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Ralf Kolvenbach

Publications and source records attributed to Ralf Kolvenbach.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Combining open and endovascular surgery for the treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm: a case report using a hybrid vascular graft.

Migration and endoleaks after endovascular exclusion of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm may lead to long-term failure of the stent graft. We report a successful case of a novel technique that combined open and endovascular surgery to address the issues of migration and endoleak in the repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The hybrid graft, consisting of a proximal, conventional Dacron graft and two distal endoprosthesis limbs, was designed to reduce aortic cross-clamp time in aortic procedures. This is the first reported clinical experience with this new hybrid vascular graft for the treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

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PubMed2005

Totally laparoscopic explantation of migrated stent graft after endovascular aneurysm repair: a report of two cases.

This report describes the removal of two migrated stent grafts and the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms by laparoscopic technique. In these two cases, endovascular treatment was not indicated because of device migration into the aneurysm and the presence of thrombus within the endografts. Operative times were 245 and 230 minutes, with aortic clamp times of 95 and 66 minutes. The patients were extubated immediately after the procedure, resumed a normal diet on postoperative day 2, and were discharged home on postoperative days 5 and 6. We believe these are the first reported cases of laparoscopic explantation of migrated aortic stent grafts in the literature.

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PubMed2005

Minilaparotomy for aortoiliac aneurysmal disease: experience and review of the literature.

Vascular surgery is evolving, as other specialities, toward minimally invasive techniques. Presently, 3 approaches to aortoiliac disease are suggested as minimally invasive. Besides the endovascular procedures, laparoscopic techniques and minilaparotomy are being advocated. Although for aneurysmal disease, we favor a totally laparoscopic approach, criticisms raised over laparoscopy-assisted techniques by those advocating minilaparotomy led us to investigate the benefits of the latter technique. We first evaluated the procedure in 7 patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We found the procedure impossible to perform with an 8- to 10-cm incision in 6 of the 7 patients. This led us to evaluate causes of failure of the technique. It appeared to us that most of our complications were related to inadequate exposure. Fifty consecutive computed tomography scans from patients with AAA of surgical size were then reviewed to evaluate the aneurysm lengths and compare them to the reported lengths of skin incision for minilaparotomy. Results were expressed adding a total of 2 cm for proximal and distal clamping. Only 2% of patients would present with aneurysms suitable for treatment through an 8-cm midline incision and 30% through a 10-cm incision. We then reviewed the literature on minilaparotomy. We believe that minilaparotomy should be reserved for those patients with purely aortic disease and the appropriate body habitus.

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PubMed2004

Total laparoscopically and robotically assisted aortic aneurysm surgery: a critical evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopically assisted aortic aneurysm resection requiring a minilaparotomy can be performed as a routine procedure. It was the purpose of our study to evaluate whether a total laparoscopic operation can be offered to aneurysm patients as a minimally invasive alternative. We also wanted to test whether a master-slave robot could facilitate the total laparoscopic procedure. METHODS: A prospective, consecutive number of 50 patients was evaluated. A transperitoneal left retrocolic access was used to expose the aorta. If possible, a tube graft repair was performed. The aortic anastomosis was sutured totally laparoscopically, with the surgeon standing on the right side of the operating table. In 10 consecutive patients, the anastomosis was sutured with the help of the Zeus robot. RESULTS: After excluding 3 cases that required suprarenal cross-clamping, 47 patients were operated using a total laparoscopic approach. A totally laparoscopic operation could be performed successfully in 39 patients with aneurysms. In 8 patients (17%), conversion to a laparoscopic hand-assisted operation with a 7-cm minilaparotomy was required. The robot was used to perform the aortic anastomosis in 10 patients. In 8 patients, a tube graft repair could successfully be performed totally laparoscopically. In the remaining patients, a bifurcated graft was implanted laparoscopically. The mean operating time was 227 minutes in the laparoscopy group and was 242 minutes in those patients in whom the anastomosis was sutured with the help of the Zeus Robot. Mean cross-clamping time, +/- SD, was 81.4 + 31 minutes. None of the patients died perioperatively. Major complications occurred in three patients (6.3%). The overall morbidity was 14.8%, including one patient who required temporary hemodialysis postoperatively. The time to suture the aortic anastomosis was significantly shorter in the robotic-assistance group (40.8 +/- 4 minutes), yet total operating time was longer in this group because of the technical complexity of the robotic device. Patients with a total laparoscopic procedure asked for significantly fewer analgesics and could regain full mobility earlier compared with those patients for whom a minilaparotomy after conversion to the laparoscopic hand-assist procedure was required. CONCLUSIONS: Total laparoscopic aneurysm resection can be offered to the majority of patients in our institution. The robot still requires further refinements to reduce operating times and the aortic cross-clamping period. We now have the technique and the instrumentation to offer laparoscopic aneurysm surgery as a minimally invasive alternative for patients whose conditions are unsuitable for endovascular aneurysm repair.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2003

Optimal therapy for advanced chronic venous insufficiency.

INTRODUCTION: While definitive therapy awaits level I evidence, controversy persists regarding the optimal operation for treatment of advanced chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). We propose a pragmatic approach to the correction or amelioration of venous hypertension resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic venous reflux. We evaluated a strategy of balloon dissection, subfascial endoscopic perforating vein surgery (SEPS) with routine posterior deep compartment fasciotomy, including ligation and stripping of the superficial system, for use when reflux is documented at duplex ultrasound (US) scanning. METHODS: This is a cooperative, multicenter, retrospective review of 832 patients stratified by CEAP classification. The series consisted of 300 patients with C4 CVI, 119 patients with C5 CVI, and 413 patients with C6 CVI. A subset of 92 patients with C4 disease were prospectively randomized, and ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) was determined preoperatively and postoperatively. All patients underwent duplex US scanning to document reflux in the deep, superficial, and perforating venous systems. Efficacy, safety, and durability were evaluated over follow-up of 1 to 9 years (mean, 31/2 years). Uniformity was attempted by adoption of the senior author's protocol and technique through on-site preceptorship in each surgeon's operative theater. RESULTS: This technique interrupted 3 to 14 (mean, 7) incompetent perforating veins per patient. Of the 832 patients undergoing SEPS, 460 (55%) underwent saphenous vein ligation and stripping at the same operation. In 92% ulcers healed or were significantly improved within 4 to 14 weeks. In 64 (8%) patients, ulcers failed to heal or there was no benefit from the operation. Thirty-two patients (4%) experienced recurrent ulceration or skin deterioration at 6 months-2 years (mean, 15 mo). Repeat SEPS was successful in 25 of these 96 patients, and deep valve repair was successful in 4 patients. In the 92 randomized patients with C4 disease, 41 refused postoperative AVP, leaving 51 compliant patients. The SEPS group (n = 25) had significantly reduced AVP (P <.01) compared with the control group (n = 26). Complications in 825 patients were less than 3% and consisted mostly of transient neurologic disorders (eg, paradysthesia), but deep venous thrombosis occurred in 2 patients, with pulmonary embolus in 1. No operative deaths occurred. Follow-up for 1 to 9 years (mean, 31/2 years) demonstrated durability. CONCLUSION: The efficacy, safety, and durability of this operative protocol proved beneficial in our clinical experience with 832 patients during 9 years of follow-up. The SEPS subset of randomized patients with C4 disease experienced significant decrease in AVP, objectively supporting the effectiveness of reflux surgery in advanced CVI. Until definitive level I evidence is available, this operative technique is advocated as optimal therapy for CVI.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Laparoscopic remodeling of abdominal aortic aneurysms after endovascular exclusion: a technical description.

We report our experience with a novel combined laparoscopic-endovascular procedure to treat endoleaks and graft migration. The operative procedure consisted of the following steps: laparoscopic exposure of the aorta, clipping of lumbar arteries and of the inferior mesenteric artery, incision of the sac of the aneurysm without clamping the aorta, and removal of thrombus material. Laparoscopic sutures were placed externally to attach the endograft to the aortic neck. Laparoscopy was performed a mean interval of 20.2 months after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in four cases and immediately after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm exclusion in eight consecutive patients. We have yet to prove whether this combined approach is superior to a purely endovascular technique.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Total laparoscopic aortofemoral bypass as a routine procedure for the treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate whether total laparoscopic aortofemoral bypass can be performed routinely in patients who require surgical intervention for aortoiliac occlusive disease. In a prospective study, 68 consecutive patients underwent total laparoscopic aortofemoral bypass between 2002 and 2004. Among these patients, there were 50 men and 18 women, with a mean age of 68.4 +/- 9 years. The mean operating time was 199 minutes, with a mean aortic cross-clamp time of 85.8 minutes. There were five major complications (7.3%). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.3 days. Most of the younger patients could be discharged on the third or fourth postoperative day. Our results show that total laparoscopic aortic surgery can be offered as a routine procedure to the majority of patients with long-segment aortoiliac occlusive disease.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Total laparoscopic aortic surgery versus minimal access techniques: review of more than 600 patients.

In the following paper we describe our experience with a large number of patients in which either a laparoscopic assisted procedure or a total laparoscopic operation was performed. From 1996 until 2005 a total number of 638 aortic patients were operated on using a total laparoscopic or a laparoscopic assisted approach. A total laparoscopic operation was accomplished in 236 cases. A laparoscopic assisted aortic operation was performed in 402 patients. In aneurysm patients a tube graft was more frequently implanted. Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with a total laparoscopic abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (3.0%) compared to a laparoscopic assisted procedure (1.8%). There was no significant difference in mortality in patients with occlusive disease and a total laparoscopic aortofemoral bypass versus a laparoscopically assisted operation. The same tendency could be observed when analyzing the incidence of major perioperative complications. Again we found no significant difference in patients with occlusive disease yet more severe complications directly related to the operation in patients with a total laparoscopic aneurysm repair. There was a significantly increased complication rate in total laparoscopic aortoiliac repair with a bifurcated prosthesis compared to a tube graft repair: a tendency we could not observe in aneurysm patients with a laparoscopic assisted operation. Our data also show that there is a lot of room for technical improvements such as stapling devices or special grafts to reduce total operating times as well as the period of aortic crossclamping. The routine use of a minilaparotomy can hardly be a solution considering the technical drawbacks such as impaired vision and long term complications like ventral hernias. Compared to open surgery the midterm results of laparoscopic aortic procedures are promising. The time has come to prove that good results can be obtained in more than a few specialized centers.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗