Oliver J Wagner

Objective This research describes the clinical pathway and characteristics of two cohorts of patients. The first cohort consists of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer while the second consists of patients with a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) and no evidence of lung cancer. Linked data from an electronic medical record and the Loui...

Purpose To describe the distribution of diagnostic procedures, rates of complications, and total cost of biopsies for patients with lung cancer. Patients and Methods Observational study using data from IBM Marketscan® Databases for continuously insured adult patients with a primary lung cancer diagnosis and treatment between July 2013 and June 201...

Objective: This research describes the clinical pathway and characteristics of patients with and without a lung cancer diagnosis from identification of a solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) through diagnosis or 1 year follow-up using linked data from an electronic medical record and the Louisiana Tumor Registry. Materials and Methods: REACHnet is one o...

Objective: This study aimed to describe the frequency and distribution of biopsy procedures for patients diagnosed and treated for primary lung cancer. Study design: Retrospective cohort study within an administrative database. Materials & methods: This observational study used data from the IBM MarketScan® Databases between 2013 and 2015. Results:...

Yu-Wen Chiu,1 Yu-Hsiang Kao,1 Michael J Simoff,2 David E Ost,3 Oliver Wagner,4 James Lavin,4 Richard A Culbertson,1 Dean G Smith1 1Health Policy & Systems Management, School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; 2Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan,...

Purpose: C-arm radiographs are commonly used for intraoperative image guidance in surgical interventions. Fluoroscopy is a cost-effective real-time modality, although image quality can vary greatly depending on the target anatomy. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans are sometimes available, so 2D-3D registration is needed for intra-procedur...

Background: Laparoscopic antireflux surgery is highly effective in patients with uncomplicated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, long-term failure rates in paraesophageal hernia (PEH) and Barrett's metaplasia (BE) are higher and warrant a more durable repair. Outcomes for the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) and Hill repair...

The field of robotic surgery is rapidly advancing both in terms of the surgical procedures performed and the potential applications of this technology. This survey study attempts to evaluate the opinions of the public regarding a number of issues in robotic surgery. A web-based survey study was constructed using the web-based software “Kwiksurveys”...

Unilateral robotic thymectomy is gaining popularity. Identifying the contralateral phrenic nerve is a key limitation to achieving maximal thymic tissue resection. We evaluated the feasibility and technique of fluorescence imaging on the daVinci-Si robot (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Sunnyvale, CA) to identify the contralateral periocardiophrenic neurova...

Within the next few years, the medical industry will launch increasingly affordable three-dimensional (3D) vision systems for the operating room (OR). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D visualization on surgical skills and task performance. In this study, 34 individuals with varying laparoscopic experience (18 in...

Acute herniation of intra-abdominal organs into the chest after extrapleural pneumonectomy is an uncommon but morbid and potentially mortal complication. We report a case of acute diaphragmatic hernia after extrapleural pneumonectomy for mesothelioma repaired laparoscopically. This approach is an alternative to repeated thoracotomy and is a viable...

The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide a pooled analysis of individual trials comparing clinical outcome following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with or without division of the short gastric vessels (SGVs). Primary outcome measures were the requirement for reoperation, and the presence of postoperative gastro-oesophageal reflux and posto...

To examine feasibility of transrectal hybrid natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) nephrectomy in the porcine model. NOTES uses ports of entry to the peritoneal cavity instead of abdominal wall incisions, thereby eliminating visible scar and also potentially reducing postoperative pain. After obtaining Institutional Animal Care an...

Single-incision laparoscopic and natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) are technically challenging methods. Robotics might have the potential to overcome such hurdles with computer technology. The da Vinci Standard and S System (Intuitive, Sunnyvale, USA) were used in human cadavers and pigs to perform single-incision transabdomin...

The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare clinical outcome following laparoscopic and robotic Nissen fundoplication. A systematic literature search of Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library databases was performed. Primary outcome measures were the requirement for re-operation, postoperative mortality and postoperative dysphagia. Secondary outcome...

Achalasia is a relatively rare medical condition that is classically not associated with obesity. The surgical treatment of a simultaneous occurrence of these two diseases requires careful consideration, and only a few reports can be found in the literature combining a Heller myotomy with gastric bypass, duodenal switch, or gastric banding. We repo...

Set-up and docking of the da Vinci surgical system are assumed to extend overall operating times. We hypothesized that these tasks could be achieved in adequate times. Therefore, a prospective analysis of set-up and docking times of the da Vinci Surgical System was conducted. We prospectively analysed set-up and docking times with the da Vinci surg...

Surgery is moving towards less invasive and cosmetically superior approaches such as single incision laparoscopy (SIL). While trans-umbilical SIL is gaining popularity, incisions may lead to post-operative deformations of the umbilicus and the possibility of an increased rate of incisional hernias. Access within the pubic hairline allows preservati...

Due to improved ergonomics and dexterity, robotic surgery is promoted as being easily performed by surgeons with no special skills necessary. We tested this hypothesis by measuring IQ elements, computer gaming skills, general dexterity with chopsticks, and evaluating laparoscopic experience in correlation to performance ability with the da Vinci ro...

The advantages of a hybrid natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery approach to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (hNOTES-RYGBP) might include: easier access to the peritoneal cavity, reduced number of ports and related complications, improved cosmesis, and others. However, currently available conventional endoscopic and laparoscopic instruments migh...

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a multidisciplinary surgical technique. If conventional endoscopic instrumentation can be easily mastered, surgeons with laparoscopic experience could head NOTES interventions. Thirty individuals were tested for endoscopic dexterity. Group 1 included seven gastroenterologists, group 2 inclu...

Decreased scarring is an advantage of minimally invasive surgery. The new experimental technique of natural orifice transluminal surgery (NOTES) aims at totally scarless surgery. We examined the general attitudes of patients and unaffected persons towards scarless surgery. We used a 7-item questionnaire in structured interviews with hospital visito...

Surgeons will increasingly have to address the development of gastrointestinal disease in transplant patients or deal with extended bowel resection and bowel anastomosis in advanced cancer patients. Immunosuppressants as well as intraoperative hyperthermic peritoneal chemoperfusion (IHPC) may alter intestinal anastomotic healing. We evaluated the e...

Patients taking immunosuppressants after transplantation may require intestinal surgery. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been found to impair the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats. This study examined whether insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I prevents MMF impairment of anastomotic healing. Sixty-three rats were divided into three groups (MMF,...

Anastomotic leakage after visceral surgery is one of the most important and feared complication. According to the literature the rate of clinically apparent anastomotic leakage ranges from 3.4% to as high as 12% and at least one third of the mortality after colorectal surgery is attributed to leaks at the anastomotic site. Within this context, know...

Anastomotic leakage after visceral surgery is one of the most important and feared complication. According to the literature the rate of clinically apparent anastomotic leakage ranges from 3.4% to as high as 12% and at least one third of the mortality after colorectal surgery is attributed to leaks at the anastomotic site. Within this context, know...