BackgroundAlthough the anatomic difficulties of laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer have been resolved by hybrid transanal total mesorectal excision (h-taTME), a completely incisionless surgical procedure has not yet been developed. This study was performed to explore the efficacy of pure taTME (p-taTME) without laparoscopic assistance as a completely non-invasive surgical procedure for rectal cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated all patients with rectal cancer who underwent p-taTME between December 2015 and April 2018. Relevant patient characteristics and clinical information including the surgical procedure, specimens, pathological characteristics, and patients’ post-operative state were analysed and the feasibility of p-taTME in patients with rectal cancer was assessed.ResultsFifty-five patients who had undergone p-taTME were included in this study. They comprised 32 (58.2%) men and 23 (41.8%) women with a mean age of 65.6?±?10.6?years and mean body mass index of 23.4?±?3.3?kg/m2. The median surgical time was 180.0 (range, 130–360) min and estimated blood loss was 25.0 (range, 15–80) mL. The commonest post-operative complication was varying degrees of faecal incontinence (56.4%). However, such incontinence greatly improved after pelvic-floor-function-rehabilitation exercises and did not seriously affect the patients’ quality of life.Conclusionsp-taTME is a relatively safe and incisionless procedure for patients with middle and low rectal cancer, especially in those with obesity or a narrow pelvis. However, further studies of the indications and long-term efficacy are needed to verify the suitability of this procedure.
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