Systemic Laparoscopic Para-Aortic Lymphadenectomy to the Left Renal Vein

BACKGROUND: No large-scale clinical study has been done to show the standard surgical boundary and efficacy of laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy (LPAL). OBJECTIVES: Therfore, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and standard surgical boundary of LPAL performed up to the left renal vein level in gynecological malignancies. METHODS: Medical records of 333 patients were retrospectively reviewed. All cases had gynecologic malignancies and had an operation including LPAL by a single surgical team between November 2003 and May 2018. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-six patients underwent LPAL as part of their staging, restaging, or debulking surgery. Seven patients with isolated para-aortic lymph node recurrence underwent a repeat LPAL. The median age and body mass index were 54 years (range, 28–81 years) and 26.0 kg/m(2) (range, 20.3–37.2 kg/m(2)), respectively. The median operating time was 60 minutes (range, 24–135 minutes), and the median number of harvested para-aortic lymph nodes was 12 (range, 6–49). There were 11 cases of complications: 5 of major vessel injuries (3 inferior vena cava, 1 aorta, and 1 common iliac vein), 2 lymphocysts, 2 cases of chylous ascites, a cisterna chyli rupture, and 1 case of ureteric injury. There were 2 conversions to laparotomy: 1 left common iliac vein laceration that needed to be repaired and removal of an enlarged para-aortic lymph node completely. CONCLUSION: It is feasible and efficient to perform LPAL to the left renal vein level for women with gynecologic malignancies by well-trained gynecologic oncology surgeons according to our suggested standard surgical boundary.