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Laparoscopic radical resection is standard treatment for resectable rectal cancer. However, whether high or low inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) ligation should be performed remains controversial. This retrospective cohort study compared the advantages and disadvantages of low vs high IMA ligation in patients undergoing laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer.Rectal cancer patients (n = 322) undergoing total mesorectal excision at our institution in 2010 to 17 were enrolled; 174 underwent high IMA ligation group and 148 low IMA ligation (LIMAL group). Baseline data on patients, operative indices, economic indices, pathology findings, perioperative complications, and survival in the 2 groups were analyzed retrospectively.The low IMA ligation group had significantly higher anus retention ratio (P = .022), shorter hospital stay (P = .025), lower medical expenses (P = .032), fewer cases of anastomotic leakage (P = .023) and anastomotic stricture (P < .001), and lower incidence of postoperative genitourinary dysfunction (P = .003). Cox regression analysis indicated that local recurrence, distant metastasis, tumor differentiation, and tumor-node-metastasis stage were independently associated with survival.Low ligation of the IMA during laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer appears to be associated with a lower risks for anastomotic leakage, anastomotic stricture, and genitourinary dysfunction, a shorter hospital stay, and lower costs. In contrast, the rate of lymph node harvest, tumor recurrence rate, metastasis, or mortality was not found to be related with the level of IMA ligation.

Objective: To explore the feasibility, safety and the economical efficiency of double-pouch anastomosis in laparoscopic radical rectal cancer assisted by small incisions., Methods: Clinical data of 224 patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery at Taizhou People's Hospital of Jiangsu Province from January 2011 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Indusion criteria: patients were diagnosed as primary rectal adenocarcinoma by preoperative enteroscopy pathology, the distance of the tumor to anal margin was from 4 to 15 cm, and patients were treated with laparoscopic total mesorectal excision(TME) through small incision. Patients were divided into two groups according to different anastomosis method, double-pouch group(108 cases) and single-pouch group (116 cases). The surgical indexes, tumor safety indexes, short-term efficacy and economic indexes were compared between the two groups., Results: There was no significant difference between two groups in baseline data, operative time, blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissection, average length of proximal and distal bowel, or incidence of urination and sexual dysfunction (all P>0.05). Compared with the single-pouch group, the double-pouch group presented lower anastomotic secondary bleeding rate [0.9%(1/108) vs. 6.0% (7/116), χ²=4.238, P=0.040], lower incidence of anastomotic leakage[1.9%(2/108) vs. 7.8%(9/116), χ²=4.179, P=0.041], lower incidence of anastomotic stricture [1.9% (2/108) vs. 8.6% (10/116), χ²=5.054, P=0.025], shorter hospital stay [(13.4±3.9) days vs. (15.9±9.8) days, t=2.524, P=0.013] and less average hospitalization costs [(34 000±7 000) yuan vs. (46 000±23 000) yuan, t=5.047,P<0.001]. There was no significant difference in local recurrence, distant metastasis or overall survival between the two groups during mean follow-up of 33 months (all P>0.05)., Conclusion: Laparoscopic TME assisted by small incision with double-pouch anastomosis is a safe, feasible and economical method.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, radicality and short-term outcome of preserving left colic artery (LCA) during laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) for the treatment of rectal cancer., Methods: From January 2013 to December 2016,136 patients with mid-lower rectal cancer received laparoscopic TME in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of Taizhou People's Hospital of Jiangsu Province. Patients with rectal tumor within 10 cm to the anal verge were enrolled into the study. All the enrolled patients had complete data of pathology and follow-up. Those receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, with severe base diseases, multifocal tumor, tumor invasion of surrounding tissues, fixation of tumor, recurrent tumor, complications such as acute ileus, bleeding, perforation were excluded. In this study, 72 patients did not undergo preservation of LCA (high ligation group) and 64 patients underwent preservation of LCA (low ligation group). Operative parameters, clinicopathological data and short-term outcome were collected and compared between two groups., Results: The baseline data including gender, age, body mass index, tumor stage, and distance of tumor from anal verge of two groups were comparable (P>0.05). The differences between two groups about the mean time of operation and the operative blood loss were not significant [(164.0±12.6) min vs. (167.3±9.4) min, (30.0±3.6) ml vs. (30.1±3.0) ml, all P>0.05]. There was no operative death in both groups. Differences in the lymph node dissection (13.7±2.6 vs. 13.3±2.1) and the specimen length of proximal resection margin [(16.4±1.9) cm vs. (16.7±2.1) cm] or distal resection margins [(3.9±0.6) cm vs. (4.1±0.9) cm] between high and low ligation groups were not significant (all P>0.05). Compared with high ligation group, the low ligation group had higher rate of sphincter preservation [92.2% (59/64) vs. 79.2% (57/72), χ 2 =4.580, P=0.032], lower rate of anastomotic leakage [1.6% (1/64) vs. 9.7% (7/72), χ 2 =4.075, P=0.044], anastomotic stenosis [3.1% (2/64) vs. 12.5%(9/72), χ 2 =4.006, P=0.045], and voiding and sexual dysfunction [6.3%(4/64) vs. 18.1%(13/72), χ 2 =4.317, P=0.038]. Mean time of follow-up was 19 months. In high ligation group, the local recurrent rate was 5.56%, distant metastasis rate was 13.89%, overall survival rate was 90.28%, disease-free survival rate was 80.56%, while in low ligation group, the local recurrence rate was 4.69%, distant metastasis rate was 12.50%, overall survival rate was 90.63%, disease-free survival rate was 82.81%, whose differences between two groups were not significant (all P>0.05)., Conclusion: Preservation of LCA during laparoscopic TME for the treatment of rectal cancer is safe and feasible, which can reduce the incidence of anastomotic leakage and stenosis, and voiding and sexual dysfunction.

Objective: To explore the application of protective appendicostomy after sphicter-preserving surgery for patients with low rectal carcinoma who are at high-risk of anastomotic leakage., Methods: Clinical data of 74 low rectal cancer cases with high-risk anastomotic leakage undergoing laparoscope-assisted total mesorectal excision(TME) sphincter-preserving operation in our department from September 2013 to September 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: 36 patients received appendicostomy and catheter was removed 4 to 6 weeks after operation when sinus tract formation in abdominal wall was identified; 38 patients received traditional ileostomy and stoma closure was performed 3 to 6 months after operation., Results: The operation time was (149.2±9.4) min vs. (146.7±12.7) min, postoperative complication morbidity was 8.3%(3/36) vs. 13.2%(5/38), anastomotic leakage rate was 2.8%(1/38) vs. 2.6%(1/36), mean drainage volume of 1-week stoma was (203.2±76.9) ml vs. (195.8±76.5) ml, intestinal function recovery time was (25.5±5.6) h vs. (24.0±5.8) h in intubation colostomy group and ileostomy group respectively, and these differences were not significant (all P>0.05). While total hospital stay was shorter and cost was less in intubation colostomy group as compared to ileostomy group [(8.8±1.7) d vs. (18.0±1.7) d, (32 000±3000) yuan vs. (51 000±4000) yuan], and these differences were significant (all P<0.05)., Conclusion: For low rectal cancer patients who are at high-risk of developing anastomotic leakage undergoing sphincter-preserving anterior resection, protective appendicostomy can decrease anastomotic leakage rate, avoid second stoma closure, shorten hospital stay and reduce hospital cost.