Laparoscopic Surgery Can Reduce Postoperative Edema Compared with Open Surgery

Aim . The study aimed to investigate the impact of laparoscopic surgery and open surgery on postoperative edema in Crohn’s disease. Methods . Patients who required enterectomy were divided into open group (Group O) and laparoscopic group (Group L). Edema was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis preoperatively (PRE) and on postoperative day 3 (POD3) and postoperative day 5 (POD5). The postoperative edema was divided into slight edema and edema by an edema index, defined as the ratio of total extracellular water to total body water. Results . Patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery had better clinical outcomes and lower levels of inflammatory and stress markers. A total of 31 patients (26.05%) developed slight edema and 53 patients (44.54%) developed edema on POD3. More patients developed postoperative edema in Group O than in Group L on POD3 (p=0.006). The value of the edema index of Group O was higher than that of Group L on POD3 and POD5 (0.402±0.010versus0.397±0.008,p=0.001;0.401±0.009versus0.395±0.007,p=0.039, resp.). Conclusions . Compared with open surgery, laparoscopic surgery can reduce postoperative edema, which may contribute to the better outcomes of laparoscopic surgery over open surgery.