title: Laparoscopic Bowel Surgery Registry. Preliminary results.
abstract: Laparoscopic surgery has evolved rapidly since 1989. The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer jointly sponsored a registry to identify as early as possible the patterns of practice and acute complications of laparoscopic colectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases were voluntarily registered by community and academic surgeons. Information was entered in the EPI-5 database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand fifty-six cases were contributed by 118 surgeons; 763 patients were completed laparoscopically. The most common indication for surgery was cancer in 453 patients. The right colon (n = 364) and sigmoid (n = 294) were most frequently resected. Respondents felt adequate cancer resections were performed. Although several unique complications were noted, intraoperative complications were similar in type and frequency to open cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic colorectal surgery can be performed with acceptable complications. It remains unclear if this approach is adequate for long-term management of colon and rectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Beart
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Winchester
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D003082:Colectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012042:Registries; D012811:Sigmoid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D014481:United States