Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the wound infection (WI) rate in laparoscopic surgery (LS) for colorectal cancer is lower than that in open surgery (OS), and to evaluate the influence of perioperative intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis on the development of WI in LS.
Methods: We performed a meta-analysis study comparing the WI rate in patients who underwent either OS or LS in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), with a relatively large number of registered patients. Moreover, a subgroup analysis of recently reported RCTs from Japan was performed, and 290 consecutive patients who underwent LS for colorectal cancer at our institution were evaluated for the influence of perioperative intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis on the development of WI.
Results: The WI rate of the LS group was significantly lower than that of the OS group in a meta-analysis; however, no positive effect of the intra-and postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis on the development of WI was demonstrated.
Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer is considered a surgical technique that has a lower incidence of WI in comparison to OS. Well-designed prospective, randomized controlled trials should therefore be conducted to evaluate whether intraoperative repeated dosing or postoperative repeated dosing is effective in reducing WI in LS.