Intraoperative Surgical Management Research Articles

Tumor-Promoted Changes in Pediatric Brain Histology Can Be Distinguished from Normal Parenchyma by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the second most frequent type of neoplasm in childhood and adolescence, after leukemia. Despite the incorporation of molecular classification and improvement of protocols combining chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, CNS tumors are still the most lethal neoplasm in this age group. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool to map the distribution of molecular species in tissue sections. Among MSI techniques, desorption electrospray ionization (DESI-MSI) has been demonstrated to enable reliable agreement with the pathological evaluation of different adult cancer types, along with an acceptable time scale for intraoperative use. Methods: In the present work, we aimed to investigate the chemical profile obtained by DESI-MSI as an intraoperative surgical management tool by profiling 162 pediatric brain biopsies and reporting the results according to the histopathology and molecular profile of the tumors. Results: The 2D chemical images obtained by DESI-MSI allowed us to distinguish tumor-transformed tissue from non-tumor tissue with an accuracy of 96.8% in the training set and 94.3% in the validation set after statistical modeling of our data using Lasso. In addition, high-grade and low-grade tumors also displayed a distinct chemical profile when analyzed by DESI-MSI. We also provided evidence that the chemical profile of brain tumors obtained by DESI-MSI correlates with methylation-based molecular classes and specific immunophenotypes found in brain biopsies. Conclusions: The results presented herein support the incorporation of DESI-MSI analysis as an intraoperative assistive tool in prospective clinical trials for pediatric brain tumors management in the near future.

ICG-Fluorescence Imaging for Margin Assessment During Minimally Invasive Colorectal Liver Metastasis Resection

Unintended tumor-positive resection margins occur frequently during minimally invasive surgery for colorectal liver metastases and potentially negatively influence oncologic outcomes. To assess whether indocyanine green (ICG)-fluorescence-guided surgery is associated with achieving a higher radical resection rate in minimally invasive colorectal liver metastasis surgery and to assess the accuracy of ICG fluorescence for predicting the resection margin status. The MIMIC (Minimally Invasive, Indocyanine-Guided Metastasectomy in Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastases) trial was designed as a prospective single-arm multicenter cohort study in 8 Dutch liver surgery centers. Patients were scheduled to undergo minimally invasive (laparoscopic or robot-assisted) resections of colorectal liver metastases between September 1, 2018, and June 30, 2021. All patients received a single intravenous bolus of 10 mg of ICG 24 hours prior to surgery. During surgery, ICG-fluorescence imaging was used as an adjunct to ultrasonography and regular laparoscopy to guide and assess the resection margin in real time. The ICG-fluorescence imaging was performed during and after liver parenchymal transection to enable real-time assessment of the tumor margin. Absence of ICG fluorescence was favorable both during transection and in the tumor bed directly after resection. The primary outcome measure was the radical (R0) resection rate, defined by the percentage of colorectal liver metastases resected with at least a 1 mm distance between the tumor and resection plane. Secondary outcomes were the accuracy of ICG fluorescence in detecting margin-positive (R1; <1 mm margin) resections and the change in surgical management. In total, 225 patients were enrolled, of whom 201 (116 [57.7%] male; median age, 65 [IQR, 57-72] years) with 316 histologically proven colorectal liver metastases were included in the final analysis. The overall R0 resection rate was 92.4%. Re-resection of ICG-fluorescent tissue in the resection cavity was associated with a 5.0% increase in the R0 percentage (from 87.4% to 92.4%; P < .001). The sensitivity and specificity for real-time resection margin assessment were 60% and 90%, respectively (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.751; 95% CI, 0.668-0.833), with a positive predictive value of 54% and a negative predictive value of 92%. After training and proctoring of the first procedures, participating centers that were new to the technique had a comparable false-positive rate for predicting R1 resections during the first 10 procedures (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.44-4.24). The ICG-fluorescence imaging was associated with changes in intraoperative surgical management in 56 (27.9%) of the patients. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, ICG-fluorescence imaging was associated with an increased rate of tumor margin-negative resection and changes in surgical management in more than one-quarter of the patients. The absence of ICG fluorescence during liver parenchymal transection predicted an R0 resection with 92% accuracy. These results suggest that use of ICG fluorescence may provide real-time feedback of the tumor margin and a higher rate of complete oncologic resection.

Development and prospective validation of an artificial intelligence-based smartphone app for rapid intraoperative pituitary adenoma identification

BackgroundIntraoperative pathology consultation plays a crucial role in tumor surgery. The ability to accurately and rapidly distinguish tumor from normal tissue can greatly impact intraoperative surgical oncology management. However, this is dependent on the availability of a specialized pathologist for a reliable diagnosis. We developed and prospectively validated an artificial intelligence-based smartphone app capable of differentiating between pituitary adenoma and normal pituitary gland using stimulated Raman histology, almost instantly.MethodsThe study consisted of three parts. After data collection (part 1) and development of a deep learning-based smartphone app (part 2), we conducted a prospective study that included 40 consecutive patients with 194 samples to evaluate the app in real-time in a surgical setting (part 3). The smartphone app’s sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were evaluated by comparing the diagnosis rendered by the app to the ground-truth diagnosis set by a neuropathologist.ResultsThe app exhibits a sensitivity of 96.1% (95% CI: 89.9–99.0%), specificity of 92.7% (95% CI: 74–99.3%), positive predictive value of 98% (95% CI: 92.2–99.8%), and negative predictive value of 86.4% (95% CI: 66.2–96.8%). An external validation of the smartphone app on 40 different adenoma tumors and a total of 191 scanned SRH specimens from a public database shows a sensitivity of 93.7% (95% CI: 89.3–96.7%).ConclusionsThe app can be readily expanded and repurposed to work on different types of tumors and optical images. Rapid recognition of normal versus tumor tissue during surgery may contribute to improved intraoperative surgical management and oncologic outcomes. In addition to the accelerated pathological assessments during surgery, this platform can be of great benefit in community hospitals and developing countries, where immediate access to a specialized pathologist during surgery is limited.

Performance of intraoperative surgical smoke management technologies for laparoscopic surgery: A comparative in-vivo pig study

BackgroundVarious technologies exist to remove surgical smoke. Despite high significance in surgical practice, comparative in-vivo performance data are missing. Study designThe performance of five smoke management technologies (venting, passive filtering, active filtering, circular filtration, electrostatic precipitation) was analysed in-vivo by three different laparoscopic interventions (cholecystectomy, atypic liver resection, colon surgery) with high-energy surgical instruments. Surgical smoke formation/evacuation was characterised by various aerosol-analytical instruments. In addition, operational parameters like CO2 consumption and capnoperitoneal pressure were determined. ResultsThe half-life of particle concentration was found to be a suitable parameter to describe smoke elimination efficacy and varied between (10 - 45) s. It is shown that the efficacy of smoke elimination technologies based on particle removal by evacuation can also be predicted by simple equations. Furthermore, it was found that the combination of surgical cutter and tissue defines charge and polarity of surgical smoke that influences especially the efficacy of electrostatic precipitation. Depending on the smoke elimination technology, the CO2 consumption varied between (0.5 - 16) L/min, the capnoperitoneal stability between (2 - 17) %. ConclusionsEach smoke elimination technology showed advantages and disadvantages. Simple charcoal filters rapidly degrade and should be exchanged regularly during surgery. Active filtering is efficient for smoke management, but the unstable capnoperitoneum interferes with surgery. Circular filtration forms a stable capnoperitoneum, but the valveless trocar promotes relevant levels of smoke release into the environment. Electrostatic precipitation was found to be most efficient for smoke management with minimal CO2 consumption and highly-stable capnoperitoneum.

A prospective study of chronic postsurgical pain in elderly patients: incidence, characteristics and risk factors

BackgroundDue to the continued growth of surgical procedures in older adults and the significant impact of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), it is crucial to improve our understanding of the occurrence of CPSP as well as the appropriate prevention and treatment. We therefore conducted this study to determine the incidence, characteristics and risk factors of CPSP in elderly patients at both 3 and 6 months after surgery.MethodsElderly patients (aged ≥ 60 years) undergoing elective surgery in our institution between April 2018 and March 2020 were prospectively enrolled in this study. Data on demographics, preoperative psychological well-being, intraoperative surgical and anesthesia management, and acute postoperative pain intensity were collected. At 3 and 6 months after surgery, patients received telephone interview and completed the questionnaires regarding chronic pain characteristics, analgesic consumption, and interference of the pain with activities of daily living (ADL).ResultsA total of 1065 elderly patients were followed up for 6 postoperative months and included in final analysis. At 3 and 6 months after operation, the incidence of CPSP was 35.6% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 32.7 − 38.8%] and 21.5% (95% CI 19.0% − 23.9%), respectively. CPSP cause negative impacts on patient’s ADL and most particularly on mood. Neuropathic features were found in 45.1% of the patients with CPSP at 3 months. At 6 months, 31.0% of those with CPSP reported that the pain had neuropathic features. Preoperative anxiety [3 months: Odds ratio (OR) 2.244, 95% CI 1.693 to 2.973; 6 months: OR 2.397, 95% CI 1.745 to 3.294], preoperative depression (3 months: OR 1.709, 95% CI 1.292 to 2.261; 6 months: OR 1.565, 95% CI 1.136–2.156), orthopedic surgery (3 months: OR 1.927, 95% CI 1.112 to 3.341; 6 months: OR 2.484, 95% CI 1.220 to 5.061), higher pain severity on movement within postoperative 24 h (3 months: OR 1.317, 95% CI 1.191 to 1.457; 6 months: OR 1.317, 95% CI 1.177 to 1.475) were associated with a higher risk for CPSP independently at both 3 and 6 months after surgery.ConclusionsCPSP is a common postoperative complication in elderly surgical patients. Preoperative anxiety and depression, orthopedic surgery, and greater intensity of acute postoperative pain on movement are associated with an increased risk for CPSP. It should be kept in mind that developing psychological interventions to reduce anxiety and depression and optimizing the management of acute postoperative pain will be effective in reducing the development of CPSP in this population.

Value of intra-operative epiaortic scanning in patients submitted for coronary artery bypass grafting

The aim of the work to assess the value of epiaortic ultrasound prevention of stroke and other postoperative complications, and whether its use leads to changes of planned intra-operative surgical management in patients undergoing CABG surgery compared its performance to TEE. 100 patients who underwent primary isolated CABG from may 2016 into may 2017 as it represent 40% of total primary isolated CABG was done in this time. Patients were prospectively randomized into Two groups. These study was performed in KOBRY EL KOBA Military Hospital. Patients were divided into Epiaortic group "Group A" and TEE &amp; palpation group "Group B ". The primary endpoint of this study was an incidence of early post-operative stroke. The secondary endpoint of this study was an incidence of early post-operative MI, AF, renal failure, deep wound infection.

Prediction of pathological grading of high-risk solitary pulmonary nodules based on CT imaging deep learning: A multi-centric study.

e13577 Background: Histopathological classification of operable early-stage lung adenocarcinoma may influence the intraoperative surgical decision and postoperative management for patients. However, it is difficult to comprehensively evaluate the grade of risk of operable lung adenocarcinoma based on preoperative CT imaging alone. Therefore, we aimed to establish a pathological grading model for patients with pulmonary nodules through preoperative CT imaging. Methods: This was a diagnostic, retrospective, multi-centric study conducted in two independent centers from January 1, 2019, to June 1, 2021. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 396 patients were included from two centers and were diagnosed as stage IA lung invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC). Patients (n=308) from the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital with solitary pulmonary nodules were randomly divided into the training cohort (n=222) and the internal validation cohort (n=86). Patients from the Jiangxi Cancer Hospital comprised the external cohort (n=88). Their clinical characteristics and preoperative CT images were collected at the same high-quality standard. Extracted radiomic features from tumor and peritumor areas were selected via the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm for a radiomics model (RM) construction. Logistic Regression analysis was conducted to develop a novel multi-parameter model (MPM) that integrated clinical characteristics and radiomic features. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) was calculated to compare the prediction performance of models. Results: The MPM composed of clinical characteristics and radiomic features performed better than RM. It achieved good predictive value for high-risk IAC. The AUC of MPM in the training cohort was 0.87 (95%CI, 0.81-0.92), which achieved better identification performance than the RM (See Table). Similarly, model comparisons were conducted in the two validation cohorts in which the MPM gained high AUC values of 0.78 (95%CI, 0.68-0.88) and 0.83 (95%CI, 0.74-0.91), respectively. In addition, the sensitivity of MPM was higher than 80.0% in the three cohorts. Conclusions: The MPM may be a practical and reliable tool for predicting the pathological risk of patients with solitary pulmonary nodules. [Table: see text]

Accuracy and Reproducibility of Frozen Section Diagnosis in Ovarian Tumors

Intraoperative consultation-frozen section diagnosis (FSD)-determines tumor pathology and guides the optimal surgical management of ovarian neoplasms intraoperatively. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the FSD and analyze the discrepancy between the FSD and final diagnosis. This is a retrospective study of 618 ovarian neoplasm FSDs from 2009 to 2018 at a tertiary health care center. The discrepant cases were reviewed and reevaluated by gynecologic and general surgical pathologists. The outcomes of interest were performing unnecessary procedure, returning for a second surgery, and 30-day postoperative mortality. The sensitivity and the positive predictive value of the FSD were lower in borderline tumors than in benign and malignant epithelial ovarian tumors. Major and minor discrepancies were identified in 5.3% (33 of 618) and 12.3% of (76 of 618) cases, respectively. A root cause analysis of the major discrepant cases showed that sampling error accounted for 43% (14 of 33). The discrepancy distributions of gynecologic and general surgical pathologists were statistically similar in the overall cohort (P = .65). The overall κ for diagnostic agreement among gynecologic pathologists, general surgical pathologists, and final diagnosis was 0.18 (0.10-0.26, P < .001), implying only a slight overall agreement. Of the major discrepant cases, only 3 had a clinical implication. One overdiagnosed patient underwent an unecessary procedure, and 2 underdiagnosed patients were recommended to return for a second surgery. No patient had 30-day postoperative mortality. Frozen section diagnosis remains a definitive diagnostic tool in ovarian neoplasms and plays a crucial role in guiding intraoperative surgical management.

Carotid endarterectomy remains safe in high-risk patients

ObjectiveCarotid endarterectomy (CEA) is a proven intervention for stroke risk reduction in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. High-risk patients are often offered carotid stenting to minimize the risk and optimize the outcomes. As a referral center for high-risk patients, we evaluated and analyzed our experience with high-risk CEA patients. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who had undergone CEA at a tertiary referral center. The demographics, indications for surgery, physiologic and anatomic risk factors, intraoperative surgical management, perioperative complications, morbidity, and mortality were analyzed. The high-risk physiologic factors identified included an ejection fraction <30%, positive preoperative stress test results, and compromised pulmonary function test results. The high-risk patients included those requiring home oxygen, those with a partial pressure of oxygen of <60 mm Hg, and patients with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of <30%. The high-risk anatomic factors identified included previous head and/or neck radiation, a history of ipsilateral neck surgery, contralateral nerve palsy, redo CEA, previous ipsilateral stenting, contralateral occlusion, contralateral CEA, nasotracheal intubation, and digastric muscle division. After propensity score matching, patients with and without high-risk physiologic and anatomic factors were compared. The primary outcomes were a composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were cranial injury and surgical site infection. ResultsDuring a 10-year period, 1347 patients had undergone CEA at the Cleveland Clinic main campus. Of the 1347 patients, 1152 met the criteria for analysis. Propensity score matching found adequate matches for 424 high-risk patients, with 173 patients having at least one physiologic high-risk factor and 293 at least one anatomic high-risk factor. No significant differences were found in the primary composite outcome or any of its components. Overall, the stroke rate for the standard-risk and high-risk patients was 1.9% and 1.4%, respectively. The high-risk patients were significantly more likely to have experienced a cranial nerve injury, although most were temporary. When patients with one or multiple risk factors were analyzed, no significant difference was found in the primary composite outcome or any of its components. Patients with two or more risk factors were significantly more likely to have experienced a cranial nerve injury, with most being temporary. ConclusionsIn our large series, CEA remained a viable and safe surgical solution for patients with high-risk anatomic and physiologic risk factors, with acceptable stroke, myocardial infarction, and 30-day mortality rates.

An Uncommon An Uncommon Cause of Acute Abdomen in Underprivileged Communities

Oftentimes general surgeons working in poorly resourced communities carry out emergency abdominal surgery in patients with acute abdomen with no definitive preoperative diagnosis. The definitive diagnosis is made at laparotomy. Perforated small bowel obstruction secondary to heavy Infestation with Ascaris Lumbricoides brings a number of intraoperative challenges requiring correct intraoperative surgical management decisions. We present a case of a 17 year-old patient who was admitted with a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction who at laparotomy was found to have perforated gangrenous small bowel volvulus with heavy worm load visible through the bowel wall. Because of faecal peritoneal contamination and haemodynamic instability she underwent a two staged procedure with good outcome.

Abstract WMP69: Imaging Analysis to Assess Stroke Mechanism in Aortic Dissection

Introduction: Stroke is a frequent complication in patients having surgery for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection (ATAAD) where a variety of neurocirculatory techniques are used to reconstruct the arch. In order for surgeons to prevent stroke, first an understanding of the dynamic hemodynamic processes that cause stroke is required. Objective of this study is to determine radiological characteristics and mechanisms of stroke in ATAAD. So far, surgical literature has only reported on incidence. Methods: From 2006-2016, of 189 ATAAD patients at a single centre, 42 had a stroke. Charts and brain imaging were reviewed by 2 Neurologists. Great vessel pathology along with willisian collateral status was identified. Stroke territory (anterior or posterior circulation), distribution (unilateral or bilateral) and number of lesions were identified. Mechanism of stroke was classified as hypoperfusion (water-shed, borderzone pattern), embolic (cortical multiple or wedge shaped) or combined. Results: All strokes were ischemic. Mean patient age 60.1 +/- 13.1 years. Stroke was diagnosed a median 3.0 days (IQR = 5.1) post operatively. NIHSS classification was mild in 7%, moderate in 81% and 12% had severe. Most strokes were multiple (65%) and in the anterior circulation (88% vs. 32 % posterior). Most patients had an embolic pattern of stroke (45% vs. 36% hypoperfusion vs 17% mixed). Detailed clinical and radiologic data are shown in Table 1. Conclusion: Stroke after ATAAD is ischemic, predominantly embolic, involves both hemispheres and results in significant morbidity. It remains unclear if stroke is a result of the dissection disease process extending to the brain vs. iatrogenically caused by choice and methodology of intraoperative surgical neurocirculatory management strategies used to reconstruct the aorta. Further studies will look for associations between pre-operative cerebrovascular abnormalities, intra-operative management, and mechanisms of stroke.

Rule-based medical device adaptation for the digital operating room.

A workflow-driven cooperative operating room needs to be established in order to successfully unburden the surgeon and the operating room staff very time-consuming information-seeking and configuration tasks. We propose an approach towards the integration of intraoperative surgical workflow management and integration technologies. The concept of rule-based behavior is adapted to situation-aware medical devices. A prototype was implemented and experiments with sixty recorded brain tumor removal procedures were conducted to test the proposed approach. An analysis of the recordings indicated numerous applications, such as automatic display configuration, room light adaptation and pre-configuration of medical devices and systems.

Does three-dimensional intraoperative specimen imaging reduce the need for re-excision in breast cancer patients? A prospective cohort study

BackgroundStandard two-dimensional (2D) specimen radiography may guide intraoperative re-excision of margins in patients undergoing breast conserving surgery. We sought to determine the impact of three-dimensional (3D) specimen imaging in further reducing positive margin rates. MethodsA prospective study of 100 patients in which both 2D and 3D specimen radiographies were performed. The impact of orthogonal view on intraoperative surgical management and final margins was assessed. ResultsTen patients had no residual tumor; therefore, 90 patients formed the cohort of interest. Of them, 21 patients (23.3%) had ductal carcinoma in situ; 18 (20.0%) had invasive cancer; and 51 (56.7%) had both. Median tumor size was 1.7 cm (range, .2 to 8.1 cm). On the basis of 2D imaging, surgeons stated they would take more tissue in 26 patients (28.9%). Three-dimensional imaging changed management in 4 patients (6.3%). One of these patients would have had positive margins if the intraoperative resection done on the basis of the 3D imaging would have been omitted. ConclusionsThree-dimensional specimen imaging results in further intraoperative re-excision in 6.3% of patients and may reduce re-excision rates in 2.2%.

Intuitiveness, quality and utility of intraoperative fluorescence videoangiography: Australian Neurosurgical Experience

Introduction: The authors have undertaken a study of their intraoperative experience with indocyanine green fluorescence videoangiography (ICGFV). In particular, the intuitiveness, image quality and clinical utility of this technology have been assessed.Methods: The records of forty-six consecutive craniotomies utilising ICGFV have been retrospectively reviewed: There were 27 aneurysms, 2 extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypasses, 5 arteriovenous malformations (AVM), 1 dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), 3 cavernomas, 5 meningiomas, and 3 gliomas. ICGFV was used in 5 awake-craniotomy patients. ICGFV was performed using a Leica OH4 surgical microscope with integrated near-infrared camera and ICG-PULSION.Results: All attempts of intraoperative ICGFV were intuitive. Image quality and resolution were excellent. Arterial and venous phases were comparable to digital subtraction angiography (DSA) but field of view was relatively limited. In 12 operations (26%) the surgeon was substantially benefited from ICGFV findings. In 22 operations (48%), ICGFV was useful but did not influence surgical management. ICGFV was of no benefit in 11 operations (24%) and was misleading in 1 (2%). In this series, ICGFV was of benefit to 1 of 11 (9%) patients with an intracranial neoplasm or cavernoma.Conclusions: ICGFV is safe, intuitive and provides neurosurgeons with high quality, valuable, real-time imaging of cerebrovascular anatomy. It can assist in intraoperative surgical management and/or stroke prevention particularly during aneurysm clipping, EC-IC bypass and AVM/DAVF surgery.

Epiaortic Scanning Modifies Planned Intraoperative Surgical Management But Not Cerebral Embolic Load During Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Patients with aortic atheroma are at increased risk for neurological injury after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. We sought to determine the role of epiaortic ultrasound scanning for reducing cerebral embolic load, and whether its use leads to changes of planned intraoperative surgical management in patients undergoing CABG surgery. Patients >70-yr-of-age scheduled for CABG surgery were prospectively randomized to either an epiaortic scanning (EAS) group (aortic manipulation guided by epiaortic ultrasound) or a control group (manual aortic palpation without EAS). All patients received a comprehensive transesophageal echocardiographic examination. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) was used to monitor the middle cerebral arteries for emboli continuously from 2 min before aortic cannulation to 2 min after aortic decannulation. Neurological assessment was performed with the National Institute of Health stroke scale before surgery and at hospital discharge. The NEECHAM confusion scale was used for assessment and monitoring of patient global cognitive function on each day after surgery until hospital discharge. Intraoperative surgical management was changed in 16 of 55 (29%) patients in the EAS group and in 7 of 58 (12%) patients in the control group (P = 0.025). These changes included adjustments of the ascending aorta cannulation site for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the avoidance of aortic cross-clamping by using ventricular fibrillatory arrest during surgery, or by conversion to off-pump surgery. During surgery, 7 of 58 (12%) patients in the control group crossed over to the EAS group based on the results of manual aortic palpation. The median [range] TCD detected cerebral embolic count did not differ between the EAS and control groups during aortic manipulations (EAS, 11.5 [1-516] vs control, 22.0 [1-160], P = 0.91) or during CPB (EAS, 42.0 [4-516] vs control, 63.0 [5-758], P = 0.46). The NEECHAM confusion scores and National Institute of Health stroke scale scores were similar between the two groups. These results show that the use of EAS led to modifications in intraoperative surgical management in almost one-third of patients undergoing CABG surgery. The use of EAS did not lead to a reduced number of TCD-detected cerebral emboli before or during CPB.

Detection of breast cancer metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes using intra-operative real time PCR assay

11050 Background: Patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases will need delayed completion axillary lymph node dissection, if intra-operative assessment is not employed. Intra-operative assessment is not routinely performed in the UK due to poor sensitivity of available methods and overburdened pathology resources. A real-time PCR assay can be performed in ∼40 minutes and has high sensitivity and specificity when compared to permanent section H&E histology. We conducted a prospective clinical validation study of the GeneSearch™ Breast Lymph Node (BLN) Assay (Veridex, LLC) to confirm its potential usefulness within the UK healthcare system. Methods: The assay utilizes 50% of the lymph node to detect the presence of ck-19 and mammaglobin mRNA. Internal and external controls confirm a valid result. The assay has been calibrated to detect metastases > 0.2 mm. Assay results are compared to H&E performed on each face of ∼2 mm alternating node slabs. Results: Results on 124 SLNs from 83 subjects confirm the excellent performance of the assay: sensitivity 80% (22 SLNs, 10 patients) & specificity 94.4% (102 SLNs, 72 subjects). Five of the assay & histology positive SLNs contained macrometastases (>2.0 mm), 2 contained a micrometastasis (0.2 - 2.0 mm), and 1 contained a focus of undetermined size > 0.2 mm. Four assay positive/histology negative SLNs from were obtained. Two had isolated tumor cells seen by histology. Two assay negative/histology positive SLNs were both micrometastases. Conclusions: Intra- operative assessment of the SLN can be rapidly and accurately performed using the GeneSearch™ BLN Assay. Our results confirm the assay’s high sensitivity and specificity. The assay is being carried out and the results interpreted without difficulty by a trained biomedical scientist in our pathology laboratory within the operating theatre complex and does not require an expert histopathologist. The assay allows more thorough node analysis, reducing sampling error and improves intra-operative surgical management of breast cancer patients. Additionally the UK cost model presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (abstract #3012) indicates that the assay costs slightly less than overall cost of current methods, specifically in the area of preventing second surgeries. Author Disclosure Employment or Leadership Consultant or Advisory Role Stock Ownership Honoraria Research Expert Testimony Other Remuneration Veridex Veridex

Esophageal-Left Atrial Fistula: Intraoperative Diagnosis and Management

Nontraumatic esophageal-atrial fistulas are usually fatal and are diagnosed postmortem. We report a rare case of intraoperative diagnosis and successful surgical management of an esophageal-left atrial fistula in a 70-year-old woman with a history of brachytherapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for esophageal cancer who presented with progressive dysphagia and hematemesis.

Orthotopic Total Aortic Root Replacement Model in Adult Sheep

Prosthetic heart valves undergo mandatory preclinical animal testing prior to human clinical trials. Historically, a non-site-specific placement of a valve prosthesis has been commonly performed; however, recently site-specific placement continues to attract interest. Various animal models have been used for preclinical evaluation of both aortic and mitral valve prostheses; however, a universally accepted animal model for orthotopic total aortic root replacement with acceptable early and late mortality for long-term evaluation has been lacking. This article reports a successful orthotopic model for placement of tissue valve conduit prosthesis for total aortic root replacement in adult sheep. This model utilized preoperative echocardiographic assessment, specific intraoperative surgical techniques, and both early and late postoperative management therapies. The combination of all of these components resulted in a successful model for orthotopic placement of a tissue valve prosthesis for total aortic root replacement in adult sheep for potential long-term assessment.

Surgical Crisis Management Skills Training and Assessment

Intraoperative surgical crisis management is learned in an unstructured manner. In aviation, simulation training allows aircrews to coordinate and standardize recovery strategies. Our aim was to develop a surgical crisis simulation and evaluate its feasibility, realism, and validity of the measures used to assess performance. Surgical trainees were exposed to a bleeding crisis in a simulated operating theater. Assessment of performance consisted of a trainee's technical ability to control the bleeding and of their team/human factors skills. This assessment was performed in a blinded manner by 2 surgeons and one human factors expert. Other measures consisted of time measures such as time to diagnose the bleeding (TD), inform team members (TT), achieve control (TC), and close the laceration (TL). Blood loss was used as a surrogate outcome measures. There were considerable variations within both senior (n = 10) and junior (n = 10) trainees for technical and team skills. However, while the senior trainees scored higher than the juniors for technical skills (P = 0.001), there were no differences in human factors skills. There were also significant differences between the 2 groups for TD (P = 0.01), TC (P = 0.001), and TL (0.001). The blood loss was higher in the junior group. We have described the development of a novel simulated setting for the training of crisis management skills and the variability in performance both in between and within the 2 groups.

The value of frozen section in intraoperative surgical management of thyroid follicular carcinoma.

Preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis of follicular carcinoma (FC), resulting in one-stage surgical treatment of follicular thyroid tumors, is an important issue in thyroid surgery. In the 10-year period there were 4158 operations performed on thyroid gland. There were 1559 patients with follicular tumors, 70 (4.4%) of them having FC. We analyzed the groups of patients with FC determined on frozen section (FS) and permanent section (PS) according to duration of clinical symptoms, ultrasound (US) examination, tumor size, patient gender and age, intensity of invasion, localization, and multiple or solitary occurrence of tumor. FC was diagnosed in 39 (55.7%) patients on frozen section (FS). Among the encapsulated (minimal invasion) carcinomas, the FS was accurate in 19 of 33 (57.6%) FC and in 5 of 15 (27.8%) Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCC); among extensively invasive carcinoma in 11 of 14 (78.6%) FC and in 4 of 5 (80.0%) HCC. FC was significantly more common in men (p <.001) and in the right lobe (p <.05). We did not find statistically significant differences concerning duration of symptoms, US examination, tumor size, patient age, and multiple or solitary occurrence of the tumor between the patients with FC diagnosed on FS and the patients with FC diagnosed on PS. The intraoperative diagnosis of FC is difficult. Although the percentage of false-negative results was relatively high (44.3%), there were no false-positive results. This means that the second operation was avoided in 55.7% of the patients, and no unnecessary thyroidectomies were performed. FS biopsy is an important method in surgery of follicular tumors. Improved technical support and the ability to analyze a greater number of slides will increase the accuracy of the method.