Operative and long term results after surgery for chronic radiation enteritis

About one third of patients with chronic radiation enteritis will need to be operated on during follow-up. Morbidity and life expectancy after resection and conservative surgical management for chronic radiation enteritis have not been well documented.

From 1984 to 1994, 109 patients were operated on with a mean follow-up of 40 months (range 1 to 293). Postoperative mortality, early and late morbidity, long-term survival were studied in patients after resection (n = 65) and after conservative surgical management (n = 42), and in patients after planned or emergency procedure. Existence of possible risk factors for reoperation after a first surgical procedure was analyzed.

Five (5%) patients died in the postoperative course. Operative mortality was significantly higher when the procedure was performed as an emergency (P <0.05). Although not statistically significant, mortality was higher in the resection group (5% versus 0%). Thirty-three (30%) patients experienced postoperative complications including anastomotic leak in 11. Morbidity was not statistically related to the nature of the treatment (ie, conservative versus resection) or to the indication (emergency versus elective). During follow-up, reoperation was required in 40% of the patients, because of recurrence of digestive symptoms suggestive of chronic radiation enteritis; the reoperation rate was higher in the patients of the conservative group (50% versus 34%). Overall survival, after a mean follow-up of 40 months in patients without cancer recurrence was 85% at 1 year and 69% at 5 years after surgery, respectively. Overall survival was influenced by the nature of the treatment with 51% and 71% 5-year survival after conservative and resection treatment, respectively.

Despite high initial mortality and morbidity rates, life expectancy in patients with chronic radiation enteritis without recurrence of their previous neoplastic disease was good. Resection seems to provide a smaller reoperation rate and a better 5-year survival, but a higher postoperative mortality.