ABSTRACT
Surgery and management of rectal cancer have made significant progress in recent decades. However, there is still no coloanal anastomosis technique that offers a good compromise between functionality and low morbidity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the modified delayed coloanal anastomosis (mDCA). In this retrospective study, we analyzed the morbi-mortality as well as functional outcomes of 19 patients treated with mDCA, out of 73 colorectal cancer patients treated at our institution from September 2021 to June 2023. The inclusion criteria were cancer of the mid and low rectum (tumor less than 10 cm from the anal verge). Morbidity represented by complications of Clavien-Dindo grade III or higher was estimated at 5.2%. Only one patient experienced an asymptomatic anastomotic leak (AL) grade A. Ischemia of the colonic stump occurred in one patient, taken back to the OR on the 5th postoperative day. No stump retraction was noted. Anastomotic stenosis appeared in one patient (5.2%) during the 90-day postoperative period, and was treated by instrumental dilation. Perioperative mortality was nil. The mean St Marks incontinence score at 90 days was 13.2 points. At the 3-month follow-up, 15 patients (78.9%) had major low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), three (15.7%) had minor LARS, and one patient (5.2%) had no LARS. None of the patients had a diversion loop ileostomy. The mDCA, by decreasing the rate of AL, without the need for diversion ileostomy, might be an interesting alternative to the conventional immediate coloanal anastomosis (ICA), for restoring the GI tract after proctectomy for cancer.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: In current clinical practice, immediate coloanal anastomosis (ICA) remains the standard technique for restoring the gastrointestinal tract following coloproctectomy for low rectal cancer. This anastomosis still requires a temporary diverting stoma to decrease the postoperative morbidity, which remains significantly high. As an alternative, some authors have proposed a two-stage delayed coloanal anastomosis (TS-DCA). This article reports on the surgical technique of TS-DCA. Methods: The case described is of a 53-year-old woman, without any particular history, in whom colonoscopy motivated by rectal bleeding revealed an adenocarcinoma of the low rectum. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumor ~ 1 cm above the puborectalis muscle, graded cT3N +. The extension workup was negative. Seven weeks after chemoradiotherapy, a coloproctectomy with total mesorectal excision (TME) was performed. A TS-DCA was chosen to restore the digestive tract. Conclusion: Two-stage delayed coloanal anastomosis is a safe and effective alternative for restoring the digestive tract after proctectomy for low rectal cancer. Recent data seem to show a clear advantage of this technique in terms of morbidity. (AU)
