Systemic inflammatory response after natural orifice translumenal surgery: transvaginal cholecystectomy in a porcine model.
OBJECTIVE
We analyzed circulating TNF-alpha and IL-6 to determine systemic inflammatory responses associated with transvaginal cholecystectomy in a porcine model.


METHODS
Six female pigs were used for a survival study after transvaginal cholecystectomy (NOTES group) using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) instruments and a single-channel endoscope. Blood was drawn preoperatively and 24 hours and 48 hours postoperatively. Four pigs were used as controls. In addition, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed in 2 pigs for laparoscopic control.


RESULTS
In all 6 pigs in the NOTES group, no major intraoperative complications occurred. No significant differences were found between control, laparoscopic, and NOTES groups in terms of preoperative IL-6 level (P=0.897) and at 24 hours (P=0.790), and 48 hours postoperatively (P=0.945). Similarly, there was no significant difference in mean preoperative (P=0.349) and mean day 2 postoperative TNF-alpha levels (P=0.11). But a significant increase in day 1 postoperative TNF-alpha levels in the laparoscopic group compared with that in the control and NOTES groups was observed (P=0.049). One limitation of our study is that the sample size was relatively small.


CONCLUSIONS
NOTES is safe in animal models in terms of anatomical and cellular level changes with minimal systemic inflammatory host responses elicited. Further study needs to be carried out in humans before NOTES can be recommended for routine use.
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Joe K M
JK
Fan
Daniel K H
DK
Tong
David W Y
DW
Ho
John
J
Luk
Wai Lun
WL
Law
Simon
S
Law
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic; D005260:Female; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D013552:Swine; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D014621:Vagina
D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha