Moving toward laparoscopic pyloromyotomy: an initial Italian experience and national survey

• Published in: The American surgeon 2013-09, Vol.79 (9), p.955-958
• Main Authors: Ceccanti, Silvia, Mele, Ermelinda, Frediani, Simone, Morgante, Debora, Iaconelli, Romina, Almenrader, Nicole, Passariello, Maurizio, Cozzi, Denis A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child abuse & neglect; Data Collection - methods; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Italy - epidemiology; Laparoscopy - methods; Laparoscopy - utilization; Male; Morbidity - trends; Pediatrics; Pyloric Stenosis - epidemiology; Pyloric Stenosis - surgery; Pylorus - surgery; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0003-1348; 1555-9823
• DOI: 10.1177/000313481307900938

Over the past two decades, pyloromyotomy using a circumumbilical fold approach has been our technique of choice.1 However, after the very recent introduction of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) at our institution and the increasing evidence from available well-designed, large, prospective randomized controlled trials favoring the laparoscopic approach over the open one, we decided to changed our attitude to pyloromyotomy. [...]the purpose of this study was to report our preliminary experience using laparoscopic pyloromyotomy in a low-volume pediatric surgery center and to describe the contemporary preferred practice patterns of the Italian pediatric surgeons in the management of infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Additionally, after presentation of our preliminary data at the 41st annual meeting of the Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery (ISPS), held in Turin on September 2010, we decided to determine current practice patterns in the treatment of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in Italy. Because in our country pyloromyotomy is performed only by specialists in pediatric surgery, we conducted a nationally representative survey using a structured questionnaire administered by telephone interview to the surgeons-in-chief of the remaining 53 pediatric surgery centers managing infants with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.