Background: The advantages of laparoscopic colorectal surgery for selected patients have been well established. However, the applicability of laparoscopic surgery in the whole population of patients with colorectal disease is not well known.
Methods: A single-institution medical records review of 269 patients subjected to colorectal surgery was made. Of these, 206 open colorectal procedures were performed, and data were reviewed retrospectively. In addition, 63 patients were subjected to laparoscopy, and their data were recorded prospectively. An analysis of the existence of factors that contraindicate laparoscopic colorectal surgery was done. These factors were of two types: absolute (urgent intervention, severe cardiopulmonary disease, advanced liver cirrhosis, tumor invasion into adjacent organs, simultaneous major surgery) and relative (midrectal tumors, tumors in the transverse colon, bulky tumors, more than two previous infraumbilical operations, previous intestinal surgery, and previous peritonitis).
Results: Factors that could contraindicate the laparoscopic approach were found in 118 patients (44%). The most common were urgent intervention (40%), midrectal tumors (19%), locally advanced cancer (13%), previous intestinal surgery (13%), and tumors >10 cm (6%). We considered 25% of the contraindications to be absolute and 19% relative. Taking these exclusion criteria into consideration when selecting patients for laparoscopic surgery, the conversion rate in our initial laparoscopic series (63 cases) was 13%.
Conclusion: The indication for laparoscopic surgery for patients with colorectal disease is superior to 60% (absolute 56%, relative 81%). When using appropriate selection criteria, the conversion rate may be maintained below 10%. Preoperative selection of patients with colorectal disease allows optimal use of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery.