Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2021; 27(22): 3121-3129
Published online Jun 14, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i22.3121
Preservation of superior rectal artery in laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis for slow transit constipation
Chien-Wei Wu, Ta-Wei Pu, Jung-Cheng Kang, Cheng-Wen Hsiao, Chao-Yang Chen, Je-Ming Hu, Kuan-Hsun Lin, Tzu-Chiao Lin
Chien-Wei Wu, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
Ta-Wei Pu, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Songshan Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 10581, Taiwan
Jung-Cheng Kang, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taiwan Adventist Hospital, Taipei 10556, Taiwan
Cheng-Wen Hsiao, Tzu-Chiao Lin, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
Chao-Yang Chen, Je-Ming Hu, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
Kuan-Hsun Lin, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
Author contributions: Wu CW is the first author of the above case report; Wu CW wrote the observational study and completed the literature review; Pu TW is an attending surgeon; Hsiao CW, Chen CY, Hu JM, Lin TC, Lin KH and Kang JC are our surgical team; Pu TW performed the final editing and preparation of the paper for approval; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Taiwan Adventist Hospital (TAHIRB No.: 105-E-10). It was conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was waived.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ta-Wei Pu, MD, Attending Doctor, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Songshan Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, No. 131 Jiankang Road, Songshan District, Taipei 10581, Taiwan. tawei0131@gmail.com
Received: November 11, 2020
Peer-review started: November 11, 2020
First decision: November 23, 2020
Revised: December 8, 2020
Accepted: May 17, 2021
Article in press: May 17, 2021
Published online: June 14, 2021
Processing time: 208 Days and 21.6 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Slow transit constipation (STC) has traditionally been considered as a functional disorder. However, evidence is accumulating that suggests that most of the motility alterations in STC might be of a neuropathic etiology. If the patient’s condition responds poorly to non-surgical treatment, operative intervention with subtotal colectomy may be effective.

Research motivation

However, preservation of the superior rectal artery (SRA) may reduce its incidence.

Research objectives

STC patients underwent laparoscopically assisted total colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and were examined between January 2016 and January 2017.

Research methods

This was a single-center retrospective observational study. STC was diagnosed after a series of examinations which included a colonic transit test, anal manometry, a balloon expulsion test, and a barium enema. Eligible patients underwent laparoscopically assisted total colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and were examined between January 2016 and January 2017. The main outcome include operation time, estimated blood loss, time to first flatulence and incidence of complications.

Research results

A total of 32 patients (mean age, 42.6 years) underwent laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and preservation of the SRA. All patients were diagnosed with STC after a series of examinations. The mean day of first time to flatus was 3.0 d, and the mean hospital stay was 10.6 d. There were no conversions to laparotomy. Post-operative complications included 1 wound infection and 1 case of ileus. No anastomosis leakage was noted in any of the patients.

Research conclusions

Laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and preservation of the SRA can significantly improve bowel function with careful patient selection. Sparing the SRA may protect against anastomosis leakage.

Research perspectives

Laparoscopically assisted subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis and preservation of the SRA can have well results with improvement in bowel function with careful patient enrollment criteria. No anastomosis leakage was noted in any of our patients; preservation of the SRA appears to result in excellent surgical outcomes.