This study suggests that training improves laparoscopic suturing skills in experienced as well as inexperienced laparoscopic surgeons.

BACKGROUND:The aim of our study was to compare chronic groin pain and quality of life (QOL) after laparoscopic lightweight (LW) and heavyweight (HW) mesh repair for groin hernia.MATERIALS AND METHODS:One hundred and forty adult patients with uncomplicated inguinal hernia were randomised into HW mesh group or LW mesh group. Return to activity, chronic groin pain and recurrence rates were assessed. Short form-36 v2 health survey was used for QOL analysis.RESULTS:One hundred and thirty-one completed follow-up of 3 months, 66 in HW mesh group and 65 in LW mesh group. Early post-operative convalescence was better in LW mesh group in terms of early return to walking (P = 0.01) and driving (P = 0.05). The incidence of early post-operative pain, chronic groin pain and QOL and recurrences were comparable.CONCLUSION:Outcomes following laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair using HW and LW mesh are comparable in the short-term as well as long-term.

Our data provide evidence that estrogen can induce a proangiogenic endothelial cell phenotype in the thyroid tumor microenvironment through ER and VEGF signaling. Our findings suggest that the effect of antiestrogenic therapy targeting tumor angiogenesis can be enhanced through VEGF inhibition.

Introduction:Pheochromocytoma surgery is associated with significant hemodynamic and metabolic changes that require post-operative monitoring. We prospectively evaluated the trends of blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), and quality of life (QoL) changes in a cohort of patients undergoing pheochromocytoma surgery to determine the minimum duration of monitoring and assess factors that could predict these changes.Materials and Methods:Consecutive patients undergoing surgery for pheochromocytoma over a 20-month period were included in this ethics review board-approved, prospective cohort study. Blood pressure and sugar levels were serially monitored using a fixed protocol in the perioperative period and subsequently at 3 months after surgery. BMI and QoL (using World Health Organization Quality of Life [WHOQOL-BREF] questionnaire) were recorded at baseline and 3 months. Changes were compared and assessed for the predictive factors.Results:Twenty-six patients undergoing 31 procedures were included in the study of whom 8 (30%) developed hypotension and 4 (15%) developed hypoglycemia after surgery. All hypotension episodes occurred within 6 hours of surgery. However, while 3 of the 4 patients who developed hypoglycemia manifest in the first 4 h after surgery, one occurred after 12 h. Occurrence of hypotension correlated with preoperative 24-h urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) levels (P = 0.02) and the total daily dose of prazosin (P = 0.04). Out of 21 hypertensive patients, 7 (33%) had persistent hypertension (HTN) at 3 months and this was associated with age (P = 0.04) and diabetes mellitus (DM) at presentation (P = 0.04). Among six diabetic patients, 1 (16%) had persistent DM. There was significant increase in the BMI (P < 0.0001) and in WHOQOL-BREF scores postoperatively.Conclusions:Hypotension occurs in 30% patients and hypoglycemia in 15% after pheochromocytoma surgery. Hypotension occurs immediately but hypoglycemia may manifest upto 12h after surgery. Older, diabetic patients are more likely to have persistent HTN. Surgery results in increase in BMI and improvement in QoL.

IntroductionThe haemophagocytic syndrome (HS) is a rare condition that presents with uncontrolled inflammation leading to multiorgan failure and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current national estimates of children hospitalised due to HS are unknown. Characterising and understanding the burden of HS-related hospitalisations at a national level is the initial step in optimising the overall care.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2012 to 2014. The NIS is the largest all-payer inpatient care dataset in the USA that contains more than seven million hospital stays and its large sample size is ideal for developing national estimates of rare conditions. All patients aged up to 18 years who were primarily hospitalised due to HS were selected for our study. Descriptive statistics were used. A multitude of patient-level and hospital-level variables were assessed. Outcome variables included overall in-hospital mortality, hospital charges and the length of stay.ResultsA total of 840 patients aged up to 18 years were hospitalised primarily due to HS in the USA. Mean age was 5.7 years. 57.4% were males. Whites comprised 45%. 6.5% died in hospital. A vast majority (78%) were admitted on an emergency/urgent basis. The most frequent payers included Medicaid (50%) and private insurance (36.9%). Almost 80% of children had at least one comorbid condition. 96.3% of patients were treated in urban teaching hospitals. Southern regions accounted for 42.6% of all hospitalisations. The median length of stay in hospital was 9.6 days and the median hospitalisation charge was US$100 426.ConclusionNearly 1 in 15 children who were hospitalised due to HS died. The resource utilisation associated with HS-related hospitalisations is considerable. The majority of hospitalised children with HS had comorbid conditions.