title: Gasless laparoscopy for benign gynecological diseases using an abdominal wall-lifting system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of gasless laparoscopy with an abdominal wall-lifting device for benign gynecological diseases was compared to conventional laparoscopy with CO(2) pneumoperitoneum.
  
  
  METHODS
  From February 2007 to July 2007, 76 women with uterine and/or adnexal benign diseases and candidates for laparoscopic surgery were recruited in this study. Thirty-two women underwent gasless laparoscopic surgery and 44 women underwent pneumoperitoneum laparoscopic surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diverse pathologies, including adnexal cyst, uterine myoma and ectopic pregnancy, were treated successfully with gasless laparoscopic surgery. Compared with the patients in the pneumoperitoneum group, the similar hospital stay (P=0.353) and intraoperative blood loss (P=0.157) were observed. However, the mean operative time in the gasless group was significantly longer than that in the pneumoperitoneum group (P=0.003). No severe intraoperative or postoperative complications were found in either group, except for one case of laparotomic conversion in the pneumoperitoneum group due to dense pelvic adhesions. The total hospital charges were significantly less in the gasless group than in the pneumoperitoneum group (P=0.001). In 38 cases of ovarian cyst resection, the mean operative time in the gasless group remained longer than that in the pneumoperitoneum group (P=0.017). The total hospital charges were also significantly less in the gasless group than in the pneumoperitoneum group (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our preliminary results demonstrated that the laparoscopic procedure using the gasless technique was a safe, effective method to treat benign gynecological diseases. Moreover, it was easy to master. As a minimally invasive treatment, gasless laparoscopic surgery provides a good choice to patients in the undeveloped regions in China without increasing the patients' and the government's burden significantly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhi-qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000601:surgery; D011028:Pneumoperitoneum, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide