ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of simultaneous laparoscopic excision for the treatment of rectal carcinoma and synchronous hepatic metastasis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 38 patients with rectal carcinoma and synchronous hepatic metastasis detected by CT scan were included in this study. Among them, 23 patients in the group A were treated with laparoscopic surgery, and the other 18 patients in the group B with traditional abdominal operation to resect the rectal tumor and hepatic metastasis simultaneously. All patients received postoperative chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the patients were treated successfully with no postoperative death in both groups. The mean operative time was 350 +/- 45 min in group A versus 342 +/- 38 min in group B (P > 0.05). The mean blood loss was 275 +/- 96 ml in group A versus 590 +/- 85 ml in group B (P < 0.01), and the average hospital stay was 12 +/- 1.5 days in group A versus 16 +/- 2.5 days in group B (P < 0.05). Only one patient in group A received blood transfusion of 200 ml during operation, while the average blood transfusion in group B was 500 +/- 100 ml (P < 0.01). The follow-up duration was from 36 to 72 months with an average duration of 45.3 months. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 82.6%, 43.5% and 8.6% in the group A, versus 77.8%, 38.9% and 0% in group B, respectively (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Simultaneous laparoscopic excision of rectal carcinoma and synchronous hepatic metastasis is safe, effective and minimally invasive with a similar survival achieved by traditional open abdominal operation.</p>