Since January 2006, robotic assistance has been used for performing minimal invasive laparoscopic fundoplications in children. These patients were compared with those operated on with either the open surgical technique or the laparoscopic procedure. The first six children operated on with a fundoplication using the operation robot, da Vinci Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical, were included prospectively. As controls, data from the latest six children operated on using the open surgical procedure and the latest six children operated on using the minimal invasive laparoscopic technique were selected retrospectively. All the patients were operated on due to gastroesophageal reflux and were comparable in the De Meester score. The main outcome measures were the operating time, the use of postoperative analgesics, the duration of the postoperative hospital stay and the short-term outcome. There was no significant difference between the three groups concerning age, body weight and preoperative 24 h pH measurement. The mean operating time for the robotic group, 213 min, was the longer one, but the operating time for the latest four patients in the robotic group was similar to that for the laparoscopic group, 189 min. The postoperative hospital stay was shorter and a reduction in the use of analgesics postoperatively was noted. The reduction in the postoperative hospital stay and in the use of analgesics had been already noted with the introduction of the minimal invasive laparoscopic technique. There was no difference in short-term clinical outcome; the gastroesophageal reflux symptoms disappeared in all the patients. Robot-assisted laparoscopic fundoplication is comparable with the standard laparoscopic surgical procedure in terms of duration of operation, postoperative hospital stay, use of postoperative analgesics and short-term clinical outcome. The robotic surgery adds qualities to the surgical work when compared with open or laparoscopic surgery. These include better visualisation for the surgeon and greater precision in the movements of the instruments used.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are used as prophylaxis, guarding against anastomotic stricture (AS) in the aftermath of reconstructed esophageal atresia (EA). The incidence of stricture formation was studied in this setting, comparing outcomes of 3- and 12-month PPI prophylactic regimens. Patient characteristics (gestational age, birth weight, prevalence of chromosomal aberrations, and other malformations), as well as rates of survival, AS formation, and required balloon dilation, were recorded in the following therapeutic subsets: (1) all infants undergoing primary surgical anastomosis for EA in years 2010-2014 and given postoperative PPI prophylaxis for 12 months and (2) all infants similarly treated for EA in years 2001-2009 but given postoperative PPI prophylaxis for 3 months only. Duration of follow-up was 1 year in each group. Patient characteristics and survival rates in 12-month ( = 33) and in 3-month ( = 30) treatment groups did not differ significantly. The prevalence of AS was 42%/43% in each group (12 months, 14/33; 3 months, 13/30; = 1). Median number of dilations required was 3 (range, 1-9) per patient in each group ( = 0.69). Median age at initial dilation was 163 days and 63 days in 12- and 3-month groups, respectively ( = 0.04). Development of AS in the first year after reconstruction of EA was not reduced by prolonged PPI prophylaxis (12 vs. 3 months), but initial balloon dilation procedures were performed later in infants who were treated longer.

Laparoscopic training in virtual reality with 3D vision and haptic feedback made training more time efficient and did not negatively affect later video box-performance in 2D. [Formula: see text].

BackgroundRobot-assisted laparoscopy (RL) is used in a wide range of operative interventions, but the advantage of this technique over conventional laparoscopy (CL) remains unclear. Studies comparing RL and CL are scarce. The present study was performed to test the hypothesis that maiden users master surgical tasks quicker with the robot-assisted laparoscopy technique than with the conventional laparoscopy technique.Methods20 subjects, with no prior surgical experience, performed three different surgical tasks in a standardized experimental setting, repeated four times with each of the RL and CL techniques. Speed and accuracy were measured. A cross-over technique was used to eliminate gender bias and the experience gained by carrying out the first part of the study.ResultsThe task "tie a knot" was performed faster with the RL technique than with CL. Furthermore, shorter operating times were observed when changing from CL to RL. There were no time differences for the tasks of grabbing the needle and continuous suturing between the two operating techniques. Gender did not influence the results.ConclusionThe more advanced task of tying a knot was performed faster using the RL technique than with CL. Simpler surgical interventions were performed equally fast with either technique. Technical skills acquired during the use of CL were transferred to the RL technique. The lack of tactile feedback in RL seemed to matter. There were no differences between males and females.