Laparoscopic closure of loop ileostomy

The number of patients undergoing lower anterior resection for rectal cancer has been increasing recently, and therefore, the number of patients undergoing covering loop ileostomy and ileostomy closure is increasing. We performed laparoscopic ileostomy closure safely on 5 patients between 2012 and 2014. The essential points of this technique are that laparoscopy helps to detect adhesion point of the ileostomy and the abdominal wall, and that laparoscopic adhesiolysis is possible if the adhesive small bowel is tight. No patients experienced any complication after the procedure. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis was performed for 2 patients who had a tight adhesive small bowel, and it was not necessary to widen the incision. This is the first report from Japan in which loop ileostomy closure was performed with laparoscopic assistance. This technique is effective for preventing the complications related to loop ileostomy closure.