Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;27(8):673-678.
doi: 10.1007/s10151-023-02753-x. Epub 2023 Jan 16.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery technique: an acceptable approach for retrorectal tumors

F Salameh  1 , H Gilshtein  2   3 , R Abramov  2 , I Ashkenazi  2 , D Duek  2   3
Affiliations

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery technique: an acceptable approach for retrorectal tumors

F Salameh et al. Tech Coloproctol. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Retrorectal lesions (RRLs) are rare lesions that originate from the tissue present in the retrorectal space. The gold standard of care is complete resection regardless of pathology. The traditional approaches (anterior, posterior, and combined) are relatively well described. Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) is a minimally invasive technique offered as an alternative approach for RRLs.

Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of patients diagnosed with RRL and treated by the TEM approach, especially postoperative complications, and the recurrence rate.

Methods: Patients with RRLs treated with the TEM technique in one medical center between 2000 and 2020 were identified. Their postoperative outcomes were compared with historical controls.

Results: Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with RRL were operated on using the TEM platform. Thirty-seven RRLs were benign, and two were malignant. Their median size (IQR) was 20 mm (15, 32.5). The median distance (IQR) from the anal verge was 50 mm (50, 72.5). The median operative time (IQR) was 48.5 min (41.75, 60). All, except one lesion, were completely resected. The median length of stay (IQR) was one day (1, 1 day). Postoperative complications were diagnosed in three patients, two of which resolved following a second operation.

Conclusions: The implementation of TEM for the resection of RRLs demonstrated excellent overall results with acceptable complication and recurrence rate and represented a viable alternative surgical approach.

Keywords: Outcome; Retrorectal lesions; TEM; Trans sacral approach.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Imboden S, Al-Fana A, Kuhn A et al (2014) Pandora’s box and retrorectal tumors in laparoscopy: a case report and review of the literature. Int J Surg Case Rep 5(10):706–709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijscr.2014.08.012 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Baek SK, Hwang GS, Vinci A et al (2016) Retrorectal tumors: a comprehensive literature review. World J Surg 40(8):2001–2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-016-3501-6 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Singer MA, Cintron JR, Martz JE et al (2003) Retrorectal cyst: a rare tumor frequently misdiagnosed. J Am Coll Surg 196(6):880–886. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1072-7515(03)00133-9 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Glasgow SC, Birnbaum EH, Lowney JK et al (2005) Retrorectal tumors: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Dis Colon Rectum 48(8):1581–1587. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-005-0048-2 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Uhlig BE, Johnson RL (1975) Presacral tumors and cysts in adults. Dis Colon Rectum 18(7):581–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02587141 - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources