty in an adult patient with benign pyloric stenosis.
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