IntroductionRecurrent laryngeal nerve injury is one of the major complications related to thyroid surgery. Intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve functional status monitoring is becoming a standard part of thyroid surgery. However, the current methods for intraoperative nerve functional status assessment are associated with a demand for specialized devices and increased costs.AimTo assess the validity of a new method – intraoperative laryngeal ultrasonography – for prediction of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.Material and methodsThis prospective diagnostic test accuracy study included 112 patients undergoing thyroid surgery in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. Neurostimulation combined with laryngeal ultrasonography and laryngeal palpation was performed intraoperatively to evaluate recurrent laryngeal nerve functional status. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury was confirmed by laryngoscopy, which was performed on the first postoperative day and considered to be the gold standard method.ResultsData on 112 consecutive patients and 200 nerves at risk were collected. The temporary vocal cord palsy rate was 5.4% per patient and 3% per nerve at risk. No permanent palsy or bilateral injury cases were registered in the study cohort. Laryngeal ultrasound sensitivity counted per nerve at risk was 83.3%, specificity 97.2%, accuracy 96.4%, positive predictive value 62.5% and negative predictive value 99%.ConclusionsLaryngeal ultrasonography is a feasible new technique for accurate intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve injury evaluation.

Background: The study aims to evaluate the lymph node (LN) response to preoperative chemotherapy and its impact on long-term outcomes in advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Methods: Histological specimens retrieved at gastrectomy from patients who received preoperative chemotherapy were evaluated. LN regression was graded by the adapted tumor regression grading system proposed by Becker. Patients were classified as node-negative (lnNEG) in the case of all negative LN without evidence of previous tumor involvement. Patients with LN metastasis were classified as nodal responders (lnR) in case of a regression score 1a-2 was detected in the LN. Nodal non-responders (lnNR) had a regression score of 3 in all of the metastatic nodes. Survival was compared using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Result s: Among 87 patients included in the final analysis 29.9 % were lnNEG, 21.8 % were lnR and 48.3 % were lnNR. Kaplan-Meier curves showed a survival benefit for lnR over lnNR (p=0.03), while the survival of lnR and lnNEG patients was similar. Cox regression confirmed nodal response to be associated with decreased odds for death in univariate (HR: 0.33; 95 % CI 0.11-0.96, p=0.04) and multivariable (HR 0.37; 95 CI% 0.14-0.99, p=0.04) analysis. Conclusions: Histologic regression of LN metastasis after preoperative chemotherapy predicts the increased survival of patients with non-metastatic resectable AGC.

The Autoregressive model-based digital inverse filtering technique is applied in noninvasive detection of vocal fold paralysis. The vocal tract filter is modelled using variable order (up to 20) AR model which is adequate to individual characteristics of human vocal properties. This postulates the more accurate estimation of the glottal flow, disturbances of which are direct evidence of the vocal fold paralysis.

Background. Gastric cancer remains one of the most common cancers in Lithuania and Worldwide. Surgical treatment is the only potentially curative treatment option for it. Historically open gastrectomy was considered as the gold standard approach. Although, the development of minimally invasive surgery and accumulation of the clinical data has led to the adoption of minimally invasive gastrectomy. Clinical cases. We present a series of 8 clinical cases who underwent minimally invasive surgery for early or locally advanced gastric cancer in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos and the National Cancer Institute. Discussion. Large scale randomized controlled trials in Asia have proved that laparoscopic surgery is safe and oncologically effective for clinical stage I distal gastric cancer. The increa­sing amount of data supports the safety of minimally invasive gastrectomy for advanced or proximal gastric cancer. Most of the trials performed in Asia confirmed, that laparoscopic gastrectomy has some advantages, including: decreased blood loss, decreased post­operative pain, and morbidity. Recent randomized controlled trials of Western countries proved the safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy and the comparable 1-year long-term outcomes. Although, they failed to show improved recovery after minimally invasive surgery. Currently, there is sufficient evidence to adopt minimally invasive gastrectomy for gastric cancer into routine clinical practice in Lithuania. Conclusions. The first experience of minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery in Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos and the National Cancer Institute was successful. All gastrectomies were radical, and without major postoperative complications.

[straipsnis ir santrauka lietuvių kalba; santrauka anglų kalba] Skydliaukės operacijų pasaulyje daugėja. Grįžtamojo gerklų nervo pažeidimas yra viena rimčiausių su skydliaukės chirurgija susijusių komplikacijų. Abipusis nervo pažeidimas lemia blogesnę gyvenimo kokybę, balso ir kvėpavimo funkcijų sutrikimus. Siekiant sumažinti minėtos komplikacijos dažnį, kuriama ir taikoma įvairių naujų intraoperacinės technikos metodų. Vienas iš šiuolaikinių metodų, leidžiančių veiksmingai išvengti abipusio nervo pažeidimo, yra intraoperacinis neuromonitoringas. Šis metodas intraoperaciniu periodu patikimai įvertina funkcinę nervo būklę, tačiau yra brangus. Laringinė palpacija yra pigi alternatyva, tačiau nėra aišku, ar pastarasis metodas yra pakankamai jautrus ir specifiškas. Todėl šiame straipsnyje, atlikus išsamią mokslinės literatūros analizę ir išanalizavus perspektyvinio kohortinio tyrimo rezultatus, siekiama pateikti laringinės palpacijos metodo vertinimą. Mokslinėje literatūroje nurodoma, kad laringinės palpacijos metodo jautrumas varijuoja nuo 33 proc. iki 100 proc., specifiškumas – nuo 92 proc. iki 100 proc. Mūsų vykdyto tyrimo VUL Santaros klinikose duomenimis, metodo jautrumas – 100 proc., specifiškumas – 96,6 proc. Remiantis išsamia literatūros apžvalga ir perspektyviniu kohortiniu tyrimu, galima pateikti rekomendacijų, kaip laringinės palpacijos metodą taikyti modernioje skydliaukės chirurgijoje: 1. Operuojant skydliaukę, visais atvejais būtina identifikuoti grįžtamąjį gerklų nervą. 2. Intraoperacinę neurostimuliaciją tikslinga atlikti visų tiroidektomijų metu. Negalint atlikti intraoperacinio neuromonitoringo, gerklų palpacinė neurostimuliacija galėtų būti pirmojo pasirinkimo metodas. 3. Pašalinus pirmąją skydliaukės skiltį, siekiant išvengti nervo abipusio pažeidimo, operaciją tikslinga tęsti tik patvirtinus šio nervo funkcinį vientisumą, naudojant intraoperacinę neurostimuliaciją.