Learning Curve at Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery

Aim: The learning curve at laparoscopic colorectal surgery is a long and laborious process. Therefore, despite its advantages, it cannot still be accepted as the gold standard procedure. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of learning curve at laparoscopic colorectal surgeries performed begining period and surgeries after getting experienced. Method: All cases who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery in Adnan Menderes University Department of General Surgery between December 2014 and May 2019 were included in the study. The study was divided into two groups as the first time cases and the cases after the completion of the learning curve. The files of the cases were scanned and demographic data, types of operations, operation times, postoperative complications, oral intake times in the postoperative period, length of hospital stay, and number of extracted lymph nodes were recorded. The numbers of both groups were compared statistically. Results: A total of 102 patients were included in this study and 71 (69.6%) of these patients were included in Group 1 and 31 (30.4%) of these patients were included in Group 2. In terms of the duration of operations, the mean duration of operation was 149.2±28.14 minutes in Group 1 and 87.16±13.98 minutes in Group 2 (p=0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the duration of hospitalization and oral intake in the postoperative time in both groups. The number of extracted lymph nodes was 16.27±4.94 in Group 1 and 21.81±5.45 in Group 2 (p=0.001). Conclusion: When experience increases in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, morbidity rate decreases and more complicated cases can be operated in a shorter time.