[Perioperative morbidity and mortality in colon resection for colon cancer]

The operative risk of colon resections was evaluated by a retrospective analysis of 231 according patients who were operated on between 1984 and 1988. Mean age of the patients was 70 years with a range from 37 to 91 years. Colonic resection consisted of ileocecal resection in 3 cases, right hemicolectomy in 144 cases, segmental resection of transverse colon in 10 cases, left hemicolectomy in 22 cases, resection of sigmoid colon in 77 cases and 5 times a subtotal colectomy was performed. In two patients (0.9%) an anastomotic leak occurred. Three patients were reoperated on: one due to an anastomotic disruption, two others due to a mechanical small bowel obstruction. Two patients (0.9%) died due to systemic complications without any evidence of anastomotic or wound problems. Thus a low morbidity and mortality of colonic resection is documented in our study. Factors contributing to these results are a standardized bowel preparation, perioperative antibiotics and modern anaesthetic techniques.