Distance of Peritoneum to Inferior Mesenteric Artery Predicts the Operation Time During Laparoscopic Colectomy for Sigmoid or Rectosigmoid Colon Cancer.

Background/Aim: Obesity is a major technical limiting factor for laparoscopic surgery because abundant visceral fat is known to extend the operation time. However, special hardware is needed to assess it. We hypothesized that the depth from the peritoneum to the bifurcation of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) defined as 'peritoneum to IMA distance (PID)' might be a simple predictive factor for extended operation time during laparoscopic colectomy. Patients and Methods: One hundred twenty-four patients who were diagnosed with sigmoid or rectosigmoid colon cancer and underwent laparoscopic colectomy were included. The patients were divided into two groups based on the operation time (210 min). The vertical distance from the peritoneum to the bifurcation of the inferior mesenteric artery was defined as PID. The factors eliciting an operation time longer than 210 min were investigated. Results: There was significant difference in sex, BMI, cT, cN, and PID between the Early group (<210 min) and Late group (≥210 min). Less blood loss was observed in the Early group than in the Late group. Multivariate analysis showed that PID was the only independent factor that affected operation time (p<0.001). Conclusion: PID predicts the operation time during laparoscopic colectomy for sigmoid or rectosigmoid colon cancer.