Background and Objective: One of the uses of indocyanine green (ICG) in the surgical field is the evaluation of the anastomotic margins in colorectal surgery. This is of particular importance because fluorescence imaging may aid in detecting vascular compromise, allowing the surgeon to change the resection margin thereby decreasing the chance of an anastomotic leak. To date, there has been no study with its use locally. This study aimed to determine whether the use of ICG can safely identify if the margins of resection are well-vascularized in patients undergoing left-sided colon or rectal surgery, which in turn may reduce anastomotic leak rates. Methods: Through a retrospective study design, the investigators gathered data of patients who underwent left-sided colon or rectal surgery. The groups were divided into those with and without the use of ICG and a comparative data on the anastomotic leak rates were analyzed. Results: Eighty-six (86) patients with similar patient characteristics, tumor staging, and surgical approach were compared. Both the leak rates identified during the initial hospital stay and at 30 days post-operatively were lower in those where ICG was used (p=0.035, p=0.047, respectively) than those where ICG was not used. Conclusion ICG fluorescence imaging may reduce the anastomotic leak rates in patients undergoing colorectal surgery.
indocyanine green ; colon ; rectum ; colorectal surgery ; anastomosis, surgical ; anastomotic leak

Surgery is the primary treatment for esophageal cancer, but the postoperative complication rate remains high. Therefore, it is important to prevent and manage postoperative complications to improve prognosis. Common perioperative complications of esophageal cancer include anastomotic leakage, gastrointestinal tracheal fistula, chylothorax, and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury. Respiratory and circulatory system complications, such as pulmonary infection, are also quite common. These surgery-related complications are independent risk factors for cardiopulmonary complications. Complications, such as long-term anastomotic stenosis, gastroesophageal reflux, and malnutrition are also common after esophageal cancer surgery. By effectively reducing postoperative complications, the morbidity and mortality of patients can be reduced, and their quality of life can be improved.
Humans ; Quality of Life ; Postoperative Complications/prevention & control* ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Prognosis ; Esophagectomy/adverse effects* ; Digestive System Fistula/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of Cai tube-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) in gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This was a descriptive case-series study. Inclusion criteria: (1) colorectal or gastric cancer diagnosed by preoperative pathological examination or redundant sigmoid or transverse colon detected by barium enema; (2) indications for laparoscopic surgery; (3) body mass index <30 kg/m² (transanal surgery) and 35 kg/m² (transvaginal surgery); (4) no vaginal stenosis or adhesions in female patients undergoing transvaginal specimen extraction; and (5) patients with redundant colon aged 18-70 years and a history of intractable constipation for more than 10 years. Exclusion criteria: (1) colorectal cancer with intestinal perforation or obstruction, or gastric cancer with gastric perforation, gastric hemorrhage, or pyloric obstruction; (2) simultaneous resection of lung, bone, or liver metastases ; (3) history of major abdominal surgery or intestinal adhesions; and (4) incomplete clinical data. From January 2014 to October 2022, 209 patients with gastrointestinal tumors and 25 with redundant colons who met the above criteria were treated by NOSES utilizing a Cai tube (China invention patent number:ZL201410168748.2) in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University. The procedures included eversion and pull-out NOSES radical resection in 14 patients with middle and low rectal cancer, NOSES radical left hemicolectomy in 171 patients with left-sided colorectal cancer, NOSES radical right hemicolectomy in 12 patients with right-sided colon cancer, NOSES systematic mesogastric resection in 12 patients with gastric cancer, and NOSES subtotal colectomy in 25 patients with redundant colons. All specimens were collected by using an in-house-made anal cannula (Cai tube) with no auxiliary incisions. The primary outcomes included 1-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and postoperative complications. Results: Among 234 patients, 116 were male and 118 were female. The mean age was (56.6±10.9) years. NOSES was successfully completed in all patients without conversion to open surgery or procedure-related death. The negative rate of circumferential resection margin was 98.8% (169/171) with both two positive cases having left-sided colorectal cancer. Postoperative complications occurred in 37 patients (15.8%), including 11 cases (4.7%) of anastomotic leakage, 3 cases(1.3%) of anastomotic bleeding, 2 cases (0.9%) of intraperitoneal bleeding, 4 cases (1.7%) of abdominal infection, and 8 cases (3.4%) of pulmonary infection. Reoperations were required in 7 patients (3.0%), all of whom consented to creation of an ileostomy after anastomotic leakage. The total readmission rate within 30 days after surgery was 0.9% (2/234). After a follow-up of (18.3±3.6) months, the 1-year RFS was 94.7%. Five of 209 patients (2.4%) with gastrointestinal tumors had local recurrence, all of which was anastomotic recurrence. Sixteen patients (7.7%) developed distant metastases, including liver metastases(n=8), lung metastases(n=6), and bone metastases (n=2). Conclusion: NOSES assisted by Cai tube is feasible and safe in radical resection of gastrointestinal tumors and subtotal colectomy for redundant colon.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Anastomotic Leak/surgery* ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Laparoscopy ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Colectomy ; Postoperative Complications ; Liver Neoplasms/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Intersphincteric resection (ISR) surgery increases the rate of anal sphincter preservation in patients with ultra-low rectal cancers. However, the anastomotic site of ISR surgery is at risk for structural healing complications such as anastomotic leakage, anastomotic dehiscence, secondary anastomotic stenosis, chronic presacral sinus, rectovaginal fistula, and rectourethral fistula, which can lead to a persistent defunctioning ostomy or a secondary permanent colostomy. This article systematically describes the preoperative high-risk factors and characteristics of anastomotic site structural healing complications after ISR surgery, as well as the management of the anastomotic site during various stages including hospitalization, from discharge to one month after surgery, from one month after surgery to before stoma reversal, and after stoma reversal. This is to provide a clearer understanding of the risks associated with the anastomotic site at different stages of the healing process and to timely detect and actively manage related complications, thereby reducing the rate of permanent colostomy and truly achieving the dual goals of "survival benefit" and "quality of life improvement" in ISR surgery.
Female ; Humans ; Anal Canal/surgery* ; Quality of Life ; Anastomosis, Surgical/adverse effects* ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Rectal Neoplasms/complications* ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of transanal drainage tube (TDT) in reducing the incidence of anastomotic leak following anterior resection in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: We conducted a systematic search for relevant studies published from inception to October 2022 across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. The primary outcomes included total incidence of anastomotic leak, grade B and C anastomotic leak rates, reoperation rate, anastomotic bleeding rate, and overall complication rate. Results: Three randomized controlled trials involving 1115 patients (559 patients in the TDT group and 556 in the non-TDT group) were included. Meta-analysis showed that the total incidences of anastomotic leak and of grade B anastomotic leak were 5.5% (31/559) and 4.5% (25/559), respectively, in the TDT group and 7.9% (44/556) and 3.8% (21/556), respectively, in the non-TDT group. These differences are not statistically significant (P=0.120, P=0.560, respectively). Compared with the non-TDT group, the TDT group had a lower incidence of grade C anastomotic leak (1.6% [7/559] vs. 4.5% [25/556]) and reoperation rate (0.9% [5/559] vs. 4.3% [24/556]), but a higher incidence of anastomotic bleeding (8.2% [23/279] vs. 3.6% [10/276]). These differences were statistically significant (P=0.003, P=0.001, P=0.030, respectively). The overall complication rate was 26.5%(74/279) in the TDT group and 27.2% (75/276) in the non-TDT group. These differences are not statistically significant (P=0.860). Conclusions: TDT did not significantly reduce the total incidence of anastomotic leak but may have potential clinical benefits in preventing grade C anastomotic leak. Notably, placement of TDT may increase the anastomotic bleeding rate.
Humans ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Rectal Neoplasms/complications* ; Drainage ; Anastomosis, Surgical/adverse effects* ; Reoperation/adverse effects* ; Hemorrhage ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Management of gastric leak after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is challenging due to its unpredictable outcomes. We aimed to summarize the characteristics of SG leaks and analyze interventions and corresponding outcomes in a real-world setting. METHODS: To retrospectively review of 15,721 SG procedures from 2010 to 2020 based on a national registry. A cumulative sum analysis was used to identify a fitting curve of gastric leak rate. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were performed to calculate and compare the probabilities of relevant outcomes. The logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of acute leaks. RESULTS: A total of 78 cases of SG leaks were collected with an incidence of 0.5% (78/15,721) from this registry (6 patients who had the primary SG in non-participating centers). After accumulating 260 cases in a bariatric surgery center, the leak rate decreased to a stably low value of under 1.17%. The significant differences presented in sex, waist circumference, and the proportion of hypoproteinemia and type 2 diabetes at baseline between patients with SG leak and the whole registry population ( P = 0.005, = 0.026, <0.001, and = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, 83.1% (59/71) of the leakage was near the esophagogastric junction region. Leakage healed in 64 (88.9%, 64/72) patients. The median healing time of acute and non-acute leaks was 5.93 months and 8.12 months, respectively. Acute leak (38/72, 52.8%) was the predominant type with a cumulative reoperation rate >50%, whereas the cumulative healing probability in the patients who required surgical treatment was significantly lower than those requring non-surgical treatment ( P = 0.013). Precise dissection in the His angle area was independently associated with a lower acute leak rate, whereas preservation ≥2 cm distance from the His angle area was an independent risk factor. CONCLUSIONS Male sex, elevated waist circumference, hypoproteinaemia, and type 2 diabetes are risk factors of gastric leaks after SG. Optimizing surgical techniques, including precise dissection of His angle area and preservation of smaller gastric fundus, should be suggested to prevent acute leaks.
Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Obesity, Morbid ; Anastomotic Leak/epidemiology* ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Reoperation/methods* ; Registries ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the risk factors of anastomotic leakage in the neck after esophageal cancer and establish a nomogram prediction model that can accurately predict the occurrence of anastomotic leakage in the neck of the patient. Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed 702 patients who underwent radical esophageal cancer surgery between January 2010 and May 2015 at Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the risk factors for neck anastomotic leak, and a nomogram model was constructed, internal validation methods were used to evaluate and verify the predictive effectiveness of the nomogram. Results: There were 702 patients in the whole group, 492 in the training group and 210 in the validation group. The incidence of postoperative cervical anastomotic leak was 16.1% (79/492) in 492 patients with esophageal cancer in the training group. Multifactorial analysis revealed calcification of the descending aorta (OR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.94, P=0.018), calcification of the celiac artery (OR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.13, 4.64, P=0.022), peripheral vascular disease (OR=5.50, 95% CI: 1.64, 18.40, P=0.006), postoperative ventilator-assisted breathing (OR=5.33, 95% CI: 1.83, 15.56, P=0.002), pleural effusion or septic chest (OR=3.08, 95% CI: 1.11, 8.55, P=0.031), incisional fat liquefaction and infection (OR=3.49, 95% CI: 1.68, 7.27, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for the development of cervical anastomotic leak after esophageal cancer surgery. The results of the nomogram prediction model showed that the consistency indices of the training and external validation groups were 0.73 and 0.74, respectively (P<0.001), suggesting that the prediction model has good predictive efficacy. Conclusion: The nomogram prediction model can intuitively predict the incidence of postoperative cervical anastomotic leakage in patients with high prediction accuracy, which can help provide a clinical basis for preventing cervical anastomotic leak and individualized treatment of patients.
Humans ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Esophagectomy/methods* ; Risk Factors ; Anastomosis, Surgical/adverse effects*

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the risk factors of anastomotic leakage in the neck after esophageal cancer and establish a nomogram prediction model that can accurately predict the occurrence of anastomotic leakage in the neck of the patient. Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed 702 patients who underwent radical esophageal cancer surgery between January 2010 and May 2015 at Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the risk factors for neck anastomotic leak, and a nomogram model was constructed, internal validation methods were used to evaluate and verify the predictive effectiveness of the nomogram. Results: There were 702 patients in the whole group, 492 in the training group and 210 in the validation group. The incidence of postoperative cervical anastomotic leak was 16.1% (79/492) in 492 patients with esophageal cancer in the training group. Multifactorial analysis revealed calcification of the descending aorta (OR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.94, P=0.018), calcification of the celiac artery (OR=2.29, 95% CI: 1.13, 4.64, P=0.022), peripheral vascular disease (OR=5.50, 95% CI: 1.64, 18.40, P=0.006), postoperative ventilator-assisted breathing (OR=5.33, 95% CI: 1.83, 15.56, P=0.002), pleural effusion or septic chest (OR=3.08, 95% CI: 1.11, 8.55, P=0.031), incisional fat liquefaction and infection (OR=3.49, 95% CI: 1.68, 7.27, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for the development of cervical anastomotic leak after esophageal cancer surgery. The results of the nomogram prediction model showed that the consistency indices of the training and external validation groups were 0.73 and 0.74, respectively (P<0.001), suggesting that the prediction model has good predictive efficacy. Conclusion: The nomogram prediction model can intuitively predict the incidence of postoperative cervical anastomotic leakage in patients with high prediction accuracy, which can help provide a clinical basis for preventing cervical anastomotic leak and individualized treatment of patients.
Humans ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Esophagectomy/methods* ; Risk Factors ; Anastomosis, Surgical/adverse effects*

The rate of sphincter-preserving surgery for mid-low rectal cancer is increasing, but anastomotic leakage remains to be one of the common serious complications after operation. How to reduce the morbility and mortality of anastomotic leakage is always a hot and difficult point in colorectal surgery. Protective ostomy is a common method to deal with the above problems in clinical practice. However, some problems such as inappropriate stoma and stoma-related complications etc. become the current clinical challenges. The purpose of this consensus focusing on indication of ostomy, clinical value, ostomy skills, prevention of stoma complications, reversion of stoma and stoma nursing aims to provide guidance for the clinical practice of protective ostomy in the operation of mid-low rectal cancer in China.
Anastomosis, Surgical/adverse effects* ; Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Consensus ; Humans ; Ostomy/adverse effects* ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Risk Factors ; Surgical Stomas

Objective: To compare the short-term and long-term outcomes between transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) and laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME) for mid-to-low rectal cancer and to evaluate the learning curve of taTME. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Firstly, consecutive patients undergoing total mesorectal excision who were registered in the prospective established database of Division of Colorectal Diseases, Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital during July 2014 to June 2020 were recruited. The enrolled patients were divided into taTME and laTME group. The demographic data, clinical characteristics, neoadjuvant treatment, intraoperative and postoperative complications, pathological results and follow-up data were extracted from the database. The primary endpoint was the incidence of anastomotic leakage and the secondary endpoints included the 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and the 3-year local recurrence rate. Independent t-test for comparison between groups of normally distributed measures; skewed measures were expressed as M (range). Categorical variables were expressed as examples (%) and the χ(2) or Fisher exact probability was used for comparison between groups. When comparing the incidence of anastomotic leakage, 5 variables including sex, BMI, clinical stage evaluated by MRI, distance from tumor to anal margin evaluated by MRI, and whether receiving neoadjuvant treatment were balanced by propensity score matching (PSM) to adjust confounders. Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-rank test were used to compare the DFS of two groups. Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze and determine the independent risk factors affecting the DFS of patients with mid-low rectal cancer. Secondly, the data of consecutive patients undergoing taTME performed by the same surgical team (the trananal procedures were performed by the same main surgeon) from February 2017 to March 2021 were separately extracted and analyzed. The multidimensional cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart was used to draw the learning curve of taTME. The outcomes of 'mature' taTME cases through learning curve were compared with laTME cases and the independent risk factors of DFS of 'mature' cases were also analyzed. Results: Two hundred and forty-three patients were eventually enrolled, including 182 undergoing laTME and 61 undergoing taTME. After PSM, both fifty-two patients were in laTME group and taTME group respectively, and patients of these two groups had comparable characteristics in sex, age, BMI, clinical tumor stage, distance from tumor to anal margin by MRI, mesorectal fasciae (MRF) and extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) by MRI and proportion of receiving neoadjuvant treatment. After PSM, as compared to laTME group, taTME group showed significantly longer operation time [(198.4±58.3) min vs. (147.9±47.3) min, t=-4.321, P<0.001], higher ratio of blood loss >100 ml during surgery [17.3% (9/52) vs. 0, P=0.003], higher incidence of anastomotic leakage [26.9% (14/52) vs. 3.8% (2/52), χ(2)=10.636, P=0.001] and higher morbidity of overall postoperative complications [55.8%(29/52) vs. 19.2% (10/52), χ(2)=14.810, P<0.001]. Total harvested lymph nodes and circumferential resection margin involvement were comparable between two groups (both P>0.05). The median follow-up for the whole group was 24 (1 to 72) months, with 4 cases lost, giving a follow-up rate of 98.4% (239/243). The laTME group had significantly better 3-year DFS than taTME group (83.9% vs. 73.0%, P=0.019), while the 3-year local recurrence rate was similar in two groups (1.7% vs. 3.6%, P=0.420). Multivariate analysis showed that and taTME surgery (HR=3.202, 95%CI: 1.592-6.441, P=0.001) the postoperative pathological staging of UICC stage II (HR=13.862, 95%CI:1.810-106.150, P=0.011), stage III (HR=8.705, 95%CI: 1.104-68.670, P=0.040) were independent risk factors for 3-year DFS. Analysis of taTME learning curve revealed that surgeons would cross over the learning stage after performing 28 cases. To compare the two groups excluding the cases within the learning stage, there was no significant difference between two groups after PSM no matter in the incidence of anastomotic leakage [taTME: 6.7%(1/15); laTME: 5.3% (2/38), P=1.000] or overall complications [taTME: 33.3%(5/15), laTME: 26.3%(10/38), P=0.737]. The taTME was still an independent risk factor of 3-year DFS only analyzing patients crossing over the learning stage (HR=5.351, 95%CI:1.666-17.192, P=0.005), and whether crossing over the learning stage was not the independent risk factor of 3-year DFS for mid-low rectal cancer patients undergoing taTME (HR=0.954, 95%CI:0.227-4.017, P=0.949). Conclusions: Compared with conventional laTME, taTME may increase the risk of anastomotic leakage and compromise the oncological outcomes. Performing taTME within the learning stage may significantly increase the risk of postoperative anastomotic leakage.
Anastomotic Leak/etiology* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/methods* ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Rectum/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transanal Endoscopic Surgery/methods* ; Treatment Outcome