Significant reduction in the incidence of small bowel obstruction and ventral hernia after laparoscopic compared to open segmental colorectal resection

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of incisional ventral hernia and small bowel obstruction following laparoscopic and open colorectal resection. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of a large database comprising 13 hospitals, serving 3.6 million patients in Southern California. Patients 18 years and older undergoing elective colorectal resection over a 3-year period were included. The crude incidence rates were calculated, and relative risks of ventral hernia and small bowel obstruction were determined using multivariable proportional hazard modeling. Results: Four thousand six hundred and thirteen patients underwent 4765 colorectal resections between August 2008 and August 2011. Fifty-nine percent of the cases were performed laparoscopically; the median age was 63 years, and 49 % were males. Colorectal carcinoma (45 %) and diverticulitis (18 %) were the most common indications for surgery. The median follow-up was 2.4 years. Kaplan-Meier estimates of ventral hernia at 1, 2, and 3 years among the open cohort were significantly higher at 10.1, 17.0, and 20.5 %, compared to 5.7, 8.7, and 10.8 % in the laparoscopic cohort (p < 0.001). Similarly, small bowel obstruction was higher in the open compared to the laparoscopic group (open 10.4, 15.0, and 18.3 % vs. laparoscopic 2.7, 4.4, and 5.5 %, p < 0.001). Patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal resection were less likely to develop ventral hernia [adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 0.64 (95 % CI 0.52, 0.80); p < 0.0001] and small bowel obstruction [AHR 0.41 (95 % CI 0.31, 0.54); p < 0.0001]. Conclusions: The incidence of incisional ventral hernia and small bowel obstruction is significantly reduced in patients who undergo laparoscopic compared to open colorectal resection.