Sam Atallah, MD, Teresa DeBeche-Adams, MD, Matthew Albert, MD, Sergio Larach, MD. Florida Hospital
To determine the feasibility of using a standard post-operative drain as an access point for the new technique of drainoscopy.
Methods and Procedures: Drainoscopy is demonstrated in the operating room on a patient who has undergone a laparoscopic, hand-assisted APR. A 19-French Blake drain is secured to the skin using a 2-0 silk suture and has been positioned in the pelvis. The end of the Blake drain has been truncated and the fluted end removed to allow the drainoscope to pass through the drain. A 2.9 mm rigid hystroscope is used for drianoscopy and is easly introduced through the modified blake drain to allow for visualization of the abdominal cavity. It is demonstrated that CO2 insuflation can also be accomplished through the drain, without an additional port.
Conclusions: Drainoscopy is a feasible, new technique which allows for direct, bedside visualization of the abdominal cavity when a ‘second look’ is desired. This may have particular value in assessing for bowel ischemia, internal small bowel herniation, early post-op obstruction, and identification of early anastomotic leaks. Drainosocopic visualization of the abdominal cavity after surgery may be more useful than CT-body imaging, which is difficult to interpret in the early post-operative state.
Session: SS03
Program Number: V013