Background: This study was performed to prospectively assess the results of our first 140 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic or laparoscopic-assisted colorectal operations.
Methods: The parameters studied included the type and length of procedure, intra- and postoperative complications, conversion to open surgery, and length of ileus and hospitalization.
Results: 140 laparoscopic and laparoscopic-assisted procedures were performed between May 1991 and January 1995. The mean patient age was 48 (range 12-88) years; there were 78 males and 62 females. Indications for surgery included inflammatory bowel disease in 47, colorectal carcinoma in 19, diverticular disease in 17, polyps in 16, familial polyposis in 7, colonic inertia in 7, fecal incontinence in 11, sigmoidocele in 3, irradiation proctitis in 3, rectal prolapse in 2, intestinal lymphoma in 2, and miscellaneous conditions in 6. The procedures included 38 total abdominal colectomies (TAC) (ileoanal reservoir 28, ileorectal anastomosis 8 and end ileostomy 2); 70 segmental resections of the colon, small bowel, and rectum; 18 diverting stoma creations; 10 reversal of Hartmann's procedures; and 4 other procedures. In 15 cases, the laparoscopic procedure was converted to a laparotomy (11%); 31 patients (22%) sustained 37 complications, which included: enterotomies(7), hemorrhage(10), intraabdominal abscess(4), prolonged ileus(6), wound infection(4), intestinal obstruction(2), anastomotic leak(1), aspiration(1), cardiac arrhythmia(1), and upper intestinal bleeding(1); there was no mortality. The overall complication rate in TAC cases was significantly higher (42%) when compared to that of all other procedures (segmental resection 17%, others 9%), P < 0.05. The mean length of operating time was 4 (range 2.5-6.5) h for TAC, 2.6 (range 1.5-5.5) h for segmental colonic resections, and 1.7 (range 0.7-4) for all other procedures. The length of ileus was 3.5 (range 2-7) days after TAC, 3 (range 2-7) after the segmental resections and 2 (range 1-4) after the other procedures. The mean length of hospital stay was 6.8 (2-40) days (8.4, 6.5, and 6.3 days for the TAC, segmental resections, and other procedures, respectively).
Conclusion: The feasibility of laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been well established. TAC is associated with a higher complication rate compared to other laparoscopic colorectal procedures.