title: [Comparison of the incidence of postoperative complications following laparoscopic and open colorectal cancer resection].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the postoperative complications following laparoscopic and open colorectal cancer resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2000 to September 2011, 910 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery and 434 open surgery. The postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight patients (5.3%, 48/910) in the laparoscopic group were converted to open operation, of whom 36 (75.0%, 36/48) were due to difficulty in procedure and exposure from obesity and narrow pelvis. The overall complication rate was 20.3% (185/910) in the laparoscopic group and 25.3%(110/434) in the open group (χ2=4.316, P<0.05). For patients with a diverting stoma, the anastomotic leak rate was 2.1% (3/145) and 2.2% (2/93) (χ2=0.002, P>0.05), anastomotic bleeding rate was 3.4% (5/145) and 4.3% (4/93) (χ2=0.113, P>0.05). For patients without a diverting stoma, the anastomotic leak rate was 3.1% (22/699) and 1.0% (3/301) (χ2=3.993, P<0.05), anastomotic bleeding rate was 1.6% (11/699) and 2.3% (7/301) (χ2=0.673, P>0.05), bowel obstruction rate was 3.4% (31/910) and 5.8% (25/434) (χ2=4.077, P<0.05), chyle leak rate was 5.8% (53/910) and 3.7% (16/434) (χ2=2.757, P>0.05), urinary retention rate was 1.5% (14/910) and 1.6% (7/434) (χ2=0.011, P>0.05), wound infection rate was 2.2% (20/910) and 4.6% (20/434) (χ2=5.913, P<0.05), pulmonary infection rate was 6.4% (58/910) and 10.6% (46/434) (χ2=7.349, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall postoperative complication rate in laparoscopic surgery is significantly lower than that in open surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Union Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350001, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies