Papers by Giuseppina Lo Balbo

Gynecology and Pelvic Medicine, 2020
The objective of the present paper is to provide a step by step description of the laparoscopic e... more The objective of the present paper is to provide a step by step description of the laparoscopic extraperitoneal salpingo-oophorectomy, a surgical technique useful to reduce the risk of spillage in women with suspected ovarian masses. The patient was a 52-year-old woman with sonographic diagnosis of a multilocular, 5 cm lesion, with Color Score 3 at right ovary. Computed tomography (CT) scan excluded any other localization of disease. Tumor markers were negative, except for Ca 19.9 that was 85 IU/mL. Preliminary diagnostic laparoscopy was performed and peritoneal carcinomatosis was excluded. In order to obtain a histological diagnosis, an extraperitoneal right salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. At frozen section analysis it was diagnosed an ovarian adenocarcinoma. Therefore, a laparoscopic complete surgical staging including total hysterectomy, controlateral salpingo-oophorectomy, infracolic omentectomy, multiple peritoneal biopsies, and pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, was performed. Operative time was 240 minutes and estimated blood loss was about 50 mL. No intra or post-operative complications were observed, and the patient was discharged 3 days after surgery. Final histology showed the presence of clear cell high grade carcinoma in both ovaries without fallopian tubes infiltration. Uterus, omentum, peritoneal biopsies and lymph nodes were negative for metastatic localization. Final FIGO stage was IB. After multidisciplinary discussion into the institutional tumor board, 6 cycle of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy were administered. After 20 months, no evidence of recurrence was observed during routinely follow-up visits.

Journal of Clinical Medicine
Aortic lymph node metastases are a relative common finding in locally advanced cervical cancer. M... more Aortic lymph node metastases are a relative common finding in locally advanced cervical cancer. Minimally invasive surgery is the preferred approach to perform para-aortic lymph nodal staging to reduce complications, hospital stay, and the time to primary treatment. This meta-analysis (CRD42022335095) aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of the two most advanced approaches for the aortic staging procedure: conventional laparoscopy (CL) versus robotic-assisted laparoscopy (RAL). The meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guideline. The search string included the following keywords: “Laparoscopy” (MeSH Unique ID: D010535), “Robotic Surgical Procedures” (MeSH Unique ID: D065287), “Lymph Node Excision” (MeSH Unique ID: D008197) and “Aorta” (MeSH Unique ID: D001011), and “Uterine Cervical Neoplasms” (MeSH Unique ID: D002583). A total of 1324 patients were included in the analysis. Overall, 1200 patients were included in the CL group and 124 patients in the RAL group. Estim...

J Clin Med., 2022
Aortic lymph node metastases are a relative common finding in locally advanced cervical cancer. M... more Aortic lymph node metastases are a relative common finding in locally advanced cervical cancer. Minimally invasive surgery is the preferred approach to perform para-aortic lymph nodal staging to reduce complications, hospital stay, and the time to primary treatment. This meta-analysis (CRD42022335095) aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of the two most advanced approaches for the aortic staging procedure: conventional laparoscopy (CL) versus robotic-assisted laparoscopy (RAL). The meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guideline. The search string included the following keywords: "Laparoscopy" (MeSH Unique ID: D010535), "Robotic Surgical Procedures" (MeSH Unique ID: D065287), "Lymph Node Excision" (MeSH Unique ID: D008197) and "Aorta" (MeSH Unique ID: D001011), and "Uterine Cervical Neoplasms" (MeSH Unique ID: D002583). A total of 1324 patients were included in the analysis. Overall, 1200 patients were included in the CL group and 124 patients in the RAL group. Estimated blood loss was significantly higher in CL compared with RAL (p = 0.02), whereas hospital stay was longer in RAL compared with CL (p = 0.02). We did not find significant difference for all the other parameters, including operative time, intra- and postoperative complication rate, and number of lymph nodes excised. Based on our data analysis, both CL and RAL are valid options for para-aortic staging lymphadenectomy in locally advanced cervical cancer.
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Papers by Giuseppina Lo Balbo