A Manual of the Operations of Surgery / For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners

by Joseph Bell

There are certain modifications and varieties in the method of operating for stone through the perineum, which deserve at least a brief notice:—

1. The bilateral operation.—Though he was not the inventor, Dupuytren's name is justly associated with this operation. The principle of it is to divide both sides of the prostate equally, so as to give more room for extraction of a large stone, without the necessity of much laceration, or the risk of cutting through the prostatic sheath of fascia.

The operation.—A semilunar incision is made transversely across the perineum, extending from a point midway between the right tuber ischii and the anus, upwards, crossing the raphe nearly an inch above the anus, and then curving downwards to a corresponding point on the opposite side. The skin, superficial fascia, and a few of the anterior fibres of the external sphincter, are thus divided, and the groove of the staff sought by the forefinger. The membranous portion of the urethra is then laid open in the middle line, and the beak of a double lithotome caché securely lodged in the groove. It is then pushed into the bladder with its concavity upwards, and when fairly in it is turned round, its blades protruded to the required extent, and withdrawn with its concavity downwards, thus dividing both lobes of the prostate in a direction downwards and outwards (Fig. xxiv. D D). The operation is finished in the usual manner. Though it is a comparatively easy operation, and theoretically may be proved to have many advantages, experience has shown that the results are not so favourable as those of the ordinary lateral operation.

2. Buchanan's medio-lateral operation on a rectangular staff.—The staff is bent at a right angle three inches from the end, and deeply grooved on its left side. This is introduced into the urethra so that the angle projects the membranous portion of the urethra close to the apex of the prostate and the terminal straight portion enters the bladder parallel to the rectum. The angle projects in the perineum, so that the operator with his left forefinger in the rectum is enabled, by a stab with a long straight bistoury (held horizontally and with the cutting edge to the left side), at once to enter the groove, and, by following the groove, the bladder. Whenever the escape of urine shows that the bladder is fairly reached, the knife is withdrawn so as to make a lateral section of the prostate, and then, with the finger still in the rectum, to make an incision in the ischio-rectal fossa, of sufficient size to allow the stone to be easily withdrawn.

The inventor claims for this method that it is easier, that there is less risk of hæmorrhage, wound of the rectum, and infiltration of urine.

3. Allarton's operation of median lithotomy suits admirably for stones known to be small, but is quite unsuitable for large ones. Probably in most cases it should be superseded by lithotrity.

Operation.—A large curved staff with a central groove is to be held firmly hooked up against the symphysis pubis, and then steadied by the left forefinger in the rectum. The operator pierces the raphe of the perineum with a long straight bistoury about half an inch above the verge of the anus, enters the groove of the staff, and cuts inwards, almost, but not quite, into the bladder. In withdrawing the knife the wound in the urethra is enlarged upwards towards the scrotum. A ball-pointed probe is then passed on the staff into the bladder, the staff is withdrawn, and the finger, guided by the probe, is used to dilate the neck of the bladder, to an extent sufficient for the removal of the stone by a small pair of forceps.

In this operation the prostate is hardly incised at all. The results are not better than those of the lateral operation.

2. Lithotomy above the Pubes, or the High Operation.—In cases where, from the known size of the stone, or from the deformity of the bones of the pelvis, it is impossible that the stone can be extracted entire in the usual manner; in cases where the prostate is very much enlarged, or where there is any real or supposed likelihood of inflammation of the neck of the bladder, the supra-pubic operation may be warrantable. Its performance is easy, it does not involve any wound of the peritoneum if properly performed, and there is no risk of hæmorrhage. There are certainly great risks attending it of peritonitis and urinary infiltration.