Fascia- vs vessel-oriented lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer: Short-term outcomes and prognosis in a single-center experience

Table 2 Surgical outcomes of the entire cohort (n = 105)

Variables	Fascia-oriented group (n = 41)	Vessel-oriented group (n = 64)	P value
Operation time (min), median (IQR)	245.0 (220.0, 270.0)	269.5 (210.0, 300.0)	0.908
Blood loss (mL), n (%)			0.242
≥ 300	1 (2.4)	6 (9.4)
< 300	40 (97.6)	58 (90.6)
No. of examined LLN, median (IQR)	9.0 (7.0, 13.0)	6.5 (3.0, 10.3)	0.020
Pathological LLN, n (%)			0.720
Positive	9 (22.0)	16 (25.0)
Negative	32 (78.0)	48 (75.0)
Surgical complicationsa, n (%)			0.852
Yes	4 (9.8)	5 (7.8)
No	37 (90.2)	59 (92.2)
Urinary dysfunction, n (%)			0.015
Yes	9 (22.0)	29 (45.3)
No	32 (78.0)	35 (54.7)
Male sexual dysfunction, n (%)			0.019
Yes	9 (42.9)	26 (74.3)
No	12 (57.1)	9 (25.7)
Lower limb dysfunction, n (%)			0.554
Yes	10 (24.4)	19 (29.7)
No	31 (75.6)	45 (70.3)
Post-operative hospital stay (d), median (IQR)	7.00 (7.00, 8.00)	8.00 (7.00, 9.00)	0.435
Perioperative mortality, n (%)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Reoperation, n (%)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000

^aSpecific surgical complications in the fascia-oriented group, n (%): Anastomotic bleeding, 1 (2.4); anastomotic leakage, 1 (2.4); lymphorrhagia, 1 (2.4); delayed wound healing, 1 (2.4). Specific surgical complications in the vessel-oriented group, n (%): Anastomotic leakage, 3 (4.7); ileus, 1 (1.6); abdominal infection, 1 (1.6).

IQR: Interquartile range; LLN: Lateral lymph nodes.