Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) is a novel technique, first in
troduced by Buess and coworkers in 1983 for the treatment of large ses
sile polyps of the rectum. Due to the excellent results the indication
was then extended also for the removal of low risk early adenocarcino
mas (pT1, G1-G2). TEM allows, by using an operative proctoscope of an
outside diameter of only 4 cm., all the conventional surgical manoeuve
rs within the rectal lumen, up to 20 cm. from the anal verge. The Auth
ors report a consecutive series of 53 patients submitted to TEM over a
37 month period; apart from 7 patients excluded for different reasons
, postoperative diagnosis showed 30 adenocarcinomas (65.2%), 15 adenom
as (32.6%) and 1 epidermoidal carcinoma (2.2%). The low recurrence rat
e observed both for adenomas (0%) and pT1 adenocarcinomas (9%) coupled
with the optimum vision allowed by the 6-fold magnified stereoscopic
view, make this technique the method of choice for selected patients w
ith these kind of pathologies.