Validation of the Vietnamese version of the low anterior resection syndrome score questionnaire

The aim of this study was to validate the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score questionnaire in the Vietnamese language among Vietnamese patients who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer.

The LARS score questionnaire was translated from English into Vietnamese and then back-translated as recommended internationally. From January 2018 to December 2020, 93 patients who underwent sphincter-preserving surgery completed the Vietnamese version of the LARS score questionnaire together with an anchored question assessing the influence of bowel function on quality of life. To validate test-retest reliability, patients were requested to answer the LARS score questionnaire twice.

Ninety-three patients completed the LARS score questionnaire, of whom 89 responded twice. The patients who responded twice were included in the analysis of test-retest reliability. Fifty-eight patients had a "major" LARS score. The LARS score was able to discriminate between patients who were obese and those who were not (P<0.001) and between the LAR and AR procedures (P<0.001). Age and sex were not associated with higher LARS scores (P=0.975). There was a perfect fit between the quality of life category question and the LARS score in 56.2% of cases, and a moderate fit was found in 42.7% of cases, showing reasonable convergent validity. The test-retest reliability of 89 patients showed a high intraclass correlation coefficient.

The Vietnamese version of the LARS score questionnaire is a valid tool for measuring LARS.