Laparoscopic reconstruction of intestinal continuity following Hartmann's procedure.

Laparoscopy-guided reversal of Hartmann's procedure was performed in eleven patients who had been treated surgically for inflammatory disease or cancer of the colon. Restoration of intestinal continuity was achieved in ten of them. There were no postoperative complications. The mean surgical time was 144 minutes and the mean duration of postoperative ileus was 48 hours (range: 30 to 60 hours). The mean hospital stay was 7 days. Our results suggest that laparoscopic reversal of Hartmann's procedure is safer than and as effective as open surgery.