Hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy is a useful surgical treatment method for patients with excessive...

Hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (HALS) can help overcome the drawbacks of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) while maintaining its advantages.

To evaluate the efficacy and advantages of HALS for splenomegaly.

The relevant literature was reviewed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Ovid Medline, and Wanfang databases to compare the clinical outcomes of HALS and LS. Odds ratios or mean differences were calculated with 95% confidence intervals for fixed-effects and random-effects models. Overall, 754 patients from 16 trials who met the inclusion criteria were selected.

In pure splenectomy, blood loss volume (P < 0.001) and conversion rate (P = 0.008) were significantly lower in the HALS group than in the LS group. Conversely, for splenomegaly, the operative time (P = 0.04) was shorter and blood loss volume (P < 0.001) and conversion rate (P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the HALS group than in the LS group. However, no significant difference was observed in hospital stay length, blood transfusion, time to food intake, complications, or mortality rate between the two groups. Moreover, in splenectomy and devascularization of the upper stomach (DUS), the operative time (P = 0.04) was significantly shorter and blood loss volume (P < 0.001) and conversion rate (P = 0.05) were significantly lower in the HALS + DUS group than in the LS + DUS group. However, no significant difference was observed in hospital stay length, timing of diet, and complications between the two groups.

HALS is an ideal surgical treatment method for splenomegaly because it can maximize the benefits for patients while maintaining the advantages of LS.