Objective To investigate safety, feasibility, and future direction of laparoscopic splenectomy. Method The latest progress and new achievements of laparoscopic splenectomy in the world were analyzed and summarized. Results At present, the laparoscopic splenectomy mainly included the completely laparoscopic splenectomy, hand assisted laparoscopic splenectomy, gasless laparoscopic splenectomy, single hole laparoscopic splenectomy, or robot assisted laparoscopic splenectomy. The completely laparoscopic total splenectomy had become the most common surgical procedure in the clinical treatment due to the reliable curative effect, less injury, and rapid recovery, the partial splenectomy was one of the precise treatments for the benign splenic lesions. The hand assisted laparoscopic splenectomy was widely used in the giant spleen, it could reduce the exposure difficulty, effectively deal with the intraoperative hemorrhage, and reduce the risk of surgery. The robot assisted laparoscopic splenectomy was one of the minimally invasive operations, the system with three-dimensional high definition vision and flexible robotic arm overcame the limitations of traditional laparoscopic two-dimensional display, could precisely complete the operation and achieve the accurate treatment. Conclusions Laparoscopic splenectomy has some advantages of less operative injury, less pain, and rapid recovery, it’s safety and feasibility have been proved. We should strictly grasp indications and contraindications for laparoscopic splenectomy, appropriate surgical methods should be selected for specific splenic diseases to achieve the best curative effect. Remote control and precision operation will be a direction of development in future.
Objective To explore the risk factors of postoperative portal vein system thrombus (PVST) after laparoscopic splenectomy in treatment of portal hypertension and hypersplenism. Methods Clinical data of 76 patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy in the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2012 to January 2017 were analyzed. Results There were 31 patients suffered from PVST (PVST group), and other 45 patients enrolled in non-PVST group.There were significant differences on age, diameter of splenic vein, diameter of portal vein, blood flow velocity of portal vein, level of D-dimer, and platelet count between the PVST group and the non-PVST group (P<0.05), but there were no significant difference on gender, Child-Pugh classification, etiology of cirrhosis, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, and prothrombin time between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, patients with age >50 years (RR=1.31, P=0.02), splenic vein diameter >12 mm ( RR=1.29, P<0.01), portal vein diameter >13 mm (RR=1.55, P=0.01), blood flow velocity of portal vein <18 cm/s ( RR=1.47, P<0.01), increases level of D-dimer (RR=2.89, P=0.03), and elevated platelet count (RR=1.82 P=0.02) had higher risk of postoperative PVST than those patients with age ≤50 years, splenic vein diameter ≤12 mm, portal vein diameter ≤13 mm, blood flow velocity of portal vein ≥18 cm/s, normal level of D-dimer and platelet count. Conclusion For patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy, we should pay more attention to the risk factor, such as D-dimer and so on, to avoid the occurrence of postoperative PVST.
Objective To discuss surgical skills and clinical value of laparoscopic splenectomy with behind splenic hilus tunnel-building technique. Method The clinical data of 1 patient with HBV-related hepatic cirrhosis combined splenomegaly and hypersplenism treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was discussed and summarized. Results The patient underwent the laparoscopic splenectomy with surgical approach of from bottom to top, front to back, and shallow to deep. The key point of the tunnel-building technique was fully exposed the upper and lower poles of the splenic pedicle. The operative time was 70 min, the intraoperative blood loss was 50 mL, and the discharge time was 5 d after operation. Conclusion Laparoscopic splenectomy with behind splenic hilum tunnel-building technique is safe and feasible, especially for beginners.