Restorative surgery of the rectum with a circumferential stapler

The results of rectal anastomoses produced with a circumferential stapling gun were compared with those of a conventional hand suturing technique in thirty patients undergoing colorectal anastomoses for carcinoma and diverticulitis. The main advantage of the stapler is in anastomoses low in the pelvis where it allows relatively easy access to the extra-peritoneal fraction of the rectum. When the stapling gun was used the mean distance of the anastomosis from the anal margin was less and the length of postoperative hospital stay was reduced. The incidence of complications associated with the anastomosis was similar for conventional suturing and stapling.