Laparoscopic or classic splenectomy?

Introduction: With current development of mini-invasive techniques, laparoscopic splenectomy also gained its place under the sun. The goal of this study is to compare the results of open and laparoscopic splenectomy performed at Clinic of Surgery of University Hospital Ostrava in the period 2010–2019. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study during the period 2010–2019 were counted: an operation time, a need of blood transfusions, weight, complications and duration of hospital stay. A group of patients with laparoscopic operation was compared to a group with an open operation, using the t-test. Results: During the period 2010–2019, we performed 23 laparoscopic splenectomies and 15 classic operations. Unfortunately, the comparison of both groups is difficult. The splenic weight differs in both groups statistically significantly (P = 0.0001). The patients in the classic laparotomy group had much bigger spleens and in four cases, the splenectomy was performed together with metastasectomy of the liver, diaphragmatic resection and resection of the tale of pancreas. Even then the operative time was significantly shorter than the operative time of laparoscopic operation – the operative times differ in both groups statistically significantly (P = 0.0001). The need of blood transfusion and operative complications appear to be comparable in both techniques. The duration of hospital stay was shorter in the patients with laparoscopic operation. Conclusion: Laparoscopic splenectomy offers all the general benefits of mini-invasive operative techniques and is suitable method for patients undergoing elective splenectomy especially for spleens smaller than 20 cm in diameter. We consider portal hypertension and severe comorbidities of the patient to be a contraindication. It seems to us that the main problem of this method lies in a very small number of operated patients and thus in a limited possibility to obtain sufficient surgical erudition, which is probably the case of some complications and insufficient use of this method in practice. It is highly desirable to concentrate these services in the centers. © 2021 Galen s.r.o.. All rights reserved