Comparison of Postoperative and Oncologic Outcomes in Laparoscopic and Open Right Colectomy for Colon Cancer: A 5-year Experience.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Laparoscopic colectomy is a procedure which is being performed for three decades and is gaining popularity continuously over the traditional open colectomy. This study was conducted in order to compare postoperative and oncologic results based on several factors in laparoscopic and open right colectomy for right colon cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of right colectomy at a single institution from 2015 until 2020. The factors that were studied included postoperative values of C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), the number of excised lymph nodes, the use of postoperative analgesics and the length of hospital stay. RESULTS: We collected data from 21 open and 17 laparoscopic right colectomies through a 5-year period. Measurements on the second postoperative day revealed mean CRP and CPK values significantly lower in the laparoscopic group compared to the open group, while LDH levels did not affirm major differences between the two groups. The mean number of lymph nodes excised during the open procedure was superior to those harvested in the laparoscopic group. The use of analgesics throughout the entire hospital stay was a combination of pethidine and tramadol for the first three postoperative days in open procedures, while paracetamol and, occasionally, tramadol were administered upon patient request following laparoscopic procedures. The mean hospital stay was substantially shorter in the laparoscopic group compared to the open surgery group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic right colectomy is superior compared to open right colectomy with regards to postoperative analgesia and length of hospital stay, but also in certain postoperative laboratory values. Despite these there was no supremacy considering oncologic clearance.

Open or laparoscopic mesh repair of incisional hernia in patients that underwent liver transplantation: A systematic review and proportional meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Incisional hernias, that significantly affect the quality of life of patients, are common complications especially after major surgery, such as liver transplantation. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to outline the available evidence on the complications occurring after mesh implantation as a treatment of ventral incisional hernias (VIH) in liver transplant patients. METHODS: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Clinicaltrials.gov, CENTRAL and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles that reported the complications after mesh repair in patients that had undergone liver transplantation. RESULTS: Eighteen studies, that involved 640 liver transplant patients who developed incisional hernia, were included. 546 of them underwent surgical repair with mesh implantation. 144 (26%) patients developed postoperative complications, and the most common was surgical site infection (17%). The pooled complication rate of open mesh repair of incisional hernia after liver transplantation was 23% (95% CI = 11%-37%), whereas the pooled complication rate of laparoscopic mesh repair was 20% (95% CI = 12%-29%). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic VIH repair with the implantation of mesh showed promising results, since the percentage of patients with postoperative complications was lower compared to the available data of those who underwent open VIH repair with mesh.