The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons 2013 annual meeting

Abstract

The 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) took place in Phoenix, Arizona, from April 27th to May 1st. Visitors could enjoy many cultural and natural attraction in the area, such as the Sonoran Desert, the Frank Lloyd-Wright house museum, and the spectacular Grand Canyon. The meeting was attended by more than one thousand general surgeons and colorectal specialists. The scientific sessions included symposia assessing state-of-the-art on diagnosis and treatment modalities, lectures to honor surgeons who have made important contributions to the field of colorectal surgery, such as V. Fazio, N. Nigro, and E. Hambrick, hands-on workshops, and an ongoing video display. There were 374 posters and 80 podium presentations. A webcast including the presentations in the 2 main halls will be provided online shortly after the meeting. The scientific program focused on the main and most frequent disorders affecting the colon, rectum, and anus with the purpose of improving patient care. In the ‘‘Core subject update’’ session, the evidencebased reviews of current diagnosis, treatment, controversies, and pitfalls of 24 topics, in a rotating 4-year cycle, are presented every year and discussed with the audience. The topics this year included colon cancer, diverticulitis, different types of colitis, fecal incontinence, fistula and abscess, and perioperative management. For those interested, a summary of each topic is available on the ASCRS website. Optimal treatment of colon and rectal cancer continues to evolve, and despite the central role of surgery, a multidisciplinary approach is nowadays essential. Surgeons should therefore have a throughout comprehension of the role and timing of different treatments. The proper surgical TME technique and methods of reconstruction after restorative proctectomy in patients with rectal cancer were discussed. Unfortunately, 2 techniques that are now becoming popular in Europe, namely intersphincteric resection and the anterior perineal planE for anterior resection of the rectum (APPEAR) technique, were not taken into consideration. An excellent lecture on low anterior resection syndrome was given by the present president of the European Society of Coloproctology, S Lauberg. In the presentations on colon cancer, the significance of high or low vessel ligation and excision of the mesocolon were discussed. Laparoscopy is gaining more and more acceptance all over the world, because of patients’ request for less invasive surgery, the development of new technology, and surgeons’ improving skills. However, in the USA, only an estimated 40 % of surgeons have adopted minimally invasive techniques for colon cancer and even less perform minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer. In this field, technological advances and surgical strategies, including single-port surgery, robotic dissection, natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), and transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS), were demonstrated by highvolume surgeons, including C Delaney, T Young-Fadok, and A Fichera. A 2-h session assessing the outcomes of these techniques was also presented in order to provide information leading to better surgical decision-making. Inflammatory bowel disorders are rarely primarily managed by surgeons who, in some instances, may lack experience in medical treatment. Indications, complications, and P. De Nardi (&) A. Vignali Department of Surgery, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 60, 20132 Milan, Italy e-mail: denardi.paola@hsr.it