Determinants of outcomes in laparoscopic colorectal surgery

Abstract

Background: To date, most large series of laparoscopic colorectal procedures have been descriptive reports that do not account for the potentially complex interaction of outcome predictors. The purpose of this study was to identify the preoperative factors that predict operative time, conversion to open surgery, and intraoperative and postoperative complications in laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Methods: Multiple regression techniques were used to analyze 416 laparoscopic resections from a prospective database of laparoscopic colorectal procedures performed between April 1991 and April 1998. The preoperative factors considered were patient-specific (age, gender, weight) or disease-specific (diagnosis of cancer, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, fistula). Surgical experience of ≤50 cases was also considered. Finally, all resections were represented by a combination of the following five procedure components: resections of the (a) hepatic flexure, (b) splenic flexure, (c) sigmoid, and (d) rectum, or (e) a perineal dissection.

Results: Patient weight, Crohn's disease, and each of the five individual procedure components incrementally lengthened operative time. Conversion to open surgery was influenced by the patient's weight, malignancy, and early experience of the surgeon. The risk of a postoperative complication was increased by the patient's age, resection of the perineum, and the presence of a fistula. No factors significantly influenced the risk of an intraoperative complication.

Conclusions: Several preoperative factors that significantly affect outcomes in laparoscopic colorectal resections have been identified. Consideration of these factors may help in case selection and estimation of operating time; they should also be valuable when patients are informed of their risk of conversion and complications.