Highly selective diversion with proactive leakage management after low anterior resection for rectal cancer.

Abstract

In this single center case series with nine percent primary diversion, 86 of 94 patients alive and with complete follow-up at one year had a functioning anastomosis. Seventy-five of the initial 99 patients never had a stoma. Meaning: Highly selective fecal diversion in combination with proactive leakage management, low anastomoses can be preserved safely, and the majority of patients will be spared all disadvantages of a diverting stoma. In this single-centre case series, with a primary diversion rate of 9 per cent, 86 of 94 patients who were alive and had complete follow-up at 1 year had a functioning anastomosis. Seventy-five of the initial 99 patients never had a stoma. The results indicate that, with highly selective faecal diversion in combination with proactive leakage management, low anastomoses can be preserved safely, and the majority of patients will be spared the disadvantages of a diverting stoma.