With sufficient experience, laparoscopic colorectal surgery in obese patients is feasible and safe. It is associated with no increased risk of complications and preserves all benefits of the mini-invasive approach.

Primary endovascular therapy for acute embolic SMA occlusion with on-demand laparotomy is a recommended algorithm used in our centre to treat SMA occlusion. This combined approach for the treatment of AMI is associated with in-hospital mortality rate of 27.0 %.

IntroductionLong-term results after laparoscopic surgery with conversion to open surgery for colorectal cancer are seldom published.AimThe study analysed the impact of conversion of laparoscopic surgery to open resection for colorectal cancer on short- and long-term results.Material and methodsThe prospectively collected data of 469 patients with colorectal cancer in the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006 were analysed. Short- and long-term results were compared.ResultsThe relative frequency of conversion was 7%. The subgroups were statistically similar regarding age, gender, body mass index (BMI), localization of tumour, T stage, and TNM stage. We observed a lower frequency of previous surgery (p = 0.018) in the group of patients with conversions to open surgery as well as statistically significantly higher frequency of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score II (p = 0.039). There was no statistical difference in morbidity, mortality, or the length of hospital stay between both the groups of patients. The operating time was significantly higher in the group of patients with conversion (p = 0.00001). There was a significantly higher blood loss in the patient groups with conversion to open surgery and in the group with primarily open surgery (p = 0.00023). There was no difference in the overall survival (p = 0.712), disease-free survival (p = 0.072) or in the local (p = 0.432) or distant (p = 0.957) recurrence.ConclusionsNo negative impact on short- or long-term results of conversion to open surgery was verified in patients with colorectal surgery.

Author contributions: Gunkova P assisted the operation and wrote the paper; Martinek L operated on the patients; Dostalik J head of the Surgical Clinic; Gunka I, Vavra P and Mazur M examined the patients. Abstract Retrorectal cysts are rare benign lesions in the presacral space which are frequently diagnosed in middle-aged females. We report here our experience with two symptomatic female patients who were diagnosed as having a retrorectal cyst and managed using a laparoscopic approach. The two patients were misdiagnosed as having an ovarian cystic lesion after abdominal ultrasonography. Computer tomography (CT) scan was mandatory to establish the diagnosis. The trocar port site was the same in both patients. An additional left oophorectomy was done for a coexisting ovarian cystic lesion in one patient in the same setting. There was no postoperative morbidity or mortality and the two patients were discharged on the 5th and 6th post operative days, respectively. Our cases show that laparoscopic management of retrorectal cysts is a safe approach. It reduces surgical trauma and offers an excellent tool for perfect visualization of the deep structures in the presacral space.