Sergiu Timofeiov, Mihaela Elena Breabăn, Vasile Drug, Andrei Gervescu, Huțanu Ionut and Viorel Scripcariu
Background: The main surgeries that can be performed in upper and mid rectal cancer are low anterior rectal resection (LAR), lateral colostomy (LC), and extended Hartmann operation with mesorectal excision (EHO). Compared to lateral colostomy, EHO is a curative surgery; it also takes a shorter time to perform and has a lower mortality compared with LAR.
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the postoperative surgical complications in patients who underwent LAR, LC, or EHO.
Methods: The study is a prospective analysis based on a Surveillance protocol for patients with liver metastases of colorectal origin used in First Surgical Oncology Unit, Regional Institute of Oncology Iaşi, Romania. The postoperative complications occurring within 60 days postoperatively were analyzed.
Results: In the interval June 2012 – May 2014, 87 patients were diagnosed with upper and mid-rectal cancer and liver metastases; LAR was performed in 18 patients, LC in 19 patients and in 50 patients EHO with pelvic drainage abdominally exteriorized or perineally (37 and 13 patients, respectively). The postoperative complications related to surgical wound, stoma, pelvic abscess, postoperative bleeding, prolonged postoperative ileus, anastomotic leakage, reinterventions, readmissions, and mortality were analyzed. A higher rate of pelvic abscesses was found in EHO patients (24%, n=12), of which 9 patients (18%) required reinterventions for drainnage of pelvic fluid collection; all these patients had pelvic drainage exteriorized abdominally. No presacral abscesses were recorded in patients with pelvic drainage exteriorized perineally.
Conclusions: Extended Hartmann Operation (EHO) remains a safe technique, that shares some indications with LAR and LC; however, it is associated with a higher percentage of pelvic abscesses and reinterventions that can be avoided by postoperative perineal drainage of the presacral space
PDFShare this article
Journal of Surgery received 288 citations as per Google Scholar report
