Laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection with natural orifice specimen extraction: a prospective study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Laparoscopic colorectal resection is more and more being employed in the daily oncology practice. Natural orifice techniques to obviate the need for a specimen extraction incision are evolving. Materials and methods We studied transanal and transvaginal specimen extraction after laparoscopic colorectal resections prospectively in 16 patients. Results The technique was successfully implemented in 75% of the cases. The site of the tumour and the patient age were the significant predictors of the technique success. Conclusion The technique is reproducible and can be more widely adopted.