Laparoscopic colectomy is an underused procedure for the elective management of colovesical fistulas

International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes were used to identify patients electively admitted with a diagnosis of colovesical fistula (596.1) and diverticulitis of the colon (562.10, 562.11), colon cancer (153.0 to 153.9), or Crohn's disease of the large intestine (555.1). LC has been adopted very slowly when compared with other minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since its original description in 1991, multiple publications have proven LC as a feasible and safe alternative to open colectomy. 2, 3 Nonetheless, in 2001, 10 years after its original description, it was estimated that only 3.6 per cent of colon resections were being performed laparoscopically. 3 Recent studies have demonstrated that the number of laparoscopic colon resections has increased over the past 10 years, representing up to 38 per cent of the colonic resections performed today.3 When our results are compared with other populationbased analyses of patients undergoing colectomy,2, 3 patients with a diagnosis of colovesical fistula were less likely to undergo LC.