Minilaparotomy to rectal cancer has higher overall survival rate and earlier short-term recovery

Table 3 Postoperative recovery of the two groups

	Minilaparotomy group	Traditional laparotomy group	P value
Recovery
Aerofluxus (d)	3.5 ± 1.1	4.3 ± 1.8	0.000
Oral feeding (d)	4.1 ± 1.2	4.6 ± 1.2	0.628
Defecation (d)	5.0 ± 1.4	5.4 ± 1.5	0.370
Ambulation (d)	3.2 ± 0.8	3.9 ± 2.3	0.000
Hospital stay (d)	6.4 ± 1.5	9.7 ± 2.2	0.000
POSSUM scores (%)
Predictive mortality	28.1	26.8	0.738
Predictive morbidity	5.3	5.0	0.844
Complications
Gastric retention	8 (2.0)	18 (1.8)	0.494
Incision infection	6 (1.5)	15 (1.5)	0.592
Pulmonary infection	5 (1.2)	14 (1.4)	0.513
Anastomosis leakage	2 (0.5)	48 (4.8)	0.000
Intestinal obstruction	9 (2.2)	73 (7.3)	0.000
Other	13 (3.2)	35 (3.5)	0.456

POSSUM: Physiologic and operative severity score for the enumeration of mortality and morbidity.