Vesicourethral reconstruction is the most critical and time-consuming step of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. We describe the use of two hemicircumferential running sutures that has significantly simplified the procedure in our last 30 patients. The vesicourethral reconstruction took 31 minutes on average. Six months postoperatively, 84% of the patients were fully continent, and no bladder neck stenosis had occurred. The economy of intracorporeal suturing provided by this novel method, together with geometric factors such as the optimal position of the trocars, contributes to the improvement of ergonomy, allowing the surgeon to decrease operating times.
Retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy can be safely performed for small (less than 5 cm. diameter) pheochromocytoma. Retroperitoneal laparoscopy is a direct approach that allows the surgeon to control the adrenal vein first, thereby avoiding hypertensive events.
A multivesicular hydatid cyst was removed from the left kidney of a 26-year-old woman by retroperitoneal laparoscopy to avoid contamination of the abdominal cavity. A scolicidal agent (20% hypertonic saline) was injected around the kidney initially and then instilled into the cyst after the contents had been evacuated. There were no complications and no anaphylactic shock. This appears to be the first reported case of treatment of renal hydatid cyst by laparoscopy.
Prostate leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare and very aggressive neoplasm that represents less than 0.1% of primary malignant tumors of the prostate. We present a patient with primary leiomyosarcoma of prostate and examine the cases reported in the literature to discuss the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this rare tumor. Median survival was estimated at 17 months (95% CI 20.7–43.7 months) and the actuarial survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 68%, 34% and 26%, respectively. The only predictors of long-term survival were negative surgical margins and the absence of metastatic disease at presentation. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary for the proper management of this terrible entity.
Surgery with or without chemotherapy seems to be the main therapeutic method for operable leimyosarcomas, but in general there is no consensus on the best therapeutic approach. Most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. A global multicenter trial is needed to find therapies that would improve the prognosis.
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