[Laparoscopic colorectal surgery]

Laparoscopy is not a standard approach for colorectal diseases yet. This is due to the technically demanding procedure, the necessary equipment and open questions on cancer surgery. In this paper, short-term results in a small group of patients together with a review of the recent publications are presented. Six patients were operated between April 2002 and October 2003, without intraoperative complications or conversions. The average operation time was 120 minutes, and the average hospital stay was seven days. Patients with colorectal carcinoma were operated with curative intent. Recent publications are presenting new information on laparoscopy and colorectal cancer. For an adequate laparoscopic colorectal resection, experience in laparoscopy together with proper education is mandatory.