Background Cryptorchidism or undescended testes is the most common disorder of the male endocrine glands in children. With the advancements in laparoscopic techniques and instruments, laparoscopic orchidopexy has become the standard procedure in the management of nonpalpable undescended testes. Aim To evaluate and determine the therapeutic role, sensitivity, and specificity of laparoscopy in localizing nonpalpable testes and the mean operative time, the conversion rate (and reasons thereof), postoperative wound infection, postoperative stay, and time taken for return to daily activities following laparoscopic orchidopexy or orchidectomy. Materials and Methods This was a prospective study carried out in the Postgraduate Department of Surgery, Government Medical College, Srinagar, J&K, India, from May 2008 to August 2011. All patients who presented to the outpatient department with complaints of absent testes were examined, and the ones with nonpalpable testes were included in the study. Results The mean operative time for bilateral and unilateral nonpalpable testis was 102.76 and 53.67 minutes, respectively. Minor postoperative wound infections were noted in 4 of our patients. Mean duration of hospital stay was 14.23 hrs for unilateral cases and 16.27 hrs for bilateral cases. Patients who underwent laparoscopic orchidopexy resumed their normal activities within 4 ± 1 days. Conclusion Laparoscopy clearly demonstrates the anatomy and provides visual information upon which a definitive decision can be made for further management of the undescended nonpalpable testis.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a very safe procedure yet there are instances where serious complications can be avoided and better managed if the surgeon is forewarned or prepared in advance for them. So, a need is felt to identify pre-operative parameters for anticipating a difficult cholecystectomy.Methods: This study was carried over a period of two years (2007- 2009). Patients having symptomatic cholelithiasis willing to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled in the study. The following pre-operative parameters were evaluated in the study: age, sex, body mass index, history of previous abdominal surgery, history of acute cholecystitis, history of biliary colic, palpable lump in right hypochondrium, experience of the surgeon and abdominal ultrasonogram (following parameters were noted increased gallbladder wall thickness, number of stones, size of largest stone and its location).Results: Acute cholecystitis, palpable gall bladder, increased gallbladder wall thickness, biliary colic, gall stones >2 cm in size, gall stone impacted at gallbladder neck and BMI >30 kg/m2 had a significant p-value in a difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Conclusions: Further research is needed to formulate a score based on the variables mentioned above to predict a difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hence letting the surgeon be better prepared for any eventualities that he encounters whilst performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

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