Usefulness of the Surgical Apgar Score to Predict the Occurrence of Major Complications in the Early Post-Operative Period of Major Surgeries: Experience of Two Second-Category Hospitals in Cameroon

Objective: The Surgical Apgar Score (SAS) is a tool for intraoperative stratification of the risk of serious complications in the early postoperative period. It varies from 0 to 10 points divided into three risk categories (0 to 4 high, 5 to 7 moderate, 8 to 10 low). The aim of the study was to evaluate its relevance in predicting the appearance of these complications. Material and methods: This descriptive and analytical study was carried out at the “Laquintinie” Hospital in Douala and at the Central Hospital in Yaounde, Cameroon. The main data were collected on a population of patients over 18 years old and recorded on a survey form. They consisted of variables of main interest and exposure variables. Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis using top-down logistic regression models made it possible to evaluate the association of each variable of main interest and each exposure variable. The association was significant at P Results: Of the 88 patients studied, the SAS was 3 hours. In multivariate, this link persisted only and strongly for the SAS OR (IC) 0.1 (0.1 - 0.2) and p = 000. Conclusion: The study found a specific and powerful link between the SAS score < 4 and the occurrence of complications in the early postoperative period, in favor of its relevance in predicting them.

Pain perception enhancement in consecutive secondeye phacoemulsification cataract surgeries under topical anesthesia

Cataract is the main cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide while the only effective cure for cataract is still surgery.Consecutive phacoemulsification under topical anesthesia has been the routine procedure for cataract surgery.However,patients often grumbled that they felt more painful during the second-eye surgery compared to the first-eye surgery.The intraoperative pain experience has negative influence on satisfaction and willingness for second-eye cataract surgery of patients with bilateral cataracts.Intraoperative ocular pain is a complicated process induced by the nociceptors activation in the peripheral nervous system.Immunological,neuropsychological,and pharmacological factors work together in the enhancement of intraoperative pain.Accumulating published literatures have focused on the pain enhancement during the secondeye phacoemulsification surgeries.In this review,we searched PubMed database for articles associated with pain perception differences between consecutive cataract surgeries published up to Feb.1,2024.We summarized the recent research progress in mechanisms and interventions for pain perception enhancement in consecutive secondeye phacoemulsification cataract surgeries.This review aimed to provide novel insights into strategies for improving patients’intraoperative experience in second-eye cataract surgeries.

Failure to Rescue as a Quality Metric in Congenital Heart Surgeries in a High-Complexity Service Provider Institution Located in a Middle-Income Country

Background:Failure to rescue has been an effective quality metric in congenital heart surgery.Conversely,mor-bidity and mortality depend greatly on non-modifiable individual factors and have a weak correlation with better-quality performance.We aim to measure the complications,mortality,and risk factors in pediatric patients undergoing congenital heart surgery in a high-complexity institution located in a middle-income country and compare it with other institutions that have conducted a similar study.Methods:A retrospective observational study was conducted in a high-complexity service provider institution,in Cali,Colombia.All pediatric patients undergoing any congenital heart surgery between 2019 and 2022 were included.The main outcomes evaluated in the study were complication,mortality,and failure to rescue rate.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with mortality as the outcome variable.Results:We evaluated 308 congenital heart sur-geries.Regarding the outcomes,201(65%)complications occurred,23(7.5%)patients died,and the FTR of the entire cohort was 11.4%.The presence of a postoperative complication(OR 14.88,CI 3.06–268.37,p=0.009),age(OR 0.79,CI 0.57–0.96,p=0.068),and urgent/emergent surgery(OR 8.14,CI 2.97–28.66,p<0.001)were the most significant variables in predicting mortality.Conclusions:Failure to rescue is an effective and comparable quality measure in healthcare institutions and is the major contributor to postoperative mortality in congenital heart surgeries.Despite our higher mortality and complication rate,we obtained a comparable failure to rescue rate to high-income countries’health institutions.

Femtosecond laser in refractive and cataract surgeries

In the past few years, 9 unique laser platforms have been brought to the market. As femtosecond(FS) laserassisted ophthalmic surgery potentially improves patient safety and visual outcomes, this new technology indeed provides ophthalmologists a reliable new option. But this new technology also poses a range of new clinical and financial challenges for surgeons. We provide an overview of the evolution of FS laser technology for use in refractive and cataract surgeries. This review describes the available laser platforms and mainly focuses on discussing the development of ophthalmic surgery technologies.

Efficacy of multislice computed tomography for gastroenteric and hepatic surgeries

AIM: To determine the efficacy of multislice CT for gastroenteric and hepatic surgery.METHODS: Dual-phase helical computed tomography was performed in 50 of 51 patients who underwent gastroenteric and hepatic surgeries. Twenty-eight, eighteen and four patients suffering from colorectal cancer, gastric cancer,and liver cancer respectively underwent colorectal surgery (laparoscopic surgery: 6 cases), gastrectomy, and hepatectomy. Three-dimensional computed tomography imaging of the inferior mesenteric artery, celiac artery and hepatic artery was performed. And in the follow-up examination of postoperative patients, multiplanar reconstruction image was made in case of need.RESULTS: Scans in 50 patients were technically satisfactory and included in the analysis. Depiction of major visceral arteries, which were important for surgery and other treatments, could be done in all patients.Preoperative visualization of the left colic artery and sigmoidal arteries, the celiac artery and its branches, and hepatic artery was very useful to lymph node dissection,the planning of a reservoir and hepatectomy. And multiplanar reconstruction image was helpful to diagnosis for the postoperative follow-up of patients.CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional volume rendering or multiplanar reconstruction imaging performed by multislice computed tomography was very useful for gastroenteric and hepatic surgeries.

The impact of minimally invasive surgeries for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia on male sexual function： a systematic review

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies was conducted to evaluate data for the effects of minimally invasive procedures for treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia （BPH） on male sexual function. The studies searched were trials that enrolled men with symptomatic BPH who were treated with laser surgeries, transurethral microwave therapy （TUMT）, transurethral needle ablation of the prostate （TUNA）, transurethral ethanol ablation of the prostate （TEAP） and high-intensity frequency ultrasound （HIFU）, in comparison with traditional transurethral resection of the prostate （TURP） or sham operations. A total of 72 studies were identified, of which 33 met the inclusion criteria. Of the 33 studies, 21 were concerned with laser surgeries, six with TUMT, four with TUNA and two with TEAP containing information regarding male sexual function. No study is available regarding the effect of HIFU for BPH on male sexual function. Our analysis shows that minimally invasive surgeries for BPH have comparable effects to those of TURP on male erectile function. Collectively, less than 15.4% or 15.2% of patients will have either decrease or increase, respectively, of erectile function after laser procedures, TUMT and TUNA. As observed with TURP, a high incidence of ejaculatory dysfunction （EjD） is common after treatment of BPH with holmium, potassium-titanyl-phosphate and thulium laser therapies （〉 33.6%）. TUMT, TUNA and neodymium：yttrium aluminum garnet visual laser ablation or interstitial laser coagulation for BPH has less incidence of EjD, but these procedures are considered less effective for BPH treatment when compared with TURP.

Intra-operative hearing monitoring methods in middle ear surgeries

Hearing loss is a condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Conductive hearing loss (CHL) is mainly caused by middle ear diseases. The low frequency area is the pivotal part of speech frequencies and most frequently impaired in patients with CHL. Among various treatments of CHL, middle ear surgery is efficient to improve hearing. However, variable success rates and possible needs for prolonged revision surgery still frustrate both surgeons and patients. Nowadays, increasing numbers of researchers explore various methods to monitor the efficacy of ossicular reconstruction intraoperatively, including electrocochleography (ECochG), auditory brainstem response (ABR), auditory steady state response (ASSR), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), subjective whisper test, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Here, we illustrate several methods used clinically by reviewing the literature.

Surgical Treatment of Urological Complications of Gynecological and Obstetric Surgeries at the University Hospital of Conakry Guinea

Objective: To analyze the management of urological complications of gynecologic and obstetric surgeries. Material and Methods: We retrospectively studied 39 patients hospitalized in the Department of Urology of the Conakry Teaching Hospital for urological complications of gynecological surgery, during 9 years. The epidemiological, diagnostic, surgical and outcome parameters have been analyzed. Results: The urological complications of gynecologic surgery represent 0.29% of admissions in the Department of Urology. The mean age was 31 years with extremes of 18 and 47 years. Etiological factors were dominated by caesarean section with 74.36% of cases. The main lesions observed were vesico-vaginal and uretero-vaginal fistulas respectively 43.6% and 41.2% of cases. The mean delay of diagnosis was 5 months (extreme: 7 days to 3 years). Urine leakage from the vagina was the main symptom. The surgical treatment consisted in 17 surgeries for vesico-vaginal fistulas, 16 surgeries for uretero-vesical reimplantation, 2 surgeries for termino terminal ureterorraphia, 2 surgeries for vesico-uterine fistulas and 1 surgery for hysterectomy. Healing was obtained in all ureteral injuries and we noted two cases of failure in vesico-vaginal fistula. Conclusion: urological complications of gynecologic surgery remain frequent. They are dominated by the vesico-vaginal and uretero-vaginal fistulas and the main etiology is caesarean section. The treatment is surgical in our context.

Early Post-Operative Complications in Surgeries Pertaining Oral and Maxillofacial Region in MNH, Tanzania

The Oral and maxillofacial region is one of the complex regions of the body considering the vast anatomical structures that are found in this region;head and neck surgery has potential for many complications, yet inadequate information on occurrence of post-operative complications in oral and maxillofacial surgeries in our setting has been documented. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of common early post-operative complications after oral and maxillofacial surgery in relationship to the underlying systemic condition. A descriptive postoperative study was done whereby patients who underwent oral and maxillofacial surgery were included. The included patients were those who underwent surgery for different pathological conditions, trauma, developmental/congenital conditions and inflammatory conditions to mention few. Demographic data, complications developed within one week post operative, and underlying systemic comorbidities before and after surgery were documented and analysed. A total of 102 patients were included in the study. The mean age of participants was 30.00 ± 17.01 years with a range of 2 to 81 years. Majority 43.1% (n = 44) had benign tumors with a leading diagnosis of ameloblastoma. In general, the most common complications which were noted in the cases included Pain 98% (n = 100) and Post-operative Swelling 97.1% (n = 99). The presence of underlying systemic comorbid conditions has a significant role in occurrence of some severe complications. The occurrence of complications does increase the duration of stay in the hospital hence increasing cost of treatment for which bearers are both patients and the hospital.

Trend of glaucoma internal filtration surgeries in a tertiary hospital in China

AIM:To evaluate the trend of glaucoma internal filtration surgeries for inpatients between 2015 and 2021 at the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University.METHODS:A review of the medical records of inpatients who had been diagnosed with glaucoma and received antiglaucoma surgery between January 1,2015 and December 31,2021 was conducted.The glaucoma diagnosis in this study included primary open angle glaucoma,primary angleclosure glaucoma,secondary glaucoma,and paediatric glaucoma.The types of surgeries were categorised as internal filtration,external filtration,and cyclodestruction surgery based on the pathway of aqueous humor outflow.The trend of these glaucoma surgeries in the sample of patients with different types of glaucoma was then analysed.RESULTS:The number of patients hospitalised for glaucoma surgery increased yearly,from 752 in 2015 to 1373 in 2021,at the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University.Regarding the patients diagnosed with primary open angle glaucoma,internal filtration surgery increased from 27.40%of the sample to 54.40%of the sample,while external filtration surgery decreased from 71.50%to 44.20%between 2015 and 2021.For paediatric glaucoma,internal filtration surgery increased from 37.50%in 2015 to 88.20%in 2021.Whilst different types of surgeries were performed on the sample of patients with secondary glaucoma,the proportion of internal filtration surgery also showed an increase from 18.20%in 2015 to 40.90%in 2021.Meanwhile,internal filtration surgery in the patient sample with primary angle-closure glaucoma already accounted for over 70.00%in 2015,and showed a small increase by 2021.CONCLUSION:As surgical technology and surgical experience continue to elevate and improve,the range of glaucoma surgeries are correspondingly evolving.This study find that internal filtration surgeries accounted for an increasing proportion of treatments in the surgical management of glaucoma between 2015 and 2021.

Comparison of clinical outcomes and postoperative recovery between two open heart surgeries:minimally invasive right subaxillary vertical thoracomy and traditional median sternotomy

Objective: To compare the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive right subaxillary vertical thoracotomy and traditional median stemotomy through right atrium in treatment of common congenital heart diseases. Methods: Clinical data of 59 cases of common congenital heart diseases treated with minimally invasive right axillary vertical thoracotomy from May, 2011 to February, 2013 and 77 cases of same diseases with traditional median stemotomy in the past three years were retrospectively analyzed, including atrial septal defect, membranous ventricular septal defect and partial endocardial cushion defect. The results were compared from the two groups, including the time for operation and cardiopulmonary bypass, amount of blood transfusion, postoperative drainage, ventilation time, hospital stay, and prognosis. Results: No severe complications happened in both groups, like deaths or secondary surgery caused by bleeding. No significant differences were in CPB time and postoperative ventilator time between groups (P>0.05), while for all of the operative time, the length of incision, postoperative drainage and hospital stay, minimally invasive right axillary vertical thoracotomy was superior to median stemotomy, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In six month followup after operation, no complications of residual deformity and pericardial effusion were found in both groups by doing echocardiography, but mild pectus carinatum was found in 8 patients in the traditional median sternotomy group (traditional group), whereas patients in another group were well recovered. Conclusions: Minimally invasive right subaxillary vertical thoracotomy for common congenital heart diseases is as safe as traditional median stemotomy, without the increasing incidence of postoperative complications. Additionally, compared with traditional median stemotomy, minimally - invasive right subaxillary vertical thoracotomy is better in the aspects of hidden incision, appearance, and postoperative recovery.

Ultrasound-guided Transversus Abdominis Plane Block Improves Postoperative Analgesia and Early Recovery in Patients Undergoing Retroperitoneoscopic Urologic Surgeries:A Randomized Controlled Double-blinded Trial

Objective To evaluate the effects of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane(TAP) block on postoperative analgesia and early recovery in patients undergoing retroperitoneoscopic urologic surgeries.Methods This was a randomized,controlled,double-blinded trial.Eligible patients scheduled for retroperitoneoscopic urologic surgeries were randomly assigned to two groups.Group TAP received ultrasound-guided TAP block with 0.5% ropivacaine 20 ml at 30 minutes before surgery,and Group C received TAP sham block with normal saline.All patients received retroperitoneoscopic urologic surgeries under general anesthesia.The primary outcome was the severity of pain after surgery.Secondary outcomes included opioids consumption,analgesics,postoperative nausea and vomiting,time to Foley catheter removal and to passage of flatus,length of post-anesthesia care unit stay and hospital stay.Results Eighty patients completed the study,forty cases in each group.Compared to the Group C,the Group TAP had lower visual analogue scale pain scores within two postoperative days(all P<0.05).They also had less consumption of intraoperative fentanyl(2.0±0.5 vs. 3.8±0.7 μg/kg,P<0.05),reduced incidence of postoperative rescue analgesic usage(12.5% vs. 45.0%,P<0.05),and lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting within postoperative 48 hours(12.5% vs. 25.0%,P<0.05) when compared to the Group C.In addition,Group TAP had a shortened post-anesthesia care unit stay(25±8 vs. 49±12 minutes,P<0.05),and a greater proportion of patients discharged within postoperative three days(57.5% vs. 35.0%,P<0.05).Conclusion Preoperative ultrasound-guided TAP block is an effective technique to improve postoperative analgesia and early recovery in patients undergoing retroperitoneoscopic urologic surgeries.

Effect of Surgeries on the Prognosis of 100 Patients with Malignant Glioma

objective To observe the effect of surgical therapy on the prognosis of Patients with malignant glioma. Methods Prospective study was performed on 100 cases of malignant glioma: 59 patients were treated with total resection grossly, 7 with subtotal resection, 32 with major excision and 2 with partial excision. Results The mean survival time of patients with total resection was 158.14 weeks, and the five years survival rate was over 24.56％ .The mean survival time of patients with subtotal resection was 149.56 weeks, in which 2 subjects survived over 5 years. Patients with major excision had the mean survival time of 138.54 weeks and the five years survival rate of 22.58％ .The 2 patients with partial excision survived 7 months and 30 months respectively. Conclusion We should perform total resection on patients with malignant glioma and stop partial excision or nonexcision.

Comparing the Surgical Outcomes of Modified Quad and Triangle Tilt Surgeries to other Procedures Performed in Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury

Purpose: To compare results from our surgical treatment experiences in children with obstetric brachial plexus injuries (OBPI), to those who have had other surgical treatments. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in our medical records consisting of two groups of OBPI patients. Group 1: 26 OBPI children (16 girls and 10 boys), age range between 2.0 and 12.0 (mean age 6.9), who have undergone surgical treatments at other institutions between 2005 and 2010. Group 2: 45 OBPI children (20 boys and 25 girls), age between 0.7 and 12.9 (mean age 3.7), who have had modified Quad and triangle tilt surgical treatment between 2005 and 2010 at our institution. In both groups Mean modified Mallet scores and radiological scores were measured and compared. All measurements were made at least one year post surgery in both groups. Results: Post-operative mean modified Mallet score was 11.8 ± 2.4 in group 1 patients, whereas post-mean modified Mallet score was 20 ± 2.7 (P 0.0001) following modified Quad and triangle tilt surgeries in group 2 patients. Further, their radiological scores such as posterior subluxation, and glenoid version were 13.4 ± 21.3 and ﹣30.2 ± 19.1 in group 1, whereas 32.1 ±13.5 (P 0.0004), and ﹣16.3 ± 11.5 (P 0.008) in group 2 patients, when compared to normal values of 50, and 0 respectively. Conclusion: Patients who have had mod Quad and triangle tilt for OBPI obtained significantly better functional outcomes in modified total Mallet score as well as in radiological scores, when compared to those OBPI children, who underwent other procedures such as posterior glenohumeral capsulorrhaphy, biceps tendon lengthening, humeral osteotomy, anterior capsule release, nerve transfer/graft, botox and muscle/tendon transfer and release.

Revisional Cochlear Implant Surgeries in Adults

Introduction: Cochlear implant (CI) surgery allows hearing reestablishment among individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. However, only few patients will need a surgical reassessment. Objectives: To verify the incidence of surgical reassessment among adult patients;to verify the reasons that led the second surgery to be performed;to verify the efficacy—and audiological outcomes—of revisional surgery. Method: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study was carried out with the review of medical records, of adult patients, with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who underwent to revisional surgery, from 2004 to 2016 at a CI Center, in Brazil. Results: One hundred fifty-eight CI surgeries were performed among 137 adult patients. Fourteen revisional surgeries were performed among 10 patients: five surgeries were due by displacement of the internal unit;one because of having excessive subcutaneous tissue;one due to non-progression of the electrodes during the initial surgery, one late tympanic membrane perforation, one late facial palsy and, one due to a suture dehiscence in the surgical incision with exposure of the internal unit. Conclusions: The incidence of surgical reassessment among adult CI patients was 8.9%. All implanted patients that underwent a new surgical approach maintained an improved auditory threshold after revisional CI surgery.

The Antiseptic Efficacy of Povidone-Iodine in Reducing Early Surgical Site Infections in Orthopaedic Implant Surgeries

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a dreaded nightmare for the Orthopaedic surgeon. Preoperative skin cleaning with antiseptics has been shown to reduce the microbial burden of the skin and results in reduced incidence of SSI. However, the ideal skin cleaning agent remains to be established. Aim: To compare the efficacy of Povidone-Iodine/Povidone-Iodine (PI-PI) combination with that of Chlorhexidine-Gluconate/Alcohol (CG-A) combination in re-ducing SSI in Orthopaedic surgeries. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled study. Subjects that met the selection criteria and gave consent were randomized into PI-PI group (test group) and the CG-A group (control group). Both the patients and the assessors for SSI were blinded to the group a participant belongs. Blocking was done on the type of surgery to cancel the confounding effect of surgery type on SSI. Standard perioperative protocols were applied to both groups. Assessment for features of SSI was done on the 3rd day, 7th day, 14th day, 6th week and 12th-week postoperative period. The diagnosis of SSI was made based on the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) guidelines. Results: We recruited 124 patients for this study, 62 males and 54 females. The mean age of the subjects was 37.5 years (SD = 14.7 years). Sixty-two subjects were randomized into each group. There was no significant difference in the distribution of the genders in the study arms. Other possible confounders such as duration of hospital stay, use of drains, the surgeon involved and age were evenly distributed in the two groups. Eight patients did not complete the study. The overall incidence of SSI in the study was 2.6%. Subjects in the control group had an SSI of 3.4% while those in the PI-PI group had a rate of 1.8%;however, this was not significant, p = 0.579. Conclusion: Both CG-A and PI-PI combinations are equally efficacious as preoperative skin antiseptic in Orthopaedic implant surgeries.

Can Simple Preoperative Hemoglobin Testing Screen Symptomatic Anemia in Patients Undergoing Ambulatory Surgeries in Third World Countries?

Background: Patients coming for ambulatory surgeries are mostly healthy adults and asymptomatic anemia in these patients is rare. According to international standards, perioperative period is not an appropriate setting to screen and investigate the cause of asymptomatic anemia, but in third world countries where iron deficiency is rampant, it is generally required as per local hospitals policy to test hemoglobin levels prior to any surgery in order to prevent morbidity. The purpose of our study is to look at the prevalence of anemia in patient undergoing minor elective ambulatory surgeries. Method: This was a cross sectional observational study conducted at tertiary care unit, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 385 ASA-I (American Society of Anesthesiologist) and II patient’s age ranged 18 - 60 years, scheduled for day care surgical procedures were enrolled in the study. Results: Anemia was detected in 74 (19.2%) patients and its prevalence was found to be higher in females and in patients above 50 years of age. However, the presence of anemia did not have any influence on the perioperative outcomes or management. Conclusion: The routine preoperative hemoglobin testing does not have any effect on the perioperative outcomes in asymptomatic patients who are planned for elective day care surgeries.

The Pattern and Cost of Palliative Surgeries in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma

Objective: To investigate the pattern of palliative surgeries and associated costs in patients with metastatic melanoma in the USA. Methods: This was a retrospective claims-based study of patients identified using administrative claims from MarketScan&reg?databases among patients with metastatic melanoma diagnosed between 2005 and 2011. Patient characteristics, patterns and cost of surgery, and length of hospital stay were evaluated. Results: Of the 2399 patients identified, 888 (37.0%) underwent at least one surgical procedure either in the outpatient or inpatient setting. The subgroup of patients who underwent surgery included significantly more patients with distant skin metastases compared to the subgroup who did not receive surgery;whereas significantly more patients in the non-surgery group had brain or bone metastases. Surgery performed in the outpatient setting was predominantly on the skin, whereas surgery on the brain was generally performed in the inpatient setting. The mean cost of the surgical procedures performed in the outpatient setting was $3393 (median: $1419) per procedure, which varied according to the location of the metastasis. For surgical procedures that were performed in the inpatient setting, the mean length of stay in hospital due to surgery was 4.4 (± 5.1) days, at a mean cost of $37,649 (median: $28,067) per hospitalization. Conclusions: Surgery is prevalent and costly in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Urologic Laparoscopic Surgeries in Elderly: Analysis of Pre-Operative Risk Factors and Postoperative Complications

Purpose: The aging of the population leads to increases in the prevalence of symptomatic urologic diseases. The aim of this study is the analysis of pre-operative risk factors and postoperative complications in patients over the age of 60 years undergoing elective laparoscopic urologic surgery. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of 113 patients 60 years of age or older who underwent urologic laparoscopic surgery by a single surgeon (SP). The preoperative physical status and systemic complications, operation time, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital stay and other clinical features of the patients were reviewed. Complications were classified according to the recently revised Clavien classification system. Statistical analysis was done using Univariate analysis and the Fisher Exact test. Results: Laparoscopic urologic surgery was performed on 113 patients 60 years old and over, with an average age of 69.6 years. Associated diseases were found in 92% of them. Pelvic surgery (65;57.5%) was the main reason for surgery. There were 5 (4.4%) conversions to open surgery and 0% mortality. The overall complication rate was 10 patients (8.8%). Among 9 (7.96%) patients with post-operative complications;Grade I, II, IIIa, IIIb and IV complications were observed in 1.77%, 12.8%, 3.53%, 0.88% and 0.88% of cases, respectively. Sex with male, operative time ≥ 250 min and cancer had high risk ratio (2.76, 2.11 and 3.02, respectively);however the correlations of all of preoperative risk factors and postoperative complications showed no statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgical treatment of urologic disease in elderly patients performed is feasible and well tolerated, with low perioperative morbidity and a good overall survival rate. Pre-operative risk factors may not influence postoperative complications in patients over the age of 60 years undergoing elective laparoscopic urologic surgery.

Outcome Values of Adding Sodium Bicarbonate, Dexamethasone and Fentanyl to Local Anesthetic in Peribulbar Block during Vitreoretinal Surgeries. A Randomized Prospective Study

Background and aims: we aimed to detect the outcome values of adding fentanyl, dexamethasone and sodium bicarbonate to mixture of local anesthetic in peribulbar block for vitreoretinal surgery. Methods: 120 adult ASA I & II patients, admitted for vitreoretinal surgery under peribulbar block were included in this comparative study. This study included 4 groups: Group I: (30) patients using a mixture of 1 ml normal saline, 4 ml lidocaine 2% plus 4 ml from bupivacaine 0.5% 20 ml vial containing hyaluronidase 1500 IU. Group II: (30) patients using a mixture of 1 ml of sodium bicarbonate (from 1 ml sodium bicarbonate 8.4% diluted in 10 ml normal saline), 4 ml lidocaine 2% plus 4 ml from bupivacaine 0.5% 20 ml vial containing hyaluronidase 1500 IU. Group III: (30) patients using a mixture of 1 ml fentanyl 20 μg (from a mixture of fentanyl 100 μg diluted in 5 ml normal saline), 4 ml lidocaine 2% plus 4 ml from bupivacaine 0.5% 20 ml vial containing hyaluronidase 1500 IU. Group IV: (30) patients using a mixture of 1 ml of 4 mg dexamethasone (1 ampoule = 8 mg/2 ml), 4 ml lidocaine 2% plus 4 ml from bupivacaine 0.5% 20 ml vial containing hyaluronidase 1500 IU. We measured the onset and duration of anesthesia, IOP, eyelid and global akinesia, postoperative pain by numerical pain rating scale, first analgesic requirement and postoperative side effects. Results: No significant differences were detected among the four groups as respect to age, sex and the intraocular pressure (IOP) before the anesthesia block. While the intraocular pressure (IOP) after the anesthesia block there was a significant difference, as IOP was markedly decreased postoperatively in group II compared with other groups. As regard to the onset & duration of anesthesia there was significant difference among all groups, there was rapid onset and prolonged duration of anesthesia in group III compared with other groups (1.77 ± 0.63 & 5.03 ± 0.89) respectively. As regard the onset of lid akinesia there was significant difference among the four groups with better outcome in group III, as in group III represented the most rapid onset of lid akinesia. As respecting to the onset of global akinesia there was significant difference among the four groups. There was better outcome in group III as it represented more rapid onset of global akinesia compared with other groups. There were significant differences among the four groups as regard postoperative pain all over 6 hours, better results were in group III (0.27 ± 0.69) compared with group I (2.23 ± 1.17), group II (2.00 ± 1.70), group IV (0.67 ± 0.71). As regarding to the first time for analgesic requirement there were significant differences among groups, there was no request for analgesia with better outcome in group III with increasing need to the analgesic medication in group I compared to group II and group IV. As regard side effects postoperatively there were few side effects in all groups with few numbers of cases in groups III only one patient. Although these differences in number of patients are not significant among the four groups. Conclusion: Addition of sodium bicarbonate to local anesthetic mixture was the best way in lowering the IOP other than other groups and addition of fentanyl to local anesthesia provided more rapid onset and duration of anesthesia, more rapid onset and duration for lid and global akinesia, less pain, less analgesic requirement and minimal side effects than the other groups.