Hepatic retractor in an ex vivo model1

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Laparoscopic surgery requires adequate visualization of the operative field.
• Hepatic retraction is crucial for accessing the esophageal hiatus during laparoscopic procedures.
• Existing methods for hepatic retraction may have limitations in efficacy or safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel Hepatic Retractor (HR) for laparoscopic Esophageal Hiatus Exposure (EHE).
• To assess the practicality, efficacy, and safety of the new HR device.
• To compare the HR's performance against established retraction techniques.

Main Methods:

• An experimental cross-sectional study was conducted using 12 porcine livers.
• A novel, deformable circular Hepatic Retractor (HR) was designed and constructed.
• Practicality, efficacy, and safety were quantitatively measured by procedure time, operative field exposure, and macroscopic liver assessment, respectively.

Main Results:

• The average time for HR use decreased to under 2 minutes after 12 repetitions.
• Maximum Esophageal Hiatus Exposure (EHE) was achieved in 8 out of 12 experiments.
• No macroscopic liver lesions were observed during the safety assessment.

Conclusions:

• The developed Hepatic Retractor (HR) is a practical and safe tool for laparoscopic surgery.
• The HR effectively broadens the operative field for Esophageal Hiatus Exposure (EHE).
• This novel device does not prolong surgical time or cause observable liver damage.