Preserving the superior rectal artery in laparoscopic sigmoid resection for complete rectal prolapse

Sigmoid resection is indicated in the treatment of complete rectal prolapse (CRP) in patients with prolonged colorectal transit time (CTT). Its use however has been limited due to fear of anastomotic leakage. This study challenges the current practice of dividing the mesorectum by prospectively evaluating the impact of sparing the superior rectal artery (SRA) on leak rates after laparoscopic sigmoid resection (LSR) for CRP. During 30 months data on 33 selected patients with CRP were prospectively collected. Three patients were withdrawn from the analysis, as they had neither resection nor anastomosis. Twenty-nine women and one man (median age 55 range 21-83 years) underwent LSR with preservation of SRA for a median CRP of 8 (3-15) cm. There were 20 ASA I and 10 ASA II patients. Ten patients had undergone previous surgery. Four patients complained of dyschezia, whereas incontinence was present in 26 patients. Anal ultrasound showed isolated internal sphincter defects in two patients. Four young adults (21-32 years) had normal CTT, whereas 26 older patients had a median CTT of 5 (4-6) days. Defecography demonstrated 10 enteroceles, two sigmoidoceles, and one rectal hernia through the levator ani muscle. Mortality was nil. Median operating room time was 180 (120-330) min, suprapubic incision length 5 (3-7) cm, estimated blood loss 150 (50-500) ml, specimen length 20 (12-45) cm, solid food resumption 3 (1-6) days, and length of stay 4.5 (2-7) days. Thirty-day complications were not related to anastomosing and occurred in 20% of the patients. Although the evidence provided by the present study suggests that sparing SRA has a favorable impact on anastomotic leak rates, these nonrandomized results need further evaluation. The division of the mesorectum at the rectosigmoid junction seems not necessary, and its sparing should therefore be considered as it may contain anastomotic leak rates.