Impact of Left Colonic Artery Preservation on Anastomotic Leakage in Laparoscopic Sigmoid Resection and Anterior Resection for Sigmoid and Rectosigmoid Colon Cancer

Objectives To investigate the effect of left colonic artery (LCA) preservation on laparoscopic sigmoidectomy outcomes Methods We identified 447 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic sigmoidectomy at our hospital group between January 2010 and December 2016. We divided the patients into groups with and without LCA preservation and with and without anastomotic leakage (AL). We compared the patient age and gender, tumor location, stage, D2/D3 lymph node dissection, comorbidities, operating time, and blood loss between these groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for AL. Results There were significant differences in age, sex, tumor location, D2/D3 lymph node dissection, hypertension, operating time, blood loss, and AL for groups with and without LCA preservation. There were significant differences in sex, tumor location, and LCA preservation for groups with and without AL. Multivariate analysis showed male sex (hazard ratio (HR) = 6.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.39-20.6; p < 0.0001), non-LCA preservation (HR = 5.01, 95% CI 1.41-31.8.0; p = 0.01), and rectosigmoidal tumor location (HR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.15-5.61; p = 0.01) as significant independent risk factors for AL. Conclusions Based on the results obtained by performing laparoscopic operation for sigmoid colon cancer and rectosigmoid cancer, the LCA preservative procedure is warranted for prevention of AL.