The success rates of bile duct cannulation by precut sphincterotomy were not associated with the experience of the endoscopist. The postprocedural complications significantly decreased after the first 100 procedures. An experience of at least 100 procedures is suggested to achieve a safe precut sphincterotomy.

INTRODUCTIONInguinal hernia is one of the most surgical common diseases. Giant inguinal hernia is more unusual and significantly challenging in terms of surgical management. It is defined as an inguinal hernia that extends below the midpoint of inner thigh when the patient is in standing position.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 67-year-old male presented with giant right-side inguinal hernia with symptoms of partial colonic obstruction and significant weight loss. Barium enema revealed ascending colon, cecum and ileum contained in hernia sac without significant lesions of large bowel. He underwent hernia repair with omentectomy. Hernioplasty with polypropylene mesh was performed without any complications. He recovered uneventfully.DISCUSSIONThere were several repair techniques suggested by published articles such as resection of the content and increased intraabdominal volume procedure. Many key factors for management of the giant inquinal hernia were discussed. A new classification of the giant inquinal hernia was described.CONCLUSIONSurgical repair for the giant inquinal hernia is challenging and correlated with significant morbidity and mortality due to increased intra-abdominal pressure.

Caustic injury of the esophagus is a problematic condition challenging endoscopists worldwide. Although the caustic agents and motives are different among countries and age groups, endoscopy still plays an invaluable role in diagnosis and treatment. Endoscopy can determine the severity of caustic ingestion which is of great importance in choosing appropriate treatment. However, some aspects of endoscopy in diagnosis of caustic injury remain controversial. Whether or not all patients need endoscopy, when to perform endoscopy and how to assess the severity are just some examples of these controversies. Due to lack of randomized controlled trials, many findings and suggestions are inconclusive. Computerized tomography scan of the chest and abdomen gains popularity in assessing the severity of caustic injury and avoiding unnecessary surgery. If esophageal stricture eventually develops, endoscopic dilatation is a mainstay. Maneuvers such as steroid injection and esophageal stent may be used in a refractory stricture. Nevertheless, some patients have to undergo surgery in spite of vigorous attempts with esophageal dilatation. To date, caustic injury remains a difficult situation. This article reviews all aspects of caustic injury of the esophagus focusing on endoscopic role. Pre-endoscopic management, endoscopy and its technique in acute and late phase of caustic injury including the endoscopic management of refractory stricture, and the treatment outcomes following each endoscopic intervention are thoroughly discussed. Finally, the role of endoscopy in the long term follow-up of patients with esophageal caustic injury is addressed.

Lichtenstein hernioplasty can be used effectively as an emergency operation for incarcerated inguinal hernia with a good outcome and an acceptably low rate of postoperative complications.

For an experienced hand, the early pre-cutting technique for biliary cannulation is safe and effective as standard technique.

Tracheoesophageal fistulas (TEFs) have traditionally been managed surgically, but the endoscopic approach is widely performed as a less invasive alternative. Different closure techniques have been proposed with inconsistent results. An over-the-scope clip (OTSC) appears to be a reasonable option, but long-term results have not been well defined. We report the long-term outcomes of a complex case of successful closure of a benign refractory TEF using an OTSC after failed surgical management and esophageal stent placement.

Peritoneal dissemination negatively affects the survival of cancer patients. Comprehensive treatment comprising of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) introduced by Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker in 1980 has shown a benefit in survival especially in patients with gastrointestinal cancer and ovarian cancer. Thailand started to perform this integrated treatment in 2012. A modification of the heart-lung machine was used as the hyperthermic pump for the first few years. Until now, 240 cases have been treated in 7 centers. Although the Thai health care system covers all areas and is easy to access, many surgeons still doubt the benefit and safety of this treatment. This coupled with difficulty in procuring the equipment, and high procedural cost has resulted in few surgeons offering this treatment and fewer patients availing of it. The small group of peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM) surgeons tries to educate all health care providers to understand how it works in an advanced-stage cancer patient and to make this procedure be covered by the national health care policy.

Background The SARS-CoV2 virus has been identified in abdominal cavity of the COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the potential viral transmission from any surgical created smoke in these patients is of concern especially in laparoscopic surgery. This study aimed to compare the amount of surgical smoke and surgical field contamination between laparoscopic and open surgery in fresh cadavers. Methods Cholecystectomy in 12 cadavers was performed and they were divided into 4 groups: laparoscopic approach with or without smoke evacuator, and open approach with or without smoke evacuator. The increased particle counts in surgical smoke of each group were analyzed. In the model of appendectomy, surgical field contamination under ultraviolet light and visual contamination scale between laparoscopic and open approach were compared. Results Open cholecystectomy significantly produced a greater amount of overall particle sizes, particle sizes < 5 μm and particle sizes ≥ 5 μm than laparoscopic cholecystectomy (10,307 × 103 vs 3738 × 103, 10,226 × 103 vs 3685 × 103 and 81 × 103 vs 53 × 103 count/m3, respectively at p < 0.05). The use of smoke evacuator led to decrease in the amount of overall particle sizes of 58% and 32.4% in the open and laparoscopic chelecystectomy respectively. Median (interquatile range) visual contamination scale of surgical field in open appendectomy [3.50 (2.33, 4.67)] was significantly greater than laparoscopic appendectomy [1.50 (0.67, 2.33)] at p < 0.001. Conclusions Laparoscopic cholecystectomy yielded less smoke-related particles than open cholecystectomy. The use of smoke evacuator, abeit non-significantly, reduced the particles in both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic appendectomy had a lower degree of surgical field contamination than the open approach.