Nowadays, compared to conventional surgery, the increased use of the video-laparoscopic approach in surgery is based on strong evidences of decreased pain, inflammatory, endocrine and metabolic patient response to surgical trauma. However, considering some particularities of its own, it is important to acknowledge aspects of not only the surgical procedure itself, but also of the anesthetic procedures carried out on the patient, which, if inadequately conducted, could seriously jeopardize or compromise the success of the video-laparoscopic surgical intervention. Among these particularities, we would like to specially enhance the need for extended pneumoperitonium applications, as well as the frequent alterations that occur during patient positioning. The main target of this current report, focusing on the reduction of eventual unwanted side effects for the patient or of the quality of the operation, is to briefly review the physiological aspects involved in video-laparoscopic surgery, as well as to discuss their influences on the anesthetic procedures conducted in theses cases.
pneumoperitonium; intra-abdominal pressure (IAP); laparoscopic colorectal surgery; anesthesia; physiological alterations