30-Day Outcomes of Laparoscopic Versus Open Total Proctocolectomy with Ileoanal Anastomosis in Children and Young Adults: A Combined Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Pediatric and Adult Databases

Background: Studies comparing pediatric laparoscopic and open total proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis (TPC-IAA) are limited in size and number. This study utilized the adult and pediatric databases of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) to evaluate 30-day outcomes of these two techniques. Materials and Methods: Patients younger than 21 years who underwent TPC-IAA from 2012 to 2016 were identified in both NSQIP databases. Simple and multivariate logistic regression was used to compare risk of reoperation, readmission, and postoperative occurrences between laparoscopic and open groups. Cox regression was used to evaluate length of stay (LOS). Results: A total of 440 cases were identified, of which 421 (95.7%) were elective. Median age in the elective group was 15.8 years (interquartile range 13-18). Diagnoses included inflammatory bowel disease (47%), benign neoplasm (42%), and Hirschsprung disease (6%). The laparoscopic group (67.5%, n = 139) had shorter median postoperative LOS (6 versus 8 days, P < .001) and decreased incidence of pulmonary complications (risk ratio [RR] 0.09; CI: 0.01-0.80, P = .031) and superficial surgical site infections (SSI) (RR 0.30; 95% CI: 0.10-0.88, P = .028). Median operative time was shorter (4.6 versus 5.1 hours, P = .013) and risk of organ space SSI was lower (RR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01-0.80, P = .037) in the open group (n = 282). Rates of 30-day readmission and reoperation were similar between groups. Conclusions: In the first study to utilize data from both the pediatric and adult NSQIP databases, resulting in the largest pediatric sample of TPC-IAA to date, we found that 67.5% of elective cases were performed laparoscopically, the highest reported in a multi-institutional pediatric study, indicating increasing comfort with advanced laparoscopic techniques among pediatric surgeons. The laparoscopic approach resulted in shorter postoperative LOS and decreased risk of superficial SSI, whereas the open approach was associated with shorter operative time and lower risk of organ space SSI.