Colonic diverticulitis is defined as an inflammation of one or more sacculations in the colonic wall. Left-sided colonic diverticulitis (LD) is a common and worldwide condition, whilst right-sided colonic diverticulitis (RD) is relatively rare …

Gallstone-related disease accounts for one third of general surgical emergency admissions and referrals in the UK, with patients presenting with acute biliary colic (56%), acute cholecystitis (36%), and gallstone pancreatitis (4%) [ 1 ]. The …

In late December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan, China, and soon after its appearance became a pandemic with over 111 million cases reported …

Gastrointestinal symptoms from hypothyroidism include nausea, vomiting, constipation, anorexia, and abdominal pain [ 1 ]. These nonspecific symptoms can be present concurrently with or in the absence of more classical signs of hypothyroidism …

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers all over the world and, in term of new cases, is the most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract [ 1 ]. Surgery is still the most important treatment for colorectal cancer. For low rectal …

Obstructed defecation (OD) is a disorder resulting in difficulty evacuating stool from the rectum. It includes symptoms such as excessive straining to defecate, sensation of blockage, vaginal digitation, and splinting [ 1 ]. The syndrome is often …

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) concept has disseminated worldwide, with established positive effects on patients and healthcare due to reduced complications, length of stay and costs [ 1 ]. The success of this modus operandi is based on …

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare highly aggressive form of sarcoma [ 1 ]. The entity was first described by Gerald and Rosai in 1989 [ 2 ] and mainly affects young men. DSRCT is associated with a very poor prognosis with …

Radical prostatectomy has represented the leading procedure performed robotically assisted worldwide since 2001 [ 1 ]. In general surgery, the da Vinci® system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc. USA) is mainly reserved for rectal cancer resection. Some …

Due to the complexity of the procedures and the texture of the organ itself, pancreatic surgery remains a challenge in the field of visceral surgery. During the past decade, a minimally invasive approach to pancreatic surgery has gained …

Mostly, cholecystectomy is an uncomplicated routine laparoscopic surgery for cholelithiasis. The term “difficult gallbladder” indicates that the procedure may be challenging and hazardous. However, there is no clear definition of what is meant by …

Robotic surgery is gaining popularity and is supposed to be advantageous as compared to standard laparoscopy due to a more precise manipulation, better visualization, and improved ergonomics. Especially in complex interventions, these features …

Indications for the use of RATS vary between the facilities but correspond as far as possible to other minimally invasive surgical findings. In general, RATS is currently a therapeutic option for the management of early-stage NSCLC without …

In the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer, complete tumor resection is the most important factor and determines long-term survival [ 1 , 2 ]. Unfortunately, less than 50% of patients initially present with local disease [ 3 ], which is …

Cholecystectomy is one of the most common operations of the gastrointestinal tract. After initiation of the laparoscopic approach in the late 1980s, this technique gained wide acceptance. Unfortunately, the iatrogenic bile duct injury (BDI) rate …

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard procedure worldwide since the early 1990s for those patients whose gallbladder has to be removed as part of their underlying disease (NIH Consensus Statement 1992). The most common complication …

A gallbladder polyp (GP) is defined as an elevation of the gallbladder mucosa that protrudes into the gallbladder lumen. Gallbladder polyps (GPs) have an estimated prevalence in adults of 0.3–12.3%. However, only 5% of polyps are considered “true” …

Surgical removal of the gallbladder has a history of nearly 140 years—a period allowing for technical progression with most advances in the past 30 years, when minimally invasive surgery became implemented in clinical routine. This article …

Minimally invasive surgery is now within the standard of care for many operations, including liver surgery. The Da Vinci robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) uses technologically sophisticated equipment to …

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide [ 1 – 11 ]. Recently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has gradually taken the place as the choice between various types of surgery. Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal …