PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to test the efficacy of an extreme
policy of sphincter conservation by combining precise total mesorectal
excision with low stapling techniques and endoluminal lavage to guard
against implantation. METHODS: A total of 136 consecutive operations
fbr cancer below 5 cm from the anal verge has been prospec tively docu
mented and followed for a mean of 7.7 (range, 1-18) years. A total of
105 of the operations were anterior resections (77 percent), and 31 we
re abdominoperineal excisions (23 percent), RESULTS: The oncologic res
ults in the 105 patients who underwent anterior resections appear grea
tly superior to those of the patients who underwent abdominoperineal e
xcisions, although the number of abdominoperineal excisions was small
(31). Actuarial local recurrence at six years for anterior resection a
nd total mesorectal excision was 1 percent for 85 curative procedures
and 4 percent for all cases (n = 100), compared with 33 and 47 percent
for abdominoperineal excisions (n = 15 and 31). Only four recurrences
were observed below the level of the levators, three in the wound of
an abdominoperineal excision and one in a stapled anastomosis after a
palliative excision. No cases of nodal metastasis in the ischiorectal
fossa were observed. CONCLUSION: In a unit specializing in sphincter c
onservation, precise total mesorectal excision from above appears onco
logically superior to abdominoperineal excision. Three-fourths of pati
ents with carcinoma of the lower one-third of the rectum can be offere
d sphincter-conserving surgery, although temporary defunctioning is pr
obably prudent in such cases. The wound of an abdominoperineal excisio
n may be a prerequisite for perineal recurrence, which may often be ca
used by implantation.