Intracorporeal Versus Extracorporeal Anastomosis in Laparoscopic Colectomy: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Comparing extracorporeal, semi-extracorporeal, and intracorporeal anastomosis in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: introducing a bridging technique for colorectal surgeons

“…There are studies where the operation time between the 2 groups did not incur statistical significance [ 4 26 ]. However, in the most recent meta-analysis of 6,570 patients by Lam et al [ 29 ], the operation time was longer in IA group (P < 0.01; weighted mean difference, 13.32 minutes; 95% confidence interval, 6.57–20.06; I 2 , 92%) mainly due to the difficulty of laparoscopic suturing technique. Interestingly, median operation time in our study were 170, 170, and 147 minutes in the EA, SEA, and IA groups, respectively with statistical significance (P = 0.010).…”

“…The most updated systemic analysis of 47 studies comprising 3 RCTs, 3 case-controlled studies, and 41 retrospective cohort studies reported that IA was associated with shorter time to oral feeding, first bowel movement, and first flatus (all P < 0.01) [ 29 ]. Likewise, the time to the first flatus was shortest in the IA group with significance in our study (P < 0.001).…”