[Clinical application of three-dimensional imaging with multislice CT for laparoscopic colorectal surgery]

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery, while minimally invasive, is a complicated technique. Therefore, prior to this surgery, it is important to determine the anatomical information of colorectal cancer.

Fifty-eight cases of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of colon cancer [caecal (n = 4), ascending colon (n = 6), transverse colon (n = 7), descending colon (n = 2), sigmoid colon (n = 22), and rectal (n = 17) cancer] were evaluated using multislice CT before laparoscopic surgery. CT examination was performed in an air-filled colorectum by colon fiberscopy. Contrast-enhanced images on multislice CT were obtained at arterial and venous phases. All images were reviewed on a workstation, and three-dimensional (3D) images of vessels, colorectum, cancer, and swollen lymph nodes were reconstructed by volume rendering and fused (integrated 3D imaging). We evaluated the usefulness of integrated 3D imaging with multislice CT for laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Integrated 3D imaging demonstrated clearly the distribution of arteries feeding the colorectal cancer and the anatomical location of colorectal cancer and arterial and venous systems. Moreover, measurement of the distance between the aortic bifurcation and the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery and that between the base of the inferior mesenteric artery and the origin of the left colic artery on integrated 3D imaging contributed to safe, prompt ligation of the vessels and excision of lymph nodes.

Integrated 3D imaging with multislice CT was useful for simulation of laparoscopic colorectal surgery.