Usefulness of biodegradable absorbable rib connecting pins in thoracoabdominal hepatectomy.
OBJECTIVE
Some patients who undergo thoracoabdominal hepatectomy suffer from pain and discomfort after because rib and/or costal cartilage was cut during the operation. The usefulness of absorbable rib connecting pins in thoracoabdominal hepatectomy was evaluated.


METHODS
Of 18 patients who underwent thoracoabdominal hepatectomy, the stumps of ribs were not fixed in 9 patients (group 1) and the stumps of ribs were fixed with the rib connecting pins in 9 other patients (group 2). We evaluated the usefulness of these pins in thoracoabdominal hepatectomy.


RESULTS
In 8 patients in group 1 and 2 patients in group 2, pain continued for 1 month after the operation (p = 0.015). At 2 months after the operation, pain continued in 6 patients in group 1 and no patients in group 2 (p = 0.009). At 6 months after the operation, 2 patients in group 1 still had pain. Rib instability continued in 8 patients in group 1 at 6 months after the operation, although rib instability disappeared by 2 months after the operation in all group 2 patients (p = 0.0004).


CONCLUSIONS
Biodegradable absorbable pins for rib fixation are useful for preventing pain and discomfort around the cut stumps of ribs in thoracoabdominal hepatectomy.
Kubo
Shoji
S
Second Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. m7696493@msic.med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
Hirohashi
Kazuhiro
K
Tanaka
Hiromu
H
Shuto
Taichi
T
Takemura
Shigekazu
S
Uenishi
Takahiro
T
Nishino
Yoshihiro
Y
Ogawa
Masao
M
Kinoshita
Hiroaki
H
D020341:Absorbable Implants; D001858:Bone Nails; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D012272:Ribs / Q000601:surgery*; D013537:Sutures; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology