Utility of Laparoscopic Surgery for Multiple Synchronous Colorectal Cancers With Two Anastomotic Sites

The frequency of multiple synchronous colorectal cancers is reported to be 2% to 7%. The surgical resection of 2 lesions and having 2 anastomotic sites are rare. According to previous studies, even if there are 2 anastomotic sites, the rate of complications associated with laparotomy will not increase. However, the number of studies confined to cases of laparoscopic surgery is limited. This study investigated effective methods for laparoscopic colorectal resection and their short-term results in cases of multiple synchronous colorectal cancers with 2 anastomotic sites. The safety of these methods were also evaluated. The study was comprised of 4 patients with multiple synchronous colorectal cancers who underwent resection using laparoscopy between January 2011 and March 2015. We retrospectively examined patients with 2 anastomosis sites. A total of 3 patients underwent multiport laparoscopic surgery (5-port) and 1 patient underwent single-port laparoscopic surgery. Complications due to the conversion to laparotomy or intraoperative or postoperative complications were not observed in any patient. Laparoscopic colorectal resection, resulting in 2 anastomosis sites, was performed safely. Compared to open colorectal resection with 2 anastomotic sites, laparoscopic resection was a smaller incision and minimally invasive. Therefore, laparoscopic colorectal resection with 2 anastomotic sites is regarded as a feasible and safe option for multiple synchronous colorectal cancers when tumors are located distantly from each other.

Rectus sheath catheters provide equivalent analgesia to epidurals following laparotomy for colorectal surgery

Introduction Rectus sheath catheters (RSCs) are increasingly being used to provide postoperative analgesia following laparotomy for colorectal surgery. Little is known about their efficacy in comparison with epidural infusion analgesia (EIA). They are potentially better as they avoid the recognised complications associated with EIA. This study compares these two methods of analgesia. Outcomes include average pain scores, time to mobilisation and length of stay. Methods This was a 33-month single centre observational study including all patients undergoing elective open or laparoscopic-converted-to-open colorectal resection for both benign and malignant disease. Patients received either EIA or RSCs. Data were collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively. Results A total of 95 patients were identified. Indications for surgery, operation and complications were recorded. The mean time to mobilisation was significantly shorter in patients who had RSCs compared with EIA patients (2.4 vs 3.5 days, p<0.05). There was no difference in postoperative pain scores or length of stay. Conclusions RSCs provide equivalent analgesia to EIA and avoid the recognised potential complications of EIA. They are associated with a shorter time to mobilisation. Their use should be adopted more widely.