Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal venous malformation: A case report with a brief literature review

Rectal vascular malformation is a rare disease on which few reports have been published. Here, we report the case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with severe weakness, dyspnea, and recurrent episodes of rectal bleeding. Her colonoscopy showed an extensive pigmented lesion in the lower rectum. CT angiography showed diffuse circumferential wall thickening of the rectum, perirectal fat stranding, tiny round foci of calcification, and no arterial feeders. Multiphasic MRI confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent a total mesorectal excision with hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis. The venous malformation was confined to the mesorectal tissue. The avascular plane between the ectodermal and mesodermal tissue was well maintained. Blood loss was 200 mL. The patient has had no recurrence of disease in the 18 months since surgery. Although total mesorectal excision is described for rectal cancer, it may be indicated for benign disease like rectal vascular malformation to achieve complete removal of the disease and to minimize intraoperative blood loss.