Clinical Benefit of Preserving Inferior Mesenteric Vein in Laparoscopic Curative Resection for Descending and Splenic Flexure Colon Cancer: A Comparative Study of CT-based objective Evidence

Abstract

Background: Although the presence of remnant long sigmoid colon after left hemicolectomy with inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) ligation is a major risk factor for venous ischemia, there is insufficient objective evidence to support the clinical benefit of IMV preservation in curative resection for distal transverse, descending and splenic flexure colon cancer. This study was to confirm the patency through CT after IMV preservation in laparoscopic left hemicolectomy for distal transverse, descending and splenic flexure colon cancer, and to analyze the clinical outcomes compared to the IMV ligation group.