[Advances in lymphadenectomy in colorectal carcinoma--lymphatic mapping]

The aim of this study is to evaluate the lymphatic mapping method during the colorectal carcinoma surgery and to increase a number of the detected lymphonodes up to the level of the internationally recommended standards.

In the group collected in 2002 and 2003, the lymphatic mapping method was applied in cases of 32 patients suffering from the colorectal carcinoma, according to the protocol.

In the group of 32 patients suffering from all stages of the colorectal carcinoma, a total number of 408 lymhonodes was examined, which is 12.75 lymphonodes per patient, on average. Out of this, in the rectal carcinoma cases--7.85 lymphonodes per patient were detected on average, and in the group of the colon tumors--13.72 lymphonodes per patient.

The retrospective evaluation of the patients who underwent surgery for the colorectal carcinoma proved the method of the lymphatic mapping to increase the number of the detected lymphonodes from 6-8 up to nearly 13. Thus, the average number of the examined lymphonodes already complied with the international oncosurgical criteria. The lymphatic mapping technique proved to significantly increase the number of the examined lymphonodes and to improve the colorectal carcinoma patients staging.