Hypoestrogenism in postmenopausal women results in skin atrophy with a decrease in both elasticity and skin thickness. The fragility of the skin in aging women may be responsible for the reported 50% or more increase in major laparoscopic complications during the initial entry into the female abdomen. Several first-entry techniques in laparos- copy have been investigated to minimize entry-related complications. The Veress needle approach is the standard method used by most gynecologists. A promising new method is the direct optical access (DOA) which uses optically-guided trocars to provide visual guidance during entry. These 2 techniques have not been compared. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these 2 methods in postmenopausal women. The study was conducted at multiple European gynecology centers between 2004 and 2008. A total of 186 postmenopausal women scheduled to undergo laparoscopy for simple, persistent postmenopausal ovarian cysts were randomized to 2 groups: group I (n = 89) was assigned to surgical entry using DOA, and group 2 (n = 97) was assigned to entry using the Veress needle method. The 2 procedures were compared for the following parameters: the time needed for achieve adequate abdominal access, the occurrence of major and minor vascular and bowel injuries, and blood loss during laparoscopic access. The time needed to establish adequate abdominal access was significantly reduced in the DOA access group compared to the Veress group (65.7 ± 11.9 vs. 192.8 ± 5.6 minutes; P < 0.0001), but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the occurrence of major vascular and/or bowel injuries (P = NS). Although fewer minor vascular injuries were found with DOA method than the Veress technique (1 versus 3), the difference was not statistically significant. The findings of this small preliminary study suggest that use of the DOA technique may be a safe and less time-consuming approach to abdominal entry in postmenopausal women and may avoid the risks of blind access laparoscopy.

Initial Laparoscopic Access in Postmenopausal Women: A Preliminary Prospective Study.

GUIDO, Marcello;
2010-01-01

Abstract

Hypoestrogenism in postmenopausal women results in skin atrophy with a decrease in both elasticity and skin thickness. The fragility of the skin in aging women may be responsible for the reported 50% or more increase in major laparoscopic complications during the initial entry into the female abdomen. Several first-entry techniques in laparos- copy have been investigated to minimize entry-related complications. The Veress needle approach is the standard method used by most gynecologists. A promising new method is the direct optical access (DOA) which uses optically-guided trocars to provide visual guidance during entry. These 2 techniques have not been compared. The aim of this prospective randomized study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these 2 methods in postmenopausal women. The study was conducted at multiple European gynecology centers between 2004 and 2008. A total of 186 postmenopausal women scheduled to undergo laparoscopy for simple, persistent postmenopausal ovarian cysts were randomized to 2 groups: group I (n = 89) was assigned to surgical entry using DOA, and group 2 (n = 97) was assigned to entry using the Veress needle method. The 2 procedures were compared for the following parameters: the time needed for achieve adequate abdominal access, the occurrence of major and minor vascular and bowel injuries, and blood loss during laparoscopic access. The time needed to establish adequate abdominal access was significantly reduced in the DOA access group compared to the Veress group (65.7 ± 11.9 vs. 192.8 ± 5.6 minutes; P < 0.0001), but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the occurrence of major vascular and/or bowel injuries (P = NS). Although fewer minor vascular injuries were found with DOA method than the Veress technique (1 versus 3), the difference was not statistically significant. The findings of this small preliminary study suggest that use of the DOA technique may be a safe and less time-consuming approach to abdominal entry in postmenopausal women and may avoid the risks of blind access laparoscopy.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11587/362085
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