Incidence of and risk factors for postoperative ileus between right and left laparoscopic colectomy using...

In colon cancer, the incidence of postoperative ileus is reportedly higher for the right-side than for the left-side colon, but those studies included small numbers of subjects and contained several biases. Furthermore, risk factors for postoperative ileus remain unclear.

This multicenter study reviewed 1986 patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomy between 2016 and 2021 for right-side (n = 907) and left-side (n = 1079) colon cancer. After propensity score matching, 803 patients in each group were matched.

Postoperative ileus occurred in 97 patients. Before matching, the proportion of female patients and median age were higher and frequency of preoperative stent insertion was lower with right colectomy (P < .001 each). After matching, the number of retrieved lymph nodes (17 vs 15, P < .001) and greater rates of undifferentiated adenocarcinoma (10.6% vs 5.1%, P < .001) and postoperative ileus (6.4% vs 3.2%, P = .004) were higher in right colectomy. Multivariate analysis revealed male gender (hazard ratio, 1.798; 95% confidence interval, 1.049-3.082; P = .32) and history of abdominal surgery (hazard ratio, 1.909; 95% confidence interval, 1.073-3.395; P = .027) as independent predictors of postoperative ileus in right-side colon cancer.

This study revealed a higher risk of postoperative ileus after right colectomy with laparoscopic surgery. Male gender and history of abdominal surgery were risk factors for postoperative ileus after right colectomy.