title: Totally laparoscopic versus conventional ileoanal pouch procedure--design of a single-centre, expertise based randomised controlled trial to compare the laparoscopic and conventional surgical approach in patients undergoing primary elective restorative proctocolectomy--LapConPouch-Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Restorative proctocolectomy is increasingly being performed minimal invasively but a totally laparoscopic technique has not yet been compared to the standard open technique in a randomized study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a two armed, single centre, expertise based, preoperatively randomized, patient blinded study. It is designed as a two-group parallel superiority study. Power calculation revealed 80 patients per group in order to recruit the 65 patients to be analysed for the primary endpoint. The primary objective is to investigate intra-operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusions. We hypothesise that intra-operative blood loss and the need for peri-operative blood transfusions are significantly higher in the conventional group. Additionally a set of surgical and non-surgical parameters related to the operation will be analysed as secondary objectives. These will include operative time, complications, postoperative pain, lung function, postoperative length of hospital stay, a cosmetic score and pre-and postoperative quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trial will answer the question whether there is indeed an advantage in the laparoscopic group in regard to blood loss and the need for blood transfusions. Moreover, it will generate data on the safety and potential advantages and disadvantages of the minimally invasive approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. dalibor.antolovic@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Dalibor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antolovic
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kienle
authors.forename: Hanns-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Knaebel
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Carsten N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Gutt
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Markus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
authors.forename: Christoph M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Seiler
mesh_terms: D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000601:surgery; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000601:surgery; D039021:Colonic Pouches; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D007902:Length of Stay; D016737:Proctocolectomy, Restorative / Q000379:methods*; D011677:Punctures; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design; D016037:Single-Blind Method