BACKGROUND: Inguinal lymph node involvement is an important prognostic factor in penile cancer.
Inguinal lymph node dissection allows staging and treatment of inguinal nodal disease. However, it causes morbidity and is associated with complications, such as lymphocele, skin loss and infection. Video Endoscopic Inguinal Lymphadenectomy (VEIL) is an endoscopic procedure, and it seems to be a new and attractive approach duplicating the standard open procedure with less morbidity. We present here a critical perioperative assessment with points of technique.
METHODS: Ten patients with moderate to high grade penile carcinoma penis with clinically negative inguinal lymph nodes were subjected to elective VEIL. VEIL was done in standard surgical steps. Perioperative parameters were assessed that is - were duration of the surgery, lymph-related complications, time until drain removal, lymph node yield, surgical emphysema and histopathological positivity of lymph nodes.
RESULTS: Operative time for VEIL was 120 to180 minutes. Lymph node yield was 7 to 12 lymph nodes. No skin related complications were seen with VEIL. Lymph related complications, tha is, lymphocele, were seen in only two patients. The suction drain was removed after four to eight days (mean 5.1). Overall morbidity was 20% with VEIL.
CONCLUSION: In our early experience, VEIL was a safe and feasible technique in patients with penile carcinoma with non palpable inguinal lymph nodes in our early experience. It allows the removal of inguinal lymph nodes within the same limits as in conventional surgical dissection and potentially reduces surgical morbidity.
Written by:
Pahwa HS, Misra S, Kumar A, Kumar V, Agarwal A, Srivastava R. Are you the author?
Reference: World J Surg Oncol. 2013 Feb 22;11(1):42.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7819-11-42
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23432959
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