Kiho You, Jung-Ah Hwang, Dae Kyung Sohn, Dong Woon Lee, Sung Sil Park, Kyung Su Han, Chang Won Hong, Bun Kim, Byung Chang Kim, Sung Chan Park, Jae Hwan Oh
Ann Coloproctol. 2023;39(6):502-512. Published online December 26, 2023
Purpose Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is currently the standard treatment for rectal cancer. However, its limitations include complications and incomplete total mesorectal resection (TME) due to anatomical features and technical difficulties. Transanal TME (TaTME) has been practiced since 2010 to improve this, but there is a risk of local recurrence and intra-abdominal contamination. We aimed to analyze samples obtained through lavage to compare laparoscopic TME (LapTME) and TaTME.
Methods From June 2020 to January 2021, 20 patients with rectal cancer undergoing MIS were consecutively and prospectively recruited. Samples were collected at the start of surgery, immediately after TME, and after irrigation. The samples were analyzed for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) through a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The primary outcome was to compare the detected amounts of CEA and CK20 immediately after TME between the surgical methods.
Results Among the 20 patients, 13 underwent LapTME and 7 underwent TaTME. Tumor location was lower in TaTME (7.3 cm vs. 4.6 cm, P=0.012), and negative mesorectal fascia (MRF) was more in LapTME (76.9% vs. 28.6%, P=0.044). CEA and CK20 levels were high in 3 patients (42.9%) only in TaTME. There was 1 case of T4 with incomplete purse-string suture and 1 case of positive MRF with dissection failure. All patients were followed up for an average of 32.5 months without local recurrence.
Conclusion CEA and CK20 levels were high only in TaTME and were related to tumor factors or intraoperative events. However, whether the detection amount is clinically related to local recurrence remains unclear.
Complications after colorectal surgery remain inevitable, and anastomotic leakage is one of the most severe and potentially fatal complications. Generally, anastomotic leakage is associated with severe peritonitis, the need for emergency reoperation, and an increased mortality rate. Additionally, particularly after rectal cancer surgery, it has a negative impact on long-term outcomes, including postoperative anorectal function, local recurrence, and survival. To prevent anastomotic leakage, understanding the characteristics of each anastomotic technique and establishing a stable anastomotic procedure are important. Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is a relatively new advanced surgical access technique for pelvic dissection and facilitates different anastomotic techniques without the need for transabdominal rectal transection. Especially, stapled anastomosis in TaTME, also known as double purse-string circular stapled anastomosis or the single stapling technique (SST), has gained much attention as an alternative to the conventional double stapling technique (DST). In this article, we describe the DST, SST, and hand-sewn anastomosis as anastomotic techniques after rectal surgery, focusing mainly on the differences between conventional anastomotic techniques and SST in TaTME. Furthermore, the blood flow evaluation method for the reconstructive colon before anastomosis, which is extremely important in anastomotic leakage prevention regardless of the anastomotic type, is also described.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as an early predictor of anastomotic leakage after rectal cancer surgery Yingjun Liu, Bing Han, Weifeng Xu, Youcai Wang, Mingke Huo, Jianwei Wang, Hongli Wang, Zhi Li Surgery.2026; 190: 109829. CrossRef
Optimizing outcomes in anastomotic recurrence of rectal cancer: Efficacy of transanal total mesorectal excision Mengqin Yu, Ximo Xu, Hao Zhong, Duohuo Shu, Naijipu Abuduaini, Jingyi Liu, Zhenfeng Huang, Haiqin Song, Sen Zhang, Xiao Yang, Zhenghao Cai, Gaojian Cao, Jianwen Li, Bo Feng Current Problems in Surgery.2025; 66: 101748. CrossRef
Sphincter-preserving surgical techniques in low rectal cancer management: A systematic review of contemporary evidence Song Wang, A-Jian Li, Hui-Hong Jiang, Yin Lin, Hai-Bo Ding World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
The robotic intracorporeal single-stapled anastomosis (RiSSA) technique in robotic left-sided colorectal resection: a technical note Chih-Chien Wu, Yung-Lin Tan, Chao-Wen Hsu, Hsin-Ping Tseng, Danilo Miskovic, Shih-Feng Huang Annals of Coloproctology.2025; 41(4): 357. CrossRef
Achieving the perfect end-to-end single-stapled anastomosis in low anterior resection for rectal cancer: technical aspects Cherylin Wan Pei Fu Annals of Coloproctology.2025; 41(4): 361. CrossRef
Comparative perioperative outcomes of articulated versus conventional straight devices in laparoscopic low anterior resection: a propensity score–matched analysis Hayoung Lee, Yong Sik Yoon, Young Il Kim, Min Hyun Kim, Jong Lyul Lee, Chan Wook Kim, In Ja Park, Seok-Byung Lim Annals of Coloproctology.2025; 41(5): 434. CrossRef
Dissection layer selection based on an understanding of pelvic fascial anatomy in transanal total mesorectal excision Daichi Kitaguchi, Masaaki Ito Annals of Coloproctology.2024; 40(4): 375. CrossRef
Successful Clinical Avoidance of Colorectal Anastomotic Leakage through Local Decontamination Gerhard Ernst Steyer, Markus Puchinger, Johann Pfeifer Antibiotics.2024; 13(1): 79. CrossRef
Combined Robotic Transanal Transection Single-Stapled Technique in Ultralow Rectal Endometriosis Involvement Associated With Parametrial and Vaginal Infiltration Gianmarco D'Ancona, Benjamin Merlot, Quentin Denost, Stefano Angioni, Thomas Dennis, Horace Roman Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.2024; 31(4): 267. CrossRef
Risk factors for the failure of endoscopic balloon dilation to manage anastomotic stricture from colorectal surgery: retrospective cohort study Young Il Kim, Seung Wook Hong, Seok-Byung Lim, Dong-Hoon Yang, Eon Bin Kim, Min Hyun Kim, Chan Wook Kim, Jong Lyul Lee, Yong Sik Yoon, In Ja Park, Chang Sik Yu Surgical Endoscopy.2024; 38(4): 1775. CrossRef
The impact of powered circular staplers on anastomotic leak in left-sided colorectal cancer surgeries Hayoung Lee, Yong Sik Yoon, Young Il Kim, Eun Jung Park, Min Hyun Kim, Jong Lyul Lee, Chan Wook Kim, In Ja Park, Seok-Byung Lim Surgical Endoscopy.2024; 38(10): 6111. CrossRef
Effect of powered circular stapler in colorectal anastomosis after left-sided colic resection: systematic review and meta-analysis Andrea Scardino, Carlo Galdino Riva, Luca Sorrentino, Sara Lauricella, Alberto Aiolfi, Matteo Rottoli, Gianluca Bonitta, Marco Vitellaro, Luigi Bonavina, Davide Bona, Michael Kelly, Emanuele Rausa International Journal of Colorectal Disease.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Early detection of anastomotic leakage in colon cancer surgery: the role of early warning score and C-reactive protein Gyung Mo Son Annals of Coloproctology.2024; 40(5): 415. CrossRef
Optimal Indocyanine Green Dosage for Repetitive Angiography for Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery Gyung Mo Son, Sang-Ho Park, Nam Su Kim, Mi Sook Yun, In Young Lee, Myeong-Sook Kwon, Tae Kyun Kim, Eun Hwa Lee, Eun Jung Hwang, Kwang-Ryul Baek Medicina.2024; 60(12): 1966. CrossRef
The Safe Values of Quantitative Perfusion Parameters of ICG Angiography Based on Tissue Oxygenation of Hyperspectral Imaging for Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study Gyung Son, Armaan Nazir, Mi Yun, In Lee, Sun Im, Jae Kwak, Sang-Ho Park, Kwang-Ryul Baek, Ines Gockel Biomedicines.2023; 11(7): 2029. CrossRef
Impact of Postoperative Naples Prognostic Score to Predict Survival in Patients with Stage II–III Colorectal Cancer Su Hyeong Park, Hye Seung Woo, In Kyung Hong, Eun Jung Park Cancers.2023; 15(20): 5098. CrossRef