Total abdominal colectomy for refractory ulcerative colitis. Surgical treatment in evolution.

Introduction: Total abdominal colectomy is the procedure of choice for debilitated patients with acute, medical refractory ulcerative colitis in our practice. A laparoscopic approach has been previously shown to be safe and effective, and has become our preferred strategy. This study illustrates the laparoscopic evolution towards a truly minimally invasive approach comparing three phases of a single colorectal surgeon experience.

Material And Methods: In May 2010 single incision laparoscopy was introduced in our practice and has become our preferred approach. Ten consecutive ulcerative colitis patients were case matched and compared with 10 previous laparoscopic-assisted (Feb 2003-Jan 2007) and 10 hand-assisted (Feb 2006-Apr 2010) total abdominal colectomies. Patient, disease and surgery-related factors were analyzed and short-term outcomes were compared.

Results: Given the study design, there were no differences in demographics, smoking history, disease duration and severity, nutritional and inflammatory parameters, and indication for surgery between groups. Single incision patients were more likely to have received immunosuppressive therapy within 30 days of the surgery (p = 0.016). In the single incision group we noticed significantly shorter duration of surgery (p < 0.001) and faster resumption of solid diet (p = 0.019) compared to the other groups. Other short-term outcomes did not differ between groups.

Conclusion: Single incision laparoscopy offers a safe alternative to other laparoscopic approaches. Despite the higher technical complexity, the duration of surgery is shorter with faster resumption of oral intake. Studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up will be required to confirm the benefits of this approach.