Useful preoperative simulation for laparoscopic surgery of rectal cancer with kyphosis.

Kyphosis makes abdominal surgery difficult. Here, we report a case of rectal cancer in a patient with kyphosis on whom laparoscopic surgery was adequately performed owing to preoperative simulation. An 81-year-old woman with rectal cancer was admitted to our department, and laparoscopic surgery was planned. On physical examination, the patient showed severe kyphosis. To adequately perform laparoscopic surgery, a detailed and thorough preoperative simulation was conducted. 1) Simulations of port arrangement and anatomy with 3-D CT, 2) body position simulation, 3) selection of surgical instruments, 4) preoperative discussion with the anesthesiologist were conducted. We planned to insert the first port from the umbilical region for pneumoperitoneum and the camera port from the ventral region under pneumoperitoneum. We planned to insert the ports on the right side of the patient's body from caudal regions, considering the location of the inferior mesenteric artery and the limited degrees and space due to the costal arch and the promontorium. Beach chair position was planned. We used a fan-shaped retractor and a sponge-made retractor to remove the small intestine from the surgical view. We discussed with the anesthesiologist preoperatively, and decided to keep the pneumoperitoneum pressure under 8 mmHg during the operation considering the respiratory function. Lower anterior resection with D2 lymph node dissection was performed without any intraoperative complications, and at 2 years post-surgery, the patient was healthy with no signs of recurrence. Laparoscopic surgery may be a good choice in patients with kyphosis, and we believe that preoperative simulation will result in an uneventful surgery.