BACKGROUND: The persistence of early and delayed wound complications related to both open and laparoscopic colectomy remains a significant health burden. Furthermore, as interest in natural orifice translumenal endosurgery (NOTES) continues to grow, bridging techniques may help to attenuate the learning curve associated with NOTES. The authors present their technique and short-term outcomes for totally laparoscopic right colectomy with transvaginal specimen extraction in a series of four patients. METHODS: Four consecutive patients from a prospectively maintained laparoscopic colectomy database were analyzed under an institutional review board-approved protocol. Clinicopathologic characteristics and short-term outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: All the patients were women with no prior pelvic surgery. A four-trocar laparoscopic right colectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis was performed for cancer in two cases and for adenomatous polyp in two cases. Transvaginal extraction was possible in all cases. The average operating room time was 212.25 min. No patient experienced complications associated with the colpotomy; nor did any patient have pain or drainage from the extraction site postoperatively. The median hospital stay was 4.5 days. One patient experienced a bowel obstruction unrelated to the extraction site. The mean specimen length was 27 cm, and the mean number of lymph nodes retrieved was 15.75. CONCLUSION: Totally laparoscopic right colectomy with transvaginal extraction appears to be safe and feasible. This technique may provide both an attractive way to reduce abdominal wall morbidity and a bridge to NOTES colon surgery.
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