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C W Fitchett

Publications and source records attributed to C W Fitchett.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. Initial experience.

OBJECTIVE: The authors studied the results of laparoscopic colectomies performed by a surgical team on 80 consecutive patients and compared these results with standard open colectomies. METHODS: Eight consecutive laparoscopic-assisted colectomies were performed by Norfolk Surgical Group in a 14-month period and compared to 53 patients who had a conventional open colectomies. Analysis included indications for surgery, types of procedure, complications, incidence and causes for conversion, length of procedure, duration of postoperative ileus, hospital stay, operating room and total hospital charges, and examination of the pathologic specimens. RESULTS: Many different types of colectomies were performed successfully and safely for a variety of surgical indications. The conversion rate was 22.5%, which decreased to 15% in the second half of the series. Complications in patients who underwent laparoscopic operations were not severe in number of type. The length of the operative procedure, operating room charge, and the total hospital charge were greater for patients undergoing laparoscopic-assisted colectomies. Patients who underwent laparoscopic operations had a shorter period of postoperative ileus and less pain, resumed a regular diet sooner, and were discharged from the hospital sooner than patients who underwent open colectomies. There was no significant difference in the pathology specimens obtained by laparoscopic-assisted colectomies compared with conventional open colectomies for length of specimen, surgical margins, and number of lymph nodes retrieved. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that laparoscopic techniques can be applied safely and effectively to a broad range of colonic operations. Laparoscopic-assisted colectomies take longer to perform and are more costly, but are associated with less paralytic ileus, less pain, and reduced hospital stay. Laparoscopic colectomies for the treatment of malignancy are achievable technically, but will require careful long-term study.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Obstructing malignant lesions of the colon.

Evidence has been presented to suggest that the patient with an obstructed carcinoma of the colon may have a more malignant form of the disease independent of lymph node status or tumor encirclement of the bowel. Rate of tumor growth is never consistent in patients with this disease. Patients who develop colon obstruction early in the course of the disease seem to have more aggressive tumors with rapid growth and a much poorer long-term prognosis. Perforations frequently accompany obstructions of the colon. Patients in this group have a dismal prognosis. Individuals with obstructed carcinoma of the colon have a higher operative mortality and morbidity and a shorter long-term survival. The higher operative mortality and morbidity may depend entirely on the choice of operative procedures. Tumor location affects prognosis. Obstructing tumors in the left colon have a more favorable prognosis than those in the right colon. Obstructing right colon tumors have a much poorer survival (three times worse) than nonobstructing carcinomas of the right colon. Obstructing tumors in the rectum have a very poor prognosis. Evidence exists that resection of the tumor without preliminary proximal decompression may reduce hospital mortality and morbidity and increase long-term survival. In selected cases, primary resection can be done as safely as staged operative procedures. Primary anastomosis with resection of the left colon carries a higher operative mortality because of anastomotic leaks. Resection without anastomosis is much safer. Primary resection with anastomosis is the procedure of choice in obstructing lesions of the right colon. This has a lower operative mortality and morbidity than a staged procedure. This primary resection with anastomosis is certainly as safe as an ileotransverse colostomy. It is important not to abandon the time-honored surgical principle of never suturing obstructed bowel. Primary resection without anastomosis confirms this surgical principle. Meticulous preoperative and postoperative care employing physiological monitoring, multiple antibiotics, total parenteral hyperalimentation, and respiratory and circulatory support will further reduce the hospital mortality and morbidity. Patients who initially appear to be obstructed on barium enema, but who in truth are only partially obstructed, can be properly managed so that an elective primary resection with anastomosis can be done with the same operative mortality and morbidity as in other elective colon cancer patients.

Aged↗