A prospective cohort study on the clinical value of pelvic peritoneal reconstruction in laparoscopic anterior resection for middle and low rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of pelvic peritoneal reconstruction and its effect on anal function in laparoscopy-assisted anterior resection of low and middle rectal cancer. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. Consecutive patients with low and middle rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopy-assisted transabdominal anterior resection at Naval Military Medical University Changhai Hospital from February 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled. Inclusion criteria: (1) the distance from tumor to the anal verge ≤10 cm; (2) laparoscopy-assisted transabdominal anterior resection of rectal cancer; (3) complete clinical data; (4) rectal adenocarcinoma diagnosed by postoperative pathology. Exclusion criteria: (1) emergency surgery; (2) patients with a history of anal dysfunction or anal surgery; (3) preoperative diagnosis of distant (liver, lung) metastasis; (4) intestinal obstruction; (5) conversion to open surgery for various reasons. The pelvic floor was reconstructed using SXMD1B405 (Stratafix helical PGA-PCL, Ethicon). The first needle was sutured from the left anterior wall of the neorectum to the right. Insertion of the needle was continued to suture the root of the sigmoid mesentery while the Hemo-lok was used to fix the suture. The second needle was started from the beginning of the first needle, after 3-4 needles, a drainage tube was inserted through the left lower abdominal trocar to the presacral space. Then, the left peritoneal incision of the descending colon was sutured, after which Hemo-lok fixation was performed. The operative time, perioperative complications, postoperative Wexner anal function score and low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score were compared between the study group and the control group. Three to six months after the operation, pelvic MRI was performed to observe and compare the pelvic floor anatomical structure of the two groups. Results: A total of 230 patients were enrolled, including 58 who underwent pelvic floor peritoneum reconstruction as the study group and 172 who did not undergo pelvic floor peritoneum reconstruction as the control group. There were no significant differences in general data between the two groups (all P>0.05). The operation time of the study group was longer than that of control group [(177.5±33.0) minutes vs. (148.7±45.5) minutes, P<0.001]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of perioperative complications (including anastomotic leakage, anastomotic bleeding, postoperative pneumonia, urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, and intestinal obstruction) between the two groups (all P>0.05). Eight cases had anastomotic leakage, of whom 2 cases (3.4%) in the study group were discharged after conservative treatment, 5 cases (2.9%) of other 6 cases (3.5%) in the control group were discharged after the secondary surgical treatment. The Wexner score and LARS score were 3.1±2.8 and 23.0 (16.0-28.0) in the study group, which were lower than those in the control group [4.7±3.4 and 27.0 (18.0-32.0)], and the differences were statistically significant (t=-3.018, P=0.003 and Z=-2.257, P=0.024). Severe LARS was 16.5% (7/45) in study group and 35.5% (50/141) in control group, and the difference was no significant differences (Z=4.373, P=0.373). Pelvic MRI examination 3 to 6 months after surgery showed that the incidence of intestinal accumulation in the pelvic floor was 9.1% (3/33) in study group and 46.4% (64/138) in control group (χ(2)=15.537, P<0.001). Conclusion: Pelvic peritoneal reconstruction using stratafix in laparoscopic anterior resection of middle and low rectal cancer is safe and feasible, which may reduce the probability of the secondary operation in patients with anastomotic leakage and significantly improve postoperative anal function.

Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic distal rectal transection by transanterior obturator nerve gateway / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of distal rectal transection by using transanterior obturator nerve gateway (TANG) in laparoscopic radical resection for lower rectal cancers. Methods: A descriptive case series study was performed. Inclusion criteria: (1) patients with primary rectal adenocarcinoma, with the distance of 3-5 cm from tumor to anal verge, with normal anal function before surgery and a desire to preserve anus; (2) laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer was performed and the distal rectum was transected using TANG approach. Exclusion criteria: (1) patients with distant metastasis or receiving palliative surgery; (2) the distal rectum was transected using non-TANG approach; (3) patients receiving combined multiple organs resection; (4) patients complicated with other tumors requiring additional treatment during the study. Clinicopathological data of 50 patients with low rectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic resection using TANG approach between January 2019 and December 2020 in Peking University First Hospital were retrospectively collected. Perioperative conditions, length of specific pelvic lines, additional angle and postoperative short-term outcomes were observed and described. Additional angle was defined as the angle between the simulated stapling line with the traditional approach and the real stapling line with the TANG approach. Data following normal distribution were presented as Mean±SD, or M [quartile range (Q(R))] otherwise. Results: All the patients successfully completed laparoscopic surgery without transferring to open or transanal surgery. The median operative time was 193 (80) min and blood loss was 50 (58) ml. All tumors received R0 resection with the distance from the tumor to distal resection margin of 1.7 (0.4) cm and the anastomotic height of 2.0 (0.1) cm. Rectal transection was completed by one cartridge in 52.0% of the cases (26/50) and two cartridges in 48.0% (24/50). Length of the stapling line was 6.6 (1.5) cm. The time to construct the gateway was 8.0 (6.0) min. The vessel damage occurred in 4.0% of the cases (2/50) and none of the cases encountered obturator nerve damage. Inlets of the pelvis in TANG and traditional approach were (9.9±1.3) cm vs. (7.2±1.1) cm (t=24.781, P<0.001). Additional angle of TANG was (15±2) °. The transecting positions on the midline and right edge of the rectum specimen by TANG were 0.6 (0.2) cm and 1.0 (0.2) cm lower than those by the traditional approach. One case (2.0%) died of pulmonary infection on the 17th day after surgery, 2 cases (4.0%) received re-operation and 14 cases (28.0%) had postoperative complications, including anastomotic leakage (7/50, 14.0%), urinary retention (6/50, 12.0%), pelvic infection (2/50, 4.0%) and ileus (2/50, 4.0%). The median postoperative hospital stay was 12 (6) days. Conclusions: Laparoscopic distal rectal transection by using TANG approach is safe and effective in the treatment of low rectal cancer. As an alternative rectal transecting method, TANG has advantages especially for the obese and those with a contracted pelvis and ultralow rectal cancers.

Influence of different sphincter-preserving surgeries on postoperative defecation function / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Advances in surgical techniques and treatment concept have allowed more patients with low rectal cancer to preserve sphincter without sacrificing survival benefit. However, postoperative dysfunctions such as fecal incontinence, frequency, urgency, and clustering often occur in patients with low rectal cancer. The main surgical procedures for low rectal cancer include low anterior rectum resection (LAR), intersphincteric resection (ISR), coloanal anastomosis (Parks) and so on. The incidence of major LARS after LAR is up to 84.6%. The postoperative function of ISR is even worse than LAR. Moreover, the greater the extent of resection ISR surgery, the worse the postoperative function. There are few studies on the function of Parks procedure. Current evidence suggests that the short-term function of Parks procedure is inferior to LAR, but function can gradually recovered over time. Colorectal surgeons have attempted to improve postoperative defecation by modifying bowel reconstructions. Current evidence suggests that J pouch or end-to-side anastomosis during LAR does not reduce the incidence of defecation disorders. Pouch reconstruction during ISR cannot reduce the incidence of severe LARS either. In general, the protection of postoperative defecation function in patients with low rectal cancer still has a long way to go.

Perirectal fascial anatomy and pelvic autonomic nerve preservation during the transanal total mesorectal excision / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The difficulty of transanal total mesorectal excision (TME) is to find the correct dissection plane of perirectal space. As a complex new surgical procedure, the fascial anatomic landmarks of transanal approach operation are more likely to be ignored. It is often found that dissection plane is false after the secondary injury occurs during the operation, which results in the damage of pelvic autonomic nerves. Meanwhile, the mesorectum is easily damaged if the dissection plane is too close to the rectum. Thus, the safety of oncologic outcomes could be limited by difficulty achieving adequate TME quality. The promotion and development of the theory of perirectal fascial anatomy provides a new thought for researchers to design a precise approach for transanal endoscopic surgery. Transanal total mesorectal excision based on fascial anatomy offers a solution to identify the transanal anatomic landmarks precisely and achieves pelvic autonomic nerve preservation. In this paper, the authors focus on the surgical experience of transanal total mesorectal excision based on the theory of perirectal fascial anatomy, and discuss the feature of perirectal fascial anatomy dissection and technique of pelvic autonomic nerve preservation during transanal approach operation.

Robotic versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision with partial preservation of Denonvilliers fascia: a comparative study of short-term efficacy and urinary and erectile function / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: Postoperative sexual and urinary dysfunctions are common in rectal cancer patients. This study was conducted to compare the short-term efficacy and the impact of surgery on urinary and erectile functions between laparoscopy and robotic-assisted total mesorectal excision (TME) with partial preservation of Denonvilliers fascia. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out. Clinical data of 276 patients with low rectal cancer who underwent TME with partial preservation of Denonvilliers fascia in our department between January 2016 and March 2019, including 143 in robotic group and 133 in laparoscopic group, were analyzed. All the patients were positioned by rigid rectoscope, and the distance between the tumor and the anal verge was ≤7 cm. The urinary and erectile functions were followed up at postoperative 12-month and evaluated by IPSS score (0-7 points as mild symptoms, 8-19 points as moderate symptoms, 20-35 points as severe symptoms; the excellent rate was defined as the rate of mild symptoms) and IIEF-5 score (score ≥ 22 as no dysfunction, 12-21 as mild, 8-11 as moderate, and 5-7 as severe) respectively. Results: There were no significant differences in operation ways between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time of the robotic group was longer than that of the laparoscopic group [(312.5±75.4) minutes vs. (273.9±65.6) minutes, t=4.514, P<0.001]. However, in patients with higher body mass index (BMI ≥25 kg/m(2)), there was no significant difference in operation time between the two groups [(309.3±78.5) minutes vs. (276.1±75.3) minutes, t=1.751, P=0.085]. The time to postoperative flatus [(1.3±0.4) days vs. (1.5±1.0) days, t=-2.037, P=0.046], defecation [1 (1-5) days vs. 1 (1-12) days, Z=-2.209, P=0.008] and liquid diet [(1.0±0.1) days vs. (1.2±0.1) days, t=3.195, P=0.002] in the robotic group were all shorter than those in the laparoscopic group. While postoperative length of hospital stay in the robotic group was longer than that in the laparoscopic group [(8.5±5.5) days vs. (7.2±3.3) days, t=2.419, P=0.016]. There were no significant differences between the two groups in intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate, morbidity of postoperative complications, positive rate of distal resection margin, positive rate of circumferential resection margin, and the number of resected lymph nodes (all P>0.05). At postoperative 12 months, none of the robotic group nor the laparoscopic group had severe urinary dysfunction, and the overall excellent rate of urinary function reached 97.6% (83/85) and 98.4% (61/62) respectively. The rate of normal and mild erectile dysfunction in the robotic group and the laparoscopic group were 92.2% (47/51) and 92.6% (38/41) respectively (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups was found regarding the urinary and erectile function (both P>0.05). Conclusions: Compared with laparoscopic, the robotic TME with partial preservation of Denonvilliers fascia has no significant differences in surgical safety and short-term efficacy. They have similar advantages in the protection of urinary and erectile function. Meanwhile the robotic surgery presents faster postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function.

Clinical short-term and long-term efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection in the treatment of early low rectal cancer and precancerous lesions / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the short-term and long-term efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of early low rectal cancer and precancerous lesions.@*Methods@#Inclusion criteria: (1) Distance from the lower margin of tumor to the anal was ≤ 5 cm. (2) Early low rectal cancers were any size rectal epithelial tumors with infiltration depth limited to the mucosa and submucosa, which were diagnosed by postoperative pathology as high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or adenocarcinoma of the rectum with infiltration depth of intramucosal or submucosal cancer (M or SM stage). (3) Precancerous lesions included adenoma and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia of the rectum. (4) Patients received ESD treatment. Patients with tumor invasion depth over submucosa by pathology were excluded. From January 2008 to January 2018, 63 patients meeting the above criteria in Peking University First Hospital were enrolled in this descriptive cohort study. The disease characteristics, clinical manifestations, pathological types, treatment time, hospitalization time, en bloc resection rate (resection of the whole lesion), complete resection rate (both the horizontal and vertical incision margins were negative), postoperative complications and follow-up results were analyzed. Cummulative survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier.@*Results@#The diameter of the lesion was (29.0±23.4) mm and the distance from the lesion to the anus was (2.7±1.8) cm. The median operation time was 45.0 (range, 10.0 to 360.0) minutes, the median hospitalization time was 3.0 (range, 2.0 to 12.0) days, en bloc resection rate was 100%, complete resection rate was 96.8% (61/63), and 1 case (1.6%) had postoperative bleeding. The follow-up rate was 87.3% (55/63) and the median follow-up time was 57.9 (range, 15.6 to 121.1) months. No local recurrence was found during the follow-up period and the 5-year survival rate was 100%.@*Conclusion@#Short- and long-term efficacy of ESD are quite good in the treatment of patients with early low rectal cancer and precancerous lesions.

Pathologic and functional anatomy basis of intersphincteric resection / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The anorectum is a complex region, whose anatomic structure is the basis and premise of intersphincteric resection (ISR) for low rectal cancer. With the development of pelvic surgery and minimally invasive surgery, the anatomic approaches, surgical planes, extent of excision and reconstruction strategies of ISR have been better understood. Surgeons can furthest preserve anal function as well as adhere to the principles of radical resection. However, the anatomy of the anorectum has not been fully understood. We hope further exploration of the anal canal anatomy, including the perirectal fascia, rectourethral muscle, anococcygeal ligament, hiatal ligament, levator ani muscle, internal and externals phincter, intersphincteric nerves, conjointed longitudinal muscle, intersphincteric spaces and the surgical approaches, by reviewing relevant literatures combined with the experiences of our clinical practice and applied anatomy, will help to improve the accuracy of the surgeries and increase the oncologic and functional outcomes of ISR.

Anatomy-based staging of the American Joint Committee on Cancer for scientific surgical planning of low rectal cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Compared with patients with high-middle rectal cancer,local recurrent rate of low rectal cancer in patients is worse.The poor outcome of low rectal cancer is due to the unique anatomical features of the low rectum and the lack of clearly defined anatomical excision planes.Therefore,how to use the appropriate imaging methods,evaluate accurately preoperative cancer staging,plan feasible surgical plane and select the appropriate surgical approach,these will be very important for radical resection of rectal cancer.Therefore,the quality of life and long-term survival of the patients will be improved.

Clinical efficacy of laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal excision for low rectal cancer without turning position / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic extralevator abdominoperineal excision (laparoscopic ELAPE) for low rectal cancer with modified Lloyd-Davies lithotomy position and without turning position.Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 27 patients with low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic ELAPE without turning position in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from September 2013 to January 2015 were collected.The modified Lloyd-Davies lithotomy position was used in perineal resection.Observation indicators:(1) surgical situation;(2) postoperative recovery situation;(3) postoperative pathological examination situation;(4) follow-up and survival situations.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect postoperative complications,survival of patients and tumor recurrence or metastasis up to March 2017.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as (x)±s.Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range).Results (1) Surgical situation:A total of 27 patients received laparoscopic ELAPE without turning position,and operation time and volume of intraoperative blood loss were (198±51)minutes and (85±66)mL.Among 5 of 27 patients with intraoperative complications,1 with intestinal perforation received successful intraoperative repair,1with presacral haemorrhage received successful hemostasis by intraoperative gauze pressing,1 with left and right pelvic plexus injury didn't receive special treatment,1 with left pelvic plexus injury + left internal iliac vein injury didn't receive special treatment and were repaired in vascular injury repair,1 with right neurovascular bundle injury didn't receive special treatment of nerve injury and received successful hemostasis by ultrasonic scalpel.There was no perforation in the site of the tumor.Number of lymph node dissected was 14 (range,9-22),and number of lymph node dissected ≥ 12 and ＜ 12 were detected in 15 and 12 patients,respectively.(2)Postoperative recovery situation:time to anal exsufflation and time for fluid diet intake in 27 patients were respectively (78±21)hours and (83±21)hours.Of 27 patients,8 with postoperative complications were improved by conservative treatment,including 1 in Clavien-Dindo Ⅰ (volume of perineal exudation ＞ 100 mL) and 7 in Clavien-Dindo Ⅱ (3 with pulmonary infection,2 with chylous fistula,1 with perineal incision infection and 1 with hematuria).There was no death within 30 days postoperatively.The median duration of hospital stay of 27 patients was 7 days (range,6-8 days).(3) Postoperative pathological examination situation:of 27 patients,1 and 26 had respectively positive and negative circumferential margins and median distance of circumferential margin was 0.7 cm (range,0.1-1.1 cm).T stage:14,12 and 1 patients were respectively detected in T2,T3 and T4.N stage:18,6 and 3 patients were respectively found in N0,N1 and N2.(4) Follow-up and survival situations:25 of 27 patients were followed up for 2-32 months,with a median time of 24 months.During the follow-up,5 had complications after discharge from hospital.Of 5 patients,2 with persistent anal pain didn't receive special treatment and were not relieved,and 3 with sexual dysfunction didn't receive special treatment and were followed up or observed.Of 25 patients,2 died of tumor-related diseases,1 died of non-tumor-related disease and other 22 had survival.No local tumor recurrence was detected.Eight patients had tumor distant metastases,including 4 with pulmonary metastases,3 with hepatic metastases and 1 with brain metastasis.Conclusion Laparoscopic ELAPE by modified Lloyd-Davies lithotomy position without turning position is safe and feasible,with closing pelvic floor peritoneum in stage Ⅰ.

Laparoscopic intersphincteric resection for low rectal cancer / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the surgical techniques and clinical efficacy of laparoscopic intersphincteric resection (ISR) in the treatment of low rectal cancer.Methods A retrospective descriptive study was performed.The clinical data of 12 patients who underwent laparoscopic low rectal anterior resection combined with ISR at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from May 2014 to October 2014 were collected.The patients underwent abdominal operation including total mesorectal excision (TME) + sphincter mobilization,then transanal intersphincteric resection,finally colinic anal-anal anastomosis.The operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,number of lymph node dissected,postoperative complications,time to anal exsufflation,duration of hospital stay,duration of postoperative hospital stay,pathological stage and follow-up were observed.The patients were followed up by outpatient examination and telephone interview at month 1,3 and 6 after operation up to April 18,2015.The follow-up included the prognosis of patients and the recovery of anal function.The function of defecation was evaluated by Wexner scoring system and Kirwan grading.Measurement data with normal distribution were presented as (x) ± s.Results All the 12 patients were completed laparoscopic surgery without conversion to open surgery.Eight patients underwent partial internal anal sphincter resection,and 4 underwent subtotal resection.Four patients in T3 stage underwent lateral lymph node dissection preserving the left colonic artery,hypogastric nerve and pelvic nerve.The operation time was (290 ± 35) minutes.The volume of intraoperative blood loss was (124 ± 80) mL.The number of lymph nodes dissected was 17 ± 8,and the number of positive lymph nodes was 0-4.The distance of the distal margin was (2.0 ± 0.5) crm,and the margin was negative.All the 12 patients were not complicated with infection,bleeding,anastomotic leakage,anastomotic stenosis and other complications.The time to postoperative anal exsufflation was (3 ± 1)days,duration of hospital stay was (20 ± 3) days,and duration of postoperative hospital stay was (12 ± 3) days.The results of TNM stage showed 3 cases of pT1 stage,5 cases of pT2 stage,4 cases of pT3 stage,10 cases of pN0 stage,1 case of pN1 stage,1 case of pN2 stage,8 cases of Ⅰ stage,2 cases of Ⅱ stage and 2 cases of Ⅲ stage.All the 12 patients were followed up for 6-11 months.The defection frequency and the Wexner score at month 1,3 and 6 after operation were 12 ±7,15 ±3,9 ±5 and 13 ±4,5 ±3,10 ±3,respectively.Of the 12 patients,the number of patients with satisfactory Kirwan score,flatus incontinence and loose stool was 1,3,8 at month 1 after operation,3,3,6 at month 3 after operation,10,2,0 at month 6 alter operation,respectively.Conclusion Laparoscopic ISR is effective in the treatment of low rectal cancer.