Preliminary Experience on Laparoscopic Abdominal Surgery in Transplant Patients

Introduction It is no doubt that laparoscopic surgery is at least not inferior to open surgery in most of the abdominal surgical procedures following the enthusiastic effort by many experts around the world. However, there is still very few studies of such operation in the transplanted patients. Objectives To share our experience with more laparoscopic surgeons in transplant patients with good surgical outcomes Methods We reported a total of 6 cases who underwent laparoscopic surgery: four liver transplant cases and two for kidney transplant. Two of them received laparoscopic surgery for presumed acute appendicitis in 8 months after deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) and 16 months after deceased donor kidney transplant (DDKT) respectively. A case of asymptomatic small right colon cancer one month after living donor liver transplant (LDLT) underwent laparoscopic right hemi-colectomy and radical lymph node dissection. The fourth patient sustained chylous ascites underwent laparoscopy for diagnosis and drainage 6 months after LDLT. A case of morbid obesity with BMI of 41 kg/m2 received laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy three years after DDKT with good response. The last patient with incisional hernia of subcostal wound received laparoscopic hernia repair with dual mesh about three years after DDLT. Results All the patients had been operated without any significant morbidity and recovered uneventfully with all the benefits of MIS. Conclusion We would like to emphasize that laparoscopic surgery for major operation in abdominal surgery is feasible, safe, and can also obtain excellent recovery as in non-transplant patients.