title: Totally laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy: a simple and safe technique for intracorporeal anastomosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current techniques of laparoscopic colectomy require an abdominal incision for extraction of the specimen. Although this incision is smaller than that for open laparotomy incision, it may reduce the advantages of laparoscopic surgery. In totally laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy, intracorporeal anastomosis is technically difficult. A safe and simple technique for circularly stapled intracorporeal anastomosis is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  After mobilization of the colon and division of the mesentery, a semicircumferential colotomy is made at the anterior colonic wall just proximal to the transection site. The anvil of a circular stapling device, secured with a Prolene suture, is introduced via the colotomy. The suture is advanced anteriorly so that the center rod of the circular stapling device penetrates the colonic wall. The colon is staple-transected at this point to secure the anvil on the proximal colon. A grasping forceps is brought through the rectum, and the specimen is extracted through the colotomy made at the distal staple line. After the colotomy is reclosed with a linear stapler, anastomosis is established using a hemidouble stapling technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally laparoscopic sigmoid colectomies were performed for 16 patients with colon cancers. All the patients were treated laparoscopically without any complications. The average operation time was 180 min. Although one patient experienced wound infection, no major complications occurred. There was no mortality in this series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The procedure of totally intracorporeal anastomosis combined with transanal extraction of the specimen can be performed easily, enabling surgeons to achieve minimal invasiveness comparable with that of hybrid natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES).
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Osaka Police Hospital, 10-31 Kitayama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka, 543-0035, Japan. h.akamatsu@me.com
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tori
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueshima
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Toshirou
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishida
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012811:Sigmoid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome