Safety, feasibility, and short-term outcomes of single port access colorectal surgery: a single institutional case-matched study.

Gaujoux, Sébastien; Maggiori, Léon; Bretagnol, Frédéric; Ferron, Marianne; Panis, Yves

BACKGROUND Feasibility of single port access (SPA) colorectal surgery has been established for various procedures from ileocecal resection to proctectomy. Nevertheless, its benefits compared to conventional laparoscopy still need to be assess. The aim of this study was to compare SPA to conventional colorectal laparoscopic surgery in a single institutional case-matched study. METHODS From July 2009 to July 2010, 25 SPA colorectal resections were matched on main predictive risk factors of postoperative complications, in a one to two fashion, with patient having the same procedure for the same indication by conventional laparoscopy. RESULTS Patient characteristics were comparable between both groups. SPA was successfully performed in 24 of 25 patients, with a need to conversion to standard laparoscopy in one case (4%). SPA was associated with a significantly shorter median operative time (130 vs 180 min, p = 0.04) and hospital stay (6 vs 7 days, p = 0.005). Postoperative morbidity rates were similar between the two groups (4% vs 16%, p = 0.25). CONCLUSION SPA colorectal resection can be safely performed in selected patients with results comparable to those observed after conventional laparoscopic surgery. However, larger studies including randomized controlled trail are needed to demonstrate possible benefits of SPA colorectal resection over conventional colorectal laparoscopic surgery.