Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Carcinoma

Abstract

Introduction: Since the introduction of laparoscopic technology in the surgical practice, there have been multiple reports and a few clinical trials on their use in colorectal surgery. The application of laparoscopy to colon surgery has been adopted increasingly in many institutions around the world. Aim: We present a retrospective study of laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: 79 patients in total were operated laparoscopically in the First Clinic of Surgery. The tumor localization was as follows: rectum (n=21, 26.6%), sigmoid (n=48, 60.8%), transversal (n=4, 3.8%), and ascending colon (n=6, 7.6%). Stages varied from T1N0 to T3N2. Conversion was performed in 5 patients.Results shows that compared to open surgery, laparoscopic colon resections provide lower postoperative morbidity, faster return to normal bowel function and a shorter length of hospital stay with a similar oncological outcome. Conclusion: Laparoscopy surgery, whenever performed by adequately trained surgeons, can be safely applied to colon resection and should be considered as the gold standard procedure.