The German registry for natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery: report of the first 551 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze patient outcome in the first 14 months of the German natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) registry (GNR).


BACKGROUND
NOTES is a new surgical concept, which permits scarless intra-abdominal operations through natural orifices, such as the mouth, vagina, rectum, or urethra. The GNR was established as a nationwide outcome database to allow the monitoring and safe introduction of this technique in Germany.


METHODS
The GNR was designed as a voluntary database with online access. All surgeons in Germany who performed NOTES procedures were requested to participate in the registry. The GNR recorded demographical and therapy data as well as data on the postoperative course.


RESULTS
A total of 572 target organs were operated in 551 patients. Cholecystectomies accounted for 85.3% of all NOTES procedures. All procedures were performed in female patients using transvaginal hybrid technique. Complications occurred in 3.1% of all patients, conversions to laparoscopy or open surgery in 4.9%. In cholecystectomies, institutional case volume, obesity, and age had substantial effect on conversion rate, operation length, and length of hospital stay, but no effect on complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the fact that NOTES has just recently been introduced, the technique has already gained considerable clinical application. Transvaginal hybrid NOTES cholecystectomy is a practicable and safe alternative to laparoscopic resection even in obese or older patients.
Lehmann
Kai S
KS
Department of Surgery, Charité University Hospital-Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany. kai.lehmann@charite.de
Ritz
Jörg P
JP
Wibmer
Andreas
A
Gellert
Klaus
K
Zornig
Carsten
C
Burghardt
Jens
J
Büsing
Martin
M
Runkel
Norbert
N
Kohlhaw
Kay
K
Albrecht
Roland
R
Kirchner
Tom G
TG
Arlt
Georg
G
Mall
Julian W
JW
Butters
Michael
M
Bulian
Dirk R
DR
Bretschneider
Jörgen
J
Holmer
Christoph
C
Buhr
Heinz J
HJ
D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000379:methods; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014621:Vagina