Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic surgery for colon and rectal cancer in middle-sized secondaryhospitals.
Material and Methods: A retrospective study was made of 12 colorectal cancer patients who had undergone laparoscopic surgery from June 2005 to February 2007. A comparison was then made with 12 patients who had had open surgery over the same period.
Results: The mean laparoscopic time increased in the laparoscopic group without any statistical significance. The patients who had undergone laparoscopic resection had a significantly earlier return of their bowel function, earlier ambulation, and shorter hospital stay. There were no differences in the distal margin and yield of harvested lymph nodes of resected specimens. One anastomotic leakage was found in the laparoscopic group which was subsequently converted to an open abdominoperineal resection resulting in the patient safely returning home within a month.
Conclusion: Our preliminary data showed that laparoscopic colorectal surgery could be performed with comparable results and that it is feasibile to perform laparoscopic colorectal surgery in any middle-sized secondary hospital that performs laparoscopic cholecystectomy as a routine.