Surgical approach to right colon cancer:From open technique to robot.State of art

This work is a topic highlight on the surgical treatment of the right colon pathologies,focusing on the literature state of art and comparing the open surgery to the different laparoscopic and robotic procedures.Different laparoscopic procedures have been described for the treatment of right colon tumors: Totally laparoscopic right colectomy,laparoscopic assisted right colectomy,laparoscopic facilitated right colectomy,hand-assisted right colectomy,single incision laparoscopic surgery colectomy,robotic right colectomy.Two main characteristics of these techniques are the different type of anastomosis: Intracorporeal(for totally laparoscopic right colectomy,single incision laparoscopic surgery colectomy,laparoscopic assisted right colectomy and robotic technique) or extracorporeal(for laparoscopic assisted right colectomy,laparoscopic facilitated right colectomy,hand-assisted right colectomy and open right colectomy) and the different incision(suprapubic,median or transverse on the right side of abdomen).The different laparoscopic techniques meet the same oncological criteria of radicalism as the open surgery for the right colon.The totally laparoscopic right colectomy with intracorporeal anastomosis and even more the single incision laparoscopic surgery colectomy,remain a technical challenge due to the complexity of procedures(especially for the single incision laparoscopic surgery colectomy) and the particular right colon vascular anatomy but they seem to have some theoretical advantages compared to the other laparoscopic and open procedures.Data reported in literature while confirming the advantages of laparoscopic approach,do not allow to solve controversies about which is the best laparoscopic technique(Intracorporeal vs Extracorporeal Anastomosis) to treat the right colon cancer.However,the laparoscopic techniques with intracorporeal anastomosis for the right colon seem to show some theoretical advantages(functional,technical,oncological and cosmetic advantages) even if all studies conclude that further prospective randomized trials are necessary.Robotic technique may be useful to overcome the problems related to inexperience in laparoscopy in some surgical centers.

Intraoperative use of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in rectal cancer surgery: The state of the art

Indocyanine green(ICG)fluorescence imaging is widely used in abdominal surgery.The implementation of minimally invasive rectal surgery using new methods like robotics or a transanal approach required improvement of optical systems.In that setting,ICG fluorescence optimizes intraoperative vision of anatomical structures by improving blood and lymphatic flow.The purpose of this review was to summarize all potential applications of this upcoming technology in rectal cancer surgery.Each type of use has been separately addressed and the evidence was investigated.During rectal resection,ICG fluorescence angiography is mainly used to evaluate the perfusion of the colonic stump in order to reduce the risk of anastomotic leaks.In addition,ICG fluorescence imaging allows easy visualization of organs such as the ureter or urethra to protect them from injury.This intraoperative technology is a valuable tool for conducting lymph node dissection along the iliac lymphatic chain or to better identifying the rectal dissection planes when a transanal approach is performed.This is an overview of the applications of ICG fluorescence imaging in current surgical practice and a synthesis of the results obtained from the literature.Although further studies are need to investigate the real clinical benefits,these findings may enhance use of ICG fluorescence in current clinical practice and stimulate future research on new applications.