Postoperative Intestinal Obstruction after Laparoscopic Versus Open Surgery in the Pediatric Population: A 15-year Review

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the possible advantages of a laparoscopic approach versus open surgery in infants and children with regard to the development of postoperative intestinal obstruction (PIO). Material and Methods: A retrospective study was performed. The medical records of all infants and children who underwent an abdominal operation in our department between 1992 and 2007 were included. Data included initial diagnosis, age at initial operation, initial surgical approach, time to PIO, and type of definitive treatment. Results: From 1992 to 2007, a total of 3 600 abdominal operations were performed in Our institution. As not all types of operations can be performed using a laparoscopic approach, in order to obtain a more exact result we compared only operations of the same type performed either by laparoscopy or laparotomy in this period. A total of 2 243 comparable abdominal operations were performed, of which 1558 (69.46%) were performed using a laparoscopic approach and 685 (30.54%) were performed by laparotomy. Postoperative intestinal obstruction (PIO) was diagnosed in 36 cases. In 14 of these patients (38.88%), the initial operation was performed via a laparoscopic approach, while the remaining 22 (61.12%) were initially operated using laparotomy. Overall, 0.89% of the patients initially managed by laparoscopy and 3.21% of the patients initially treated by laparotomy were treated for postoperative intestinal obstruction (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Abdominal surgery via a laparoscopic approach reduces the likelihood of PIO development. The risk for re-operation after development of PIO in infants and children is significantly higher in patients initially treated by laparotomy than for patients treated by laparoscopy.