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Background: OpClear® is a newly developed laparoscopic lens-cleaning device that can be attached to a laparoscope. The present study determined whether or not the use of a OpClear® reduces the multidimensional surgery-specific workload of the operator during laparoscopic colorectal surgery for colorectal cancer compared with the reference technique (warm saline) by a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and scheduled for laparoscopic colorectal surgery were randomly allocated to the warm saline arm or Opclear® arm. The primary endpoint was the multidimensional workload of the first operator (value of SURG-TLX). The secondary endpoints were the operative time and total number of lens washes outside the abdominal cavity. Results: Between March 2020 and January 2021, a total of 120 patients were enrolled in this study. A total of 4 patients were excluded from the full analysis set. A total of 116 patients (warm saline arm: 59 patients, Opclear® arm: 57 patients) were therefore analyzed. The baseline factors were well-balanced between the two arms. Regarding SURG-TLX, there was no significant difference in the overall workload between the two arms. Operators in the Opclear® arm required significantly less physical demand than in the warm saline arm (Opclear® arm: 6, warm saline arm: 7; p= 0.046). The operative time was similar between the two arms. The total number of lens washes outside the abdominal cavity in the Opclear® arm was significantly lower than that in the warm saline arm (Opclear® arm: 2, warm saline arm: 10; p< 0.001). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the overall workload, but the physical demand and total number of lens washes outside the abdominal cavity were significantly lower in the Opclear® arm than in the warm saline arm. The use of this device may thus help reduce operator stress in terms of physical demand.

Background: The initial phases of robotic surgical skills acquisition are associated with poor technical performance, such as low knot-tensile strength (KTS). Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) can improve force and accuracy in motor tasks but research in surgery is limited to open and laparoscopic tasks in students. More recently, robotic surgery has gained traction and is now the most common approach for certain procedures (e.g. prostatectomy). Early-phase robotic suturing performance is dependent on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation, and this study aimed to determine whether performance can be improved with prefrontal tDCS. Methods: Fifteen surgical residents were randomized to either active then sham tDCS or sham then active tDCS, in two counterbalanced sessions in a double-blind crossover study. Within each session, participants performed a robotic suturing task repeated in three blocks: pre-, intra- and post-tDCS. During the intra-tDCS block, participants were randomized to either active tDCS (2 mA for 15 min) to the PFC or sham tDCS. Primary outcome measures of technical quality included KTS and error scores. Results: Significantly faster completion times were observed longitudinally, regardless of active (p< 0.001) or sham stimulation (p< 0.001). KTS was greater following active compared to sham stimulation (median: active = 44.35 N vs. sham = 27.12 N, p< 0.001). A significant reduction in error scores from “pre-” to “post-” (p= 0.029) were only observed in the active group. Conclusion: tDCS could reduce error and enhance KTS during robotic suturing and warrants further exploration as an adjunct to robotic surgical training.

Background: We reported favorable short-term results of laparoscopic surgery in a randomized study comparing open and laparoscopic surgery for elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this study is to clarify the long-term outcomes of the laparoscopic surgery for elderly patients with CRC. Methods: The inclusion criteria were ≥ 75 years, adenocarcinoma, ≤ T4a, M0 and elective surgery. The patients were randomly allocated to open or laparoscopic surgery according to the tumor location. The survival rates, recurrence and reasons for death were compared. Result: One hundred patients (right colon 43, left colon 28, rectum 29) were included in each group. Eight patients who underwent open surgery and 2 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery were excluded from the analysis because of metastatic diseases and other malignancies found during the operations. One hundred ninety patients (98 open, 98 laparoscopic) were analyzed. There was no difference in the backgrounds excluding more patients with vascular invasion in the laparoscopic rectal cancer. There were no differences in the 5-year overall survival rate (open vs. laparoscopic; 78.9% vs. 82.1%, p= 0.638), 5-year disease-free survival rate (70.5% vs. 62.8%, p= 0.276), 5-year recurrence-free survival rate (76.1% vs. 72.1%, p= 0.419), or 5-year cancer-specific survival rate (86.1% vs. 80.5%, p= 0.208). No differences in survival were detected in the analyses of stage and tumor location. There was no significant difference in the overall recurrence rate or recurrence site. However, distant lymph node metastases and local recurrences were more common after laparoscopic surgery than after open surgery. There was no difference in the cause of death. More than half of the patients died from other diseases in both groups (57.9% vs. 52.6%, p= 0.765). Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery showed similar long-term results compared to open surgery in elderly patients with CRC. Laparoscopic surgery is an effective surgical procedure for elderly patients with CRC. Graphic Abstract:

Background: There are few reports on large-scale trials for the long-term outcomes regarding laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection (LLND). We evaluated the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic versus open LLND for locally advanced middle/lower rectal cancer using a propensity score-matched analysis. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2016, consecutive clinical stage II to III middle/lower rectal cancer patients who underwent total mesorectal excision (TME) plus LLND were retrospectively collected at three institutions. Laparoscopic LLND was compared with open LLND for the surgical and oncological outcomes, including the long-term survival, using a propensity score-matched analysis. Results: A total of 325 patients were collected. There were 142 patients who underwent open TME plus LLND (open group) and 183 patients who underwent laparoscopic TME plus LLND (laparoscopic group). A total of 93 patients each were matched to each group. Compared to the open group, the laparoscopic group had a significantly longer operative time (327 vs. 377 min; p= 0.002) but significantly less blood loss (540 vs. 50 ml; p< 0.001), fewer Clavian-Dindo grade ≥ 2 postoperative complications (49.5% vs. 34.4%; p= 0.037) and shorter postoperative hospital stay (18 vs. 14 days; p= 0.008). Furthermore, the rate of urinary retention was significantly lower in the laparoscopic group than in the open group (16.1% vs. 6.5%; p= 0.037). The estimated 3-year overall survival, relapse-free survival, and cumulative incidence of local recurrence were 91.4%, 73.1%, and 3.4% in the open group and 90.3%, 74.2%, and 4.3% in the laparoscopic group (p= 0.879, 0.893, 0.999), respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that laparoscopic LLND had advantages over an open approach, such as less blood loss, fewer postoperative complications, and a shorter postoperative hospital stay, and the oncologic outcomes were similar to the open approach. Laparoscopic LLND could be a viable standard approach to LLND for advanced middle/lower rectal cancer surgery.

Background: Incisional hernia (IH) is a common complication after colorectal surgery. However, the risk factors for incisional hernia after laparoscopic colorectal surgery (LCRS) have not been fully elucidated. This retrospective study analyzed the incidence rate of IH and evaluated the risk factors for IH after LCRS. Methods: This was a retrospective multi-institution study of 423 colorectal cancer patients conducted between September 2012 and December 2014 in Yokohama Clinical Oncology Group. The diagnosis of IH was based on computed tomography and physical examination findings. The patient-, tumor-, and surgery-related variables were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 423 patients were analyzed. The median follow-up period was 48.4 months. IH was observed in 36 patients (8.5%). The 1-year incidence of IH was 5.2%, and the 4-year incidence was 8.5%. A multivariate analysis showed that preoperative umbilical hernia (odds ratio [OR] 5.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.02–16.10; p= 0.001) and a visceral fat area (VFA) ≥ 100 cm2(OR 2.74; 95% CI 1.08–6.96; p= 0.035) were independent risk factors of IH after LCRS. Conclusions: The risk factors of IH after LCRS were preoperative umbilical hernia and VFA ≥ 100 cm2. In the case with an umbilical hernia or VFA ≥ 100 performing LCRS, it should likely NOT have a peri-umbilical extraction site and should be considered for an alternate site like a low transverse or Pfannenstiel incision.

Background: The short-term results of single-incision laparoscopic colectomy (SILC) showed the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness when performed by skilled laparoscopic surgeons. However, the long-term complications, such as SILC-associated incisional hernia, have not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of incisional hernia after SILC compared with multi-port laparoscopic colectomy (MPC) for colon cancer. Methods: From March 2012, to March 2015, a total of 200 patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized to the MPC arm and SILC arm. A total of 200 patients (MPC arm; 100 patients, SILC arm; 100 patients) were therefore analyzed. In all cases the specimen was extracted through the umbilical port, which was extended according to the size of the specimen. A diagnosis of incisional hernia was made either based on a physical examination or computed tomography. Results: The baseline factors were well balanced between the arms. The median follow-up period was 42.4 (range 9.4–70.0) months. Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with incisional hernia, giving an incidence rate of 12.1% in the MPC arm and 9.0% in the SILC arm at 36 months (P= 0.451). In the multivariate analysis, the body mass index (≥ 25 kg/m2) (hazard ratio [HR] 3.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–8.92; P= 0.044), umbilical incision (≥ 5.0 cm) (HR 3.22; 95% CI 1.16–8.93; P= 0.025), and history of umbilical hernia (HR 3.16; 95% CI 1.02–9.77; P= 0.045) were shown to be correlated with incisional hernia. Conclusions: We found no significant difference in the incidence of incisional hernia after SILC arm versus MPC arm with a long-term follow-up. However, this result may be biased because all specimens were harvested through the umbilical port.

Background: Recent studies have shown the potential benefit of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging (ICG-FI) in lowering the anastomotic leakage (AL) rates by changing the surgical plan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ICG-FI on the AL rates in laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer. Methods: From September 2014 to December 2017, data from patients who underwent laparoscopic LAR for rectal cancer were collected and analyzed. The primary endpoint was the AL rate within 30 days after surgery. The incidence of AL in patients who underwent ICG (ICG-FI group) was compared with that in patients who did not undergo ICG (non-ICG-FI group) using propensity score matching. Results: Data from 550 patients were collected from 3 institutions. A total of 211 patients were matched in both groups by the propensity score. ICG-FI shifted the point of the proximal colon transection line toward the oral side in 12 patients (5.7%). The AL rates of Clavien–Dindo (CD) grade ≥ II and ≥ III were 10.4% (22/211) and 9.5% (20/211) in the non-ICG-FI group and 4.7% (10/211) and 2.8% (6/211) in the ICG-FI group, respectively. ICG-FI significantly reduced the AL rate of CD grade ≥ II and ≥ III (odds ratio (OR) 0.427; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.197–0.926; p= 0.042 and OR 0.280; CI 0.110–0.711; p= 0.007, respectively). The rate of reoperation was significantly lower (OR 0.192; CI 0.042–0.889; p= 0.036) and the postoperative hospital stay significantly shorter (mean difference 2.62 days; CI 0.96–4.28; p= 0.002) in the ICG-FI group than in the non-ICG-FI group. Conclusions: ICG-FI was associated with significantly lower odds of AL in laparoscopic LAR for rectal cancer. Clinical trial: The study was registered with the Japanese Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000032654.