Single Surgeon Experience with Laparoscopic Surgery in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Purpose: Laparoscopic management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been well established in adults. Its efficacy and safety are less defined in pediatrics. We reviewed our single surgeon laparoscopic experience with pediatric IBD patients. Patients and Methods: All consecutive patients 17 years old or younger with IBD who underwent initial laparoscopic surgery for management of disease from May 2002 to May 2011 were identified. Patients were analyzed retrospectively with respect to age, gender, weight, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, history of prior abdominal surgery, operative time, need for conversion to open procedure, estimated blood loss, need for blood transfusion, length of hospitalization, need for intensive care unit monitoring, and patient outcomes within 30 days. Results: In total, 44 pediatric patients underwent 52 laparoscopic surgeries. Forty-two patient cases (80.8%) had had no prior abdominal surgery. Mean operative time was 132 minutes. Two patients (...