Extraperitoneal Endoscopic Total Retroperitoneal Lymphadenectomy: No Bowel Surgery

We describe our ultra-minimally invasive retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy using the extraperitoneal approach. This technique was developed to make traditionally invasive oncologic surgery more patient friendly and safer by eliminating the bowel from the operative field.

Description of a surgical technique. Canadian Task Force II-3.

Urban general hospital in Japan.

320 Women undergoing endoscopic extraperitoneal paraaortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer from Jan 2001 to Dec 2013.

Patients underwent endoscopic extraperitoneal para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy for endometrial cancer. We accessed the retroperitoneal space with a visual access cannula (Endotip). This device easily facilitates peritoneal tenting. After expanding the extraperitoneal space by blunt dissection with forceps, carbon dioxide was infused. The upper limit of our dissection was the renal vein and the lower limit was the iliac circumflex vein. The extraperitoneal approach naturally creates a bowel-free operative field, even when dissecting in the pelvis. This approach only requires a 5-mm access hole, making it the least invasive approach to this kind of surgery.

The 5-year survival rates for this intervention combined with hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy are extremely favorable at 90% for patients with stage I to III disease, making this technique a viable minimally invasive approach for selected patients.

We can achieve a total para-aortic and pelvic retroperitoneal dissection with this extraperitoneal approach without the bowel invading the operative field. This procedure is focused on the barrier-free nature of working in the retroperitoneal space, meaning a space that is not hindered by the invasion of the bowel or other intraperitoneal structures.