Water-jet dissection in rectal cancer surgery: surgical and oncological outcomes

These days the treatment of rectal cancer remains an encounter for various medical disciplines. A key position in the whole concept of therapy is still taken by surgery itself. To facilitate the advantages of the total mesorectal excision (TME) we used the water-jet dissector (WJD) in our surgical routine. Our object was to analyze perioperative data as well as oncological long-term results following WJD-assisted rectal resection.

A total of 226 patients underwent surgery for rectal cancer in our center between October 2001 and June 2009. A retrospective review was performed of all WJD-assisted rectal resections during this time. One hundred and five patients with adenocarcinoma of the lower and middle rectum were operated on by 7 surgeons according to the concept of TME. Seventy-six patients underwent a low anterior resection, 29 patients an abdominoperineal resection. Twenty-eight patients received preoperative radiochemotherapy. The median follow-up period amounted to 35 (2-96) months. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Anastomotic leakage occurred in 5.7%, wound healing disturbance (including perineal wound infections) in 29.5%, intra-abdominal infections in 7.6% and urinary tract infections in 7.6%. Postoperative bladder dysfunction (requiring catheterization) occurred in 1.9%. Postoperative 30-day mortality was 0%, 60-day mortality 1%. The rate of local recurrence (including three patients who refused postoperative radiochemotherapy) was 8.5%. Cancer-specific survival at 5 years was 74% and differed significantly by stage.

The particular advance of the WJD is the facile development of the embryological plane between the mesorectal fascia and the surrounding pelvic nerves. Without harming one of them, maximum radicality and excellent autonomic nerve preservation can be achieved. The WJD is a technique with acceptable postoperative morbidity and low mortality. Local control and survival are comparable to other surgical centers in international literature.