Laparoscopic bowel resection for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Background To compare 30-d outcomes between laparoscopic and open intestinal resection performed on pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Materials and methods We identified all proctocolectomies performed on patients with ulcerative colitis and all intestinal resections with primary anastomosis performed on patients with Crohn disease in the 2012-2013 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric. We compared demographic, clinical, and 30-d outcome characteristics between patients who underwent an open or laparoscopic resection. Results Of the 140 patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent proctocolectomy, 103 (74%) were performed laparoscopically. Patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy had shorter postoperative length of stay (LOS) and fewer incisional complications. On multivariate analysis, open versus laparoscopic proctocolectomy is not an independent predictor of postoperative LOS for patients with ulcerative colitis. Of the 188 patients with Crohn disease who underwent an intestinal resection, 122 (65%) underwent laparoscopic resection. In comparison with patients undergoing open resection, patients undergoing laparoscopic resection had similar rates of complications but a shorter postoperative LOS. Conclusions For children with ulcerative colitis, laparoscopic proctocolectomy is not independently associated with a difference in postoperative LOS. In unadjusted analyses, laparoscopic bowel resections for children with Crohn disease may be associated with a shorter postoperative LOS compared with that of open procedures. Additional accrual of cases within the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric will allow for risk-adjusted analyses of outcomes, including factors independently associated with incisional complications.