Purpose
The current drain tubes for preventing surgically biliary anastomotic stricture are not naturally and easily removed. If a drain tube using biodegradable material is easily available and the degradation time of the tube is well controlled, surgical anastomotic stricture and fibrosis could be prevented. The aim of this animal study was to evaluate the preventive effect of novel biodegradable stents (BS) on biliary stricture and fibrosis after duct-to-duct (DD) biliary anastomosis.
Methods
Ten mini-pigs were allocated to the control group (n = 5) and or the stent group (n = 5). The common bile duct was exposed through surgical laparotomy and then resected transversely. In the stent group, a 4-mm or 6-mm polydioxanone/magnesium sheath-core BS was inserted according to the width of the bile duct, followed by DD biliary anastomosis. In the control group, DD biliary anastomosis was performed without BS insertion.
Results
In the stent group, stents were observed without deformity for up to 4 weeks in all animals. Eight weeks later, histopathologic examination revealed that the common bile duct of the anastomosis site was relatively narrower in circumference in the control group compared to the stent group. The degree of fibrosis in the control group was more marked than in the stent group (3.84 mm
vs.
0.68 mm, respectively; P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Our study showed that novel BS maintained their original shape and radial force for an adequate time and then disappeared without adverse events. The BS could prevent postoperative complications and strictures after DD biliary anastomosis.
Uterine serosal pregnancy is an extremely rare form of ectopic pregnancy. This is a report of a 35-year-old primigravida woman who was diagnosed with uterine serosal pregnancy via laparoscopic intervention. A 35-year-old woman (gravida 1, para 0) was referred from a local clinic for a ruptured left tubal pregnancy at amenorrhea 5+0 weeks with elevated serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (16,618 mIU/mL). A pregnancy on the left posterior wall of the uterine serosa was diagnosed during the operation and successfully treated with laparoscopic surgery as a conservative management strategy to enable fertility preservation. With the advantages of ultrasonography and laparoscopy, an early diagnosis of a primary abdominal pregnancy located on the left posterior wall of the uterine serosa was made, prior to the occurrence of severe intra-abdominal massive hemorrhage, which was then treated laparoscopically as a conservative management strategy enabling the preservation of fertility.
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