Study: Colon Cancer Surgery Patients Do Better After Minilaparotomy

Patients requiring surgery for colon cancer may do significantly better postoperatively after a minilaparotomy, according to researchers from Nagasaki University School of Medicine in Japan.

Researchers compared the outcomes of 84 patients who had colon cancer surgery that involved an abdominal incision of less than 7 cm. with outcomes of 69 similar patients who had a conventional laparotomy.

Surgery using minilaparotomy was successfully performed in 72 of the patients, who experienced significantly less operative blood loss than the conventional laparotomy group, according to the study published in the British Journal of Surgery.

After surgery, the minilaparotomy group was able to stand, walk, pass gas, and urinate without a catheter significantly sooner than the conventional group. The minilaparotomy group also needed less pain medication after surgery.

"This is a suitable technique in most patients, although not all patients are suitable candidates for resection via such a small incision," said the study.

"There is a need for randomized studies to compare laparoscopic colonic surgery with minilaparotomy to define further the differences between these two modalities," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: British Journal of Surgery