Modified right colon inversion technique as a salvage procedure for colorectal or coloanal anastomosis

A tension-free well vascularized colorectal or coloanal anastomosis is not always possible following rectal or sigmoid resection. The study reports on the short-term and long-term outcome of a modified right colon inversion technique as a means of facilitating a low colorectal or coloanal anastomosis.

All patients who underwent right colonic inversion, a modified Deloyers' procedure, were identified retrospectively from the prospective database of the Colorectal Department of the Royal Marsden Hospital from October 2008 to December 2013.

There were 14 (nine male) patients of median age 58.7 (45-75) years. The main indication was extensive diverticular disease (50%) and previous colonic surgery (21.4%). A defunctioning stoma was performed in 64.3% which was reversed in all within 3-6 months. Three (21.4%) patients developed postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo 1-2) and none required reoperation. The median duration of follow-up was 11 months. One (7.2%) patient had one bowel movement per day, 10 (71.4%) patients had two bowel movements per day and three (21.4%) patients had three per day.

The modified right colonic inversion technique is safe and achieves intestinal continuity with a tension-free well vascularized anastomosis. Good function and low morbidity show that the procedure is a credible alternative to ileorectal or ileoanal anastomosis.