Interleukin-6 and stress hormone responses after uncomplicated gasless laparoscopic-assisted and open sigmoid colectomy.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic colectomy has increasingly been advocated as an option for treatment of colonic disease. The purpose of this study was to compare effects of laparoscopic-assisted sigmoid colectomy (LAS) and conventional open colectomy (OPEN) on postoperative cytokine and stress hormone responses.
METHODS: Fourteen patients with sigmoid colon cancer, apparently free of preoperative complications, were analyzed. Patients in both groups underwent sigmoid colectomy with lymphadenectomy. LAS was performed by the gasless abdominal wall-lifting method. A 5 cm incision was placed at the beginning of the operation. Blood samples were taken preoperatively and postoperatively for measurement of interleukin-6, glucagon and C-reactive protein. Urinary catecholamine excretions were also determined postoperatively.
RESULTS: The two groups of patients were similar with respect to age (61 +/- 7 for LAS vs. 64 +/- 9 for OPEN) and sex. Intraoperative blood loss did not differ significantly between groups (112 +/- 97 ml for LAS vs. 366 +/- 380 ml for OPEN). Operative times for LAS tended to be longer than those for OPEN (231 +/- 67 vs. 169 +/- 45 minutes; P = 0.08). Similar time courses of postoperative interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and stress hormone responses were observed in both groups. No significant differences were observed in the magnitude of changes except that the serum interleukin-6 level on day of surgery (postoperative day 0) was significantly higher in LAS patients than in those receiving OPEN. In addition, interleukin-6 levels showed a significant positive correlation with operative duration (r = 0.582; P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that stress responses after sigmoid colectomy, in patients undergoing LAS, are comparable with those of patients receiving OPEN and that the early interleukin-6 response after surgery appears to be associated with operative time.