Gastrointestinal decompression after excision and anastomosis of lower digestive tract

Table 1 Girth of 368 cases before and after operation on lower digestive tract (mean ± SD)

Girth	Decompression	Non-decompression	P value
	group (n = 186)	group (n = 182)
Before operation (cm)	76.3 ± 17.6b	75.1 ± 16.2d	0.051
After operation (cm)
Day 1	82.4 ± 21.5	81.5 ± 20.7	0.562
Day 2	82.8 ± 19.8	83.6 ± 21.8	0.367
Day 3	82.2 ± 21.5	84.7 ± 21.2	0.551

^bP < 0.001,

^dP < 0.001 vs the three initial days after operation.