Preoperative Evaluation of Blood Vessel Anatomy Using 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography for Laparoscopic Surgery of Transverse Colon Cancer

Abstract

This study describes the efficacy of the evaluation of blood vessel anatomy by 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) for laparoscopic surgery for transverse colon cancer (TCC). A total of 102 patients with TCC were examined by preoperative 3D-CT to clarify their blood vessel anatomy at Tokyo Medical University Hospital between January 2010 and December 2015, before undergoing laparoscopic surgery using the obtained 3D-CT data. Regarding blood vessel variation, the middle colic artery (MCA) was present in all patients (100%). The common duct type was observed in 89 patients (87.3%), and a type of branch separate from the superior mesenteric artery was observed in 13 patients (12.7%). The accessory MCA was present in 25 patients (24.5%). The middle colic vein was present in all patients (100%), and it drained into the following vessels: the superior mesenteric vein, gastrocolic trunk, first jejunal vein, and inferior mesenteric vein [67 (65.8%), 25 (24.5%) 8 (7.8%), and 2 (1.9%) patients, respectively]. Regarding the surgical outcome, the bleeding volume was 43 g, the operative time was 218 minutes, the number of harvested lymph nodes was 21, the proximal resection margin was 164 mm, the distal resection margin was 105 mm, and the length of postoperative hospital stay was 10 days. Although complicated variations and anomalies in the MCA and the contiguous veins were observed, preoperative 3D-CT will be useful for surgeons performing laparoscopic surgery on patients with TCC.