Laparoscopic Intracorporeal Ileocolic Resection for Crohn's Disease: Is It Safe?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of laparoscopic ileocolic resection with intracorporeal vascular division and anastomosis on the outcome of patients with terminal ileal Crohn's disease. METHODS: Prospective data on patients undergoing laparoscopic ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease confined to terminal ileum and cecum with or without fistulas were reviewed. Exclusion criteria were frozen abdomen, recurrent Crohn's disease following resection, and perforated Crohn's disease. Laparoscopic ileocolic resection involved a lateral-to-medial approach encompassing ten sequential steps. Values were medians (range). RESULTS: From January 1992 to June 2006, 80 laparoscopic ileocolic resections were attempted with a 1.2 percent conversion rate. Sixty-two women and 18 men, age 40 (19-55) years, had a body mass index of 26 (18-37) and an American Society of Anesthesiologists' score of 1 (1-3), and 23.7 percent had previously undergone abdominal surgery. Operating time was 155 (130-210) minutes. Estimated blood loss was 250 (50-600) ml. Length of the skin incision at the specimen extraction site was 35 (30-44) mm. The complication/reoperation rate was 7.5 percent. The readmission rate was 3.7 percent. Except for smoking (P < 0.005), there were no significant differences between patients with and those without complications. The recurrence rate was 30 percent (24 of 80). The median time to recurrence was 64 months. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic ileocolic resection with intracorporeal vascular division and anastomosis resulted in a favorable outcome in selected patients with refractory terminal ileal Crohn's disease.