[Selective surgery of rectal carcinoma]

Operative treatment for rectal carcinoma has two aims, locoregional cure and sphincter preservation if possible. In a consecutive series, patients were selected for anterior resection, abdominoperineal excision, local tumor excision, and sphincter-preserving resection with anastomosis performed by a transsphincteric or transanal approach. Results with respect to local recurrence and survival rates were comparable to those obtained with conventional radical surgery.