Transumbilical single-port access cholecystectomy (SPACE) is a feasible technique for operating with less scars and reducing postoperative discomfort at the same time. The transumbilical single-port access for laparoscopic cholecystectomy has multiple benefits, such as better cosmetic results, less wound infections, and less incisional hernias. That is why SPACE is even more appropriate for obese patients. Using one-hand specialized instruments, which are curved at the shaft, and a semiflexible laparoscopic camera (LTFVH, Olympus) will make SPACE more comfortable and more time-saving.

Pneumomediastinum is the presence of air in the mediastinum. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is an infrequent, benign, and self-limiting condition that predominantly affects young males and pregnant females. It is important to distinguish pneumomediastinum symptoms from similar clinical findings that require immediate treatment, such as cardiac tamponade, angina pectoris, dissecting aortic aneurysm, mediastinitis, and pulmonary embolism. This report describes 2 cases of SPM managed at University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf during the period 2000 to 2001. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum should be considered whenever there are anamnestic data for retrosternal chest pain that radiates to the neck or back accompanied by dysphagia, dysphonia, dyspnea, and a positive Hamman's sign.

Since living related liver transplantation was first performed in 1989, more than 150 cases have been performed worldwide, mostly in the United States and Japan. This paper reports the first series of living related liver transplantation in Europe. Twenty living related liver transplantation surgeries were performed over a 13‐mo period, with an overall patient survival of 85%. For patients who underwent elective transplantation (n=13), the survival rate was 100%. Technical complications included one arterial thrombosis necessitating retransplantation and five bile leaks requiring surgical revision. The technical improvements that permit avoidance of these complications are discussed. A detailed description of the living related liver procurement is given. All procurements yielded grafts of excellent quality. No intraoperative complications occurred, and no reoperations were necessary. No heterologous blood transfusion was needed. In two patients, incisional hernias developed after wound infection. Living related liver transplantation does not absolve the transplant community of efforts to promote cadaveric organ procurement. Nevertheless, living related liver transplantation does have the advantage of a readily available graft of excellent quality, permitting transplantation with optimal timing under elective conditions. Several centers are now preparing living related segmental liver transplants, following the model of our protocol, for three reasons: (a) to obtain superior results compared with cadaveric liver transplantation; (b) to overcome cadaveric organ shortage and further reduce pretransplantation mortality and (c) to provide viable organs in countries where cadaveric organ procurement is not established. When performed by a team experienced in pediatric liver transplantation and in adult liver resection, living related liver transplantation is an excellent modality for the treatment of end‐stage liver disease in children. (Hepatology 1994;20:49S‐55S.)

Reduced lung size (lung hypoplasia, LH) is the main cause of mortality in newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). However, it is unclear which mechanisms lead to LH. To assess this, we analyzed the relationship of LH and liver mass in correlation to the size of the diaphragmatic defect in rats with nitrofen-induced CDH. A total of 266 newborn Sprague-Dawley rats (30 litters) were exposed to nitrofen on day 11.5 of pregnancy. After spontaneous delivery at term (22 days), all newborns were microdissected. Using a computerized morphometric device, the area of the thoracic cavity, the lung, the intrathoracic liver, and the diaphragmatic defect were measured. The lungs, the intrathoracic, and the extrathoracic portion of the liver were weighed. After nitrofen exposure, 160 newborn rats presented with CDH (60.2%). They were divided into five groups according to the intrathoracic content of intraabdominal organs. We observed a significant increase of the total liver and decrease of the lung weight in the severely affected groups. A significant correlation between the size of the defect and the weight of the intrathoracic part of the liver could be demonstrated. Nitrofen alone had no effect on liver weight. Our results indicate that (1) the presence of liver inside the thoracic cavity is not the result of dislocation but rather of growth of liver tissue through the defect, and (2) the observed correlation between the size of the defect and the intrathoracic liver weight may be part of the pathogenesis of LH in CDH.