Surgical outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal resections for familial adenomatous polyposis

Acceptance of extended laparoscopic colon resections is still controversial besides the growing experience over the years.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of laparoscopic colorectal resections exclusively for familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

Patient data, surgical procedures and operative outcomes from 49 patients submitted to total proctocolectomy (TPC) or total abdominal colectomy (TAC) from 1997 to 2009 were prospectively analyzed.

There were 18 (36.7%) men and 31 (63.3%) women, with a median age of 31.1 years. Surgical procedures consisted of 3 TPC with ileostomy (6.1%), 30 restorative TPC with ileoanal anastomosis (61.2%), and 16 TAC with ileorectal anastomosis (32.6%). Only 1 patient (2.0%) required open conversion. No patient required blood transfusion. Median operating time was 289, ranging from 150 to 400 minutes. Twelve patients (24.5%) presented complications and only 1 (2.0%) died. Overall complication rates were similar after TAC or TPC (31.2% vs. 21.2%; P=0.4). Reoperations were necessary in 7 cases (14.3%), and the median length of hospital stay was 6.2 days (3 to 16). The comparison of 2 consecutive groups of patients over time revealed a little improvement in surgery duration (301 to 276 min; P=0.16), but relevant reduction in morbidity (32% vs. 16.6%; P=0.2) and reoperation rates (20% vs. 8.3%; P=0.4), besides the absence of statistical difference.

Laparoscopic TPC and TAC represent an interesting alternative approach for young and motivated familial adenomatous polyposis patients. When performed by experienced surgeons, they provide excellent short-term outcome regarding immediate recovery, morbidity, and cosmesis.