Dan Geisler, MD Associate Staff. West Penn Allegheny Health System
The recovery benefits to patients undergoing a minimally invasive approach to colorectal disorders has been well established. The oncologic results of a traditional laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer are at least equivalent to that of an open procedure when performed by a well-trained surgeon. With heightened interest in even less invasive surgery, single incision laparoscopic colorectal surgery is quickly gaining acceptance. The first single incision laparoscopic resection in the United States was performed by Paul Curcillo in 2007. Since that time, we, along with others, have quickly adopted this technique for both benign and malignant disorders of the colon and rectum. Case series of greater than 100 patients have now been reported showing the feasibility and efficacy of this minimally invasive approach. Here we present a single incision laparoscopic anterior resection for an upper rectal cancer in a 46 year old woman. The pathologic specimen revealed an intact mesorectum with adequate proximal and distal margins. The estimated blood loss was 25 mL and the patient was discharged home on postoperative day 2. With strict adherence to oncologic technique, an appropriate resection can be performed while allowing for an even greater improvement in minimizing the invasiveness of a major abdominal reection.
Session Number: SS17 – Videos: Colon
Program Number: V022