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A 37-year-old man was referred for massive splenomegaly. In November 2005, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma in the setting of splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia. His laboratory results showed a coagulopathy owing to lupus anticoagulant. A computed tomography scan showed a 36 x 26 x 11 cm spleen and a prominent and sinuous splenic artery. The authors performed a laparoscopic splenectomy with an initial ligation of the splenic artery. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged home on the fourth postoperative day in stable condition. Discussed in this paper is the safety and feasibility of the minimally invasive approach in massive splenomegaly.

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There is a bariatric explosion worldwide to deal with the rising prevalence of morbid obesity. In 1988, Hess and Hess first added the sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and the duodenal switch (DS) as a modification to the biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) to improve clinical outcomes. But the increased morbidity and mortality observed in super-super-obese patients (BMI > 60 kg/m ) who underwent BPD with DS (BPD-DS) made Gagner and co-workers propose SG as a bridge to gastric bypass or BPD-DS to reduce complications and mortality. The excellent short-term weight-loss outcomes after SG have increased the enthusiasm among surgeons to use it as a definitive treatment for morbidly obese and super-obese patients (BMI > 50 kg/m ). Neurohormonal and gastric emptying changes may account for its superiority over other restrictive procedures. Recent reports on mid-term weight-loss outcomes make this procedure a viable option for bariatric surgeons; nonetheless, long-term studies are still required.

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Background Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) approved 6 years ago by the Federal Drug Administration is considered a safe and simple procedure for weight loss with a reported low mortality rate (0.05%) in the literature. The aim of the study was to probe the membership of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) to elucidate the incidence and possible causes of unreported operative and late mortality. Methods A simple questionnaire on early (30 days) and late mortality after LAGB and reoperation for banding was sent to 1,437 of 2,500 members of ASBS. Incidences and causes were studied. Results Of the 1,437 questionnaires sent, 453 (31%) were returned. Sixty-eight of the surgeons did not do any LAGBs, 350 had no operative mortalities, and 35 (9%) reported at least one operative mortality and had a total of 36 operative deaths and 19 late deaths, for a grand total of 55. Five additional deaths occurred after reoperations for LAGB, following removal, revisions, or conversions to another bariatric procedure. Of 62 deaths, the causes were: 20 (33%) cardiac origin, 11 (18%) thromboembolic, ten (16%) GI perforations, three (5%) bleedings, and 18 miscellaneous. Of all deaths, 40% occurred remotely from the band insertion date. Conclusions Although LAGB is technically simple, it carries a non-negligible short-and long-term mortality, with the majority being cardiac or thromboembolic. Late mortalities from LAGB and reoperations appear to be under-reported.