OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of lateral lymph nodes dissection and autonomic nerve preservation in anterior resection for rectal cancer.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty-four patients with rectal cancer underwent anterior resection with lateral lymph nodes resection and autonomic nerve preservation. The patients were followed-up through post-operational questionnaire about the function of defecation, urination and sex after the operation. And post-operative survival was analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSUrinary catheters were removed in 112 cases (90.3%) in 3 days post operation, the mean time of indwelling catheter was (58.3 +/- 2.1) h. Nineteen patients experienced fecal incontinence, 12 cases of them recovered through release-training and one recovered spontaneously. Of the 98 questionnaire respondents, 61 cases (62.3%) could erect normally, and 56 cases (57.1%) had normal sexual function. The max-micturition-desire urine volume was (401.2 +/- 23.1) ml and the residual urine volume was (28.2 +/- 2.2) ml. Five year survival rate of all the patients was 61.2%.

CONCLUSIONSLateral lymph nodes dissection and autonomic nerve preservation in anterior resection for rectal cancer can decrease the post-operative dysfunction of defecation, urination and sex life and does not affect the survival.