Intraoperative colonic lavage in emergency surgical treatment of left-sided large bowel lesions

There has been a trend towards resection and primary anastomosis after on-table lavage in patients with left sided colonic emergencies. This study will analyse the outcome in our centre. Thirty-two patients underwent the operation for various lesions of the left colon and the rectum between December 1998 and December 2002. The mean age of the patients was 37.7+/-11.1 years. Mean extra time for the procedure was 37.4+/-5.2 min. The mean hospital stay was 11.2+/-2.9 days. Postoperative complications included four cases (12.5%) of wound infection, and one (3.1%) right sub-phrenic abscess. No clinical anastomotic leakage or mortality was recorded. This study shows that primary anastomosis with on-table colonic lavage can be a safe procedure in selected, low risk patients.