Adoption rates for laparoscopy in colorectal surgery: why are they lagging behind?

During the last three decades, the laparoscopic revolution shook the world. The advantages of the laparoscopic approach compared to open surgery are indisputable: reduced post-operative pain, reduced suppression of pulmonary function, less wound complications, quicker return of bowel function, fewer adhesions, shortened hospital stay, earlier recovery, better cosmesis and reduced costs as compared to laparotomy (1-4). Understandably, laparoscopy now represents the standard approach for most surgical procedures, including appendectomies, cholecystectomies and bariatric procedures. However, colorectal surgeons have been late and slow to adopt the laparoscopic approach, as reflected in this current paper by Davis and colleagues (5). These findings further amplify the results of earlier publications.