title: Right versus left laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer: does side make any difference?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between right laparoscopic colectomy (RLC) and left laparoscopic colectomy (LLC) for colon cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who underwent elective RLC or LLC for colon cancer between January 2004 and December 2014 were identified and elected for a retrospective analysis. Primary outcomes were technical difficulty (including operative time, intraoperative complications, and conversion rate) and postoperative outcome (including postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, reinterventions, readmissions, and mortality).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 547 patients (mean age: 68.5 years old; 48.4% males) were analyzed. The RLC group had a higher mean age (71 vs 65; p < 0.001), ASA 3/4 grade (36 vs 26%; p = 0.02), and comorbidity rate (61 vs 48%, p = 0.003). Regarding technical difficulty, no difference was found between the groups in intraoperative complications (4.1 vs 5.9%; p = 0.34) or conversion rate (6.2 vs 3.9%, p = 0.24). Mean operative time was significantly shorter for RLC (162 vs 185 min, p < 0.001). Regarding postoperative outcome, the RLC group had a higher overall morbidity (20.5 vs 13.3%, p = 0.03), ileus (10.6 vs 2.4%, p < 0.001), and a longer hospital stay (4.7 vs 3.9 days, p = 0.003), with no differences regarding reoperations, readmissions, or mortality. The multivariate analysis showed that RLC were independently associated with a longer operative time and postoperative ileus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RLC for colon cancer was independently associated with a shorter operative time, an increased risk of ileus, and a longer hospital stay than left laparoscopic colectomy in high-volume centers.
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Campana
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Pablo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gustavo L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ojea Quintana
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Mentz
authors.affiliation: Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Juan D. Perón 4190, C1181ACH, Buenos Aires, Argentina. carlos.vaccaro@hospitalitaliano.org.ar.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003082:Colectomy; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Intraoperative complication; Left laparoscopic colectomy; Postoperative complication; Right laparoscopic colectomy