The controversy regarding hand-assisted colorectal resection

Excerpt

The technique of hand-assisted colectomy was introduced in the 1990s but initially was not widely embraced by the minimally invasive community [1, 2]. However, in the past 4–6 years the popularity of hand-assisted methods has increased considerably. One reason for the surge in interest was the publication of the Clinical Outcomes of Surgical Therapy (COST) findings, which suggested that laparoscopic colectomy for cancer was associated with comparable oncological outcome and improved short-term results [3]. Many surgeons who had not been performing laparoscopic colectomy now felt it was safe to do so and, thus, began utilizing minimally invasive methods. Another important reason for the increased utilization of hand-assisted methods in recent years was the introduction of second- and third-generation devices that are far easier to use and are more versatile than the initial devices. …