DATA
Using the Fallopian Tube as an “In-Vivo In-Situ” Model
C.W. Wallwiener, T.K. Rajab, B. Krämer, K.B. Isaacson, S. Brucker, M. Wallwiener
August 4, 2017
Emma Holt
C.W. Wallwiener, T.K. Rajab, B. Krämer, K.B. Isaacson, S. Brucker, M. Wallwiener
Thermal spread and thermal tissue damage are nothing to sneeze at. Thermal spread is a variable that could complicate electrosurgery or laser surgery. The objective of this study conducted by Wallwiener CW, Rajab TK, Kramer B, Isaacson KB, Brucker S, and Wallwiener M, was to develop a human in vivo in situ model for analyzing the extent and the basic mechanisms of thermal spread and thermal tissue damage. “In vivo” is a fancy latin word for “within the living,” meaning a living human, and “in situ” translates to “on site” or “in position.” In this study, researchers looked at the fallopian tube as the in vivo in situ model.
There were just 18 adult patients used in this study undergoing open abdominal hysterectomy for benign disease. Benign refers to a growth, tumor or condition that’s not cancerous and therefore doesn’t spread to other parts of the body. The term benign also suggests that the disease is not dangerous or too serious. It’s also important to note that abdominal hysterectomy is the procedure of removing a woman’s uterus through incision in her lower abdomen.
From the 18 patients, 15 samples were evaluated. The only intervention included in the study was a unilateral fallopian tube tissue desiccation for 10 seconds with a laparoscopic bipolar clamp. Desiccation is the act of being almost completely deprived of moisture and the laparoscope was used to monitor what was happening. From this, the researchers found that lateral thermal damage (LTD) was strongly connected to maximum desiccation temperature.
According to the authors, this model allows standardized, reproducible, and quantitative assessment of electrosurgery-induced thermal effects and damage in human tissue. One huge benefit of the human in vivo in situ model is the likelihood of it’s usefulness in the development of safety guidelines for laparoscopic electrosurgery.
...
