Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgical Approach to Total Pelvic Exenteration

Total pelvic exenteration, a surgical procedure for patients with highly advanced primary and recurrent rectal cancer, is technically demanding.

We report the utility of a transanal minimally invasive surgical approach to total pelvic exenteration.

A 2-team approach with a laparoscopic transabdominal approach and transanal minimally invasive surgery was adopted. During the transabdominal approach in the pelvis, dissection was performed to remove the pelvic organs and visceral branches of the internal iliac vessels. The dissection goal via the transabdominal approach is the levator ani. During the transperineal approach, dissection is performed along the levator ani, and the tendinous arch of the levator ani is penetrated at the lateral side to achieve rendezvous between the 2 approaches. The levator ani is then dissected circumferentially, with identification of the internal pudendal vessels passing through the levator ani at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions, known as Alcock's canal. The anterior wall of Alcock's canal is formed by the coccygeus muscle and sacrospinous ligament, which are dissected by the transperineal approach to open Alcock's canal, thus obtaining a clear view of the internal pudendal vessels. On the anterior side, the urethra is divided with a laparoscopic linear stapler via the transperineal approach.

Eight patients with rectal cancer underwent this procedure. The median (range) blood loss was 200 (120-1520) mL and operating time was 467 (321-833) minutes. Reoperation was performed in 1 internal hernia case; however, there were no mortalities, and there were no cases with severe complications or conversion to open surgery.

When performing total pelvic exenteration, transanal minimally invasive surgery offers direct visualization behind the tumor from the anal side and shows the deep pelvic structures, including the retroperitoneal space of the pelvic sidewall.