title: Current State of Laparoscopic Colonic Surgery in Austria: A National Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several studies have demonstrated that laparoscopic colonic resection has significant benefits in comparison with open approaches in patients with benign and malignant disease. The proportion of colonic and rectal resections conducted laparoscopically in Austria is not currently known; the aim of this study was to evaluate the current status of laparoscopic colonic surgery in Austria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was distributed to all general surgical departments in Austria. In collaboration with IMAS, an Austrian market research institute, an online survey was used to identify laparoscopic and open colorectal resections performed in 2013. The results were compared with data from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), in which administrative in-patient data were also collected from all general surgical departments in Austria in 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three of 99 surgical departments in Austria responded (53.5%); 4335 colonic and rectal resections were carried out in the participating departments, representing 50.5% of all NHMD-recorded colorectal resections (n = 8576) in Austria in 2013. Of these 4335 colonic and rectal resections, 2597 (59.9%) were carried out using an open approach, 1674 (38.6%) were laparoscopic, and an exact classification was not available for 64 (1.5%). Among the NHMD-recorded colonic and rectal resections, 6342 (73.9%) were carried out with an open approach, and 2234 (26.1%) were laparoscopic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of colorectal resections that are carried out laparoscopically is low (26.1%). Technical challenges and a learning curve with a significant number of cases may be reasons for the slow adoption of laparoscopic colonic surgery.
authors.affiliation: 1 Second Surgical Department, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .|2 Linz Training and Research Center for Surgery and Oncology, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klugsberger
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .|4 Department of Gynecology, Erlangen University Hospital , Erlangen, Germany .
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .|4 Department of Gynecology, Erlangen University Hospital , Erlangen, Germany .
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oppelt
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Freistadt General Hospital , Freistadt, Austria .
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neuner
authors.affiliation: 1 Second Surgical Department, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .|2 Linz Training and Research Center for Surgery and Oncology, Kepler University Hospital , Linz, Austria .
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shamiyeh
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria; D003082:Colectomy / Q000379:methods*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012007:Rectum / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires