Laparoscopic Left Hemicolectomy

Left hemicolectomy, the resection of that part of the colon supplied by the inferior mesenteric artery, from distal transverse colon to upper rectum, is one of the classic operations in colorectal surgery. Left hemicolectomy is traditionally performed for cancers of the descending or sigmoid colon but may also be required for large polyps not amenable to endoscopic resection. When surgery is required for a diverticular stricture or recurrent diverticulitis, we typically perform a segmental sigmoid resection without mobilising the splenic flexure and using descending colon for the proximal part of the anastomosis, but if significant disease extends beyond the junction of the sigmoid and descending colon, a left hemicolectomy is needed to resect all disease and allow healthy bowel to be anastomosed to the upper rectum.