Comparison of abdominoperineal resection and low anterior resection in lower and middle rectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate local control and survival rates following abdominoperineal resection (APR) compared with low anterior resection (LAR) in lower and middle rectal cancer. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 153 patients with newly histologically proven rectal adenocarcinoma located at low and middle third that were treated between 2004 and 2010 at a tertiary hospital. The tumors were pathologically staged according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. Surgery was applied for 138 (90%) of the patients, of which 96 (70%) underwent LAR and 42 were (30%) treated with APR. Total mesorectal excision was performed for all patients. In addition, 125 patients (82%) received concurrent (neoadjuvant, adjuvant or palliative) pelvic chemoradiation, and 134 patients (88%) received neoadjuvant, adjuvant or concurrent chemotherapy. Patients' follow-up ranged from 4 to 156 (median 37) months. RESULTS: Of 153 patients, 89 were men and 64 were women with a median age of 57 years. One patient (0.7%) was stage 0, 15 (9.8%) stage I, 63 (41.2%) stage II, 51 (33.3%) stage III and 23 (15%) stage IV. There was a significant difference between LAR and APR in terms of tumor distance from anal verge, disease stage and combined modality therapy used. However, there was no significant difference regarding 5-year local control, disease free and overall survival rates between LAR and APR. CONCLUSION: LAR can provide comparable local control, disease free and overall survival rates compared with APR in eligible patients with lower and middle rectal cancer.

Role of internal sphincterotomy in the treatment of hemorrhoids: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Anal canal dilatation and sphincterotomy have been recommended besides hemorrhoidectomy to overcome the anal pressures in the management of hemorrhoids. The aim of this study to compare internal sphincterotomy and hemorrhoidectomy with hemorrhoidectomy alone with respect to manometric and clinical measures. METHODS: One hundred twenty patients with hemorrhoids were randomly assigned to receive either hemorrhoidectomy with sphincterotomy or hemorrhoidectomy alone. Anal canal pressures including mean squeeze pressure, maximal resting anal canal pressure, and mean resting anal canal pressure, were recorded by manometry before the operation. The patients were evaluated one week and two weeks after the operation clinically and three months later by manometry. RESULTS: The patients were matched with respect to age, gender, and chief complaints. The mean+/-SD age of the patients in hemorrhoidectomy with sphincterotomy group (A) was 43.8+/-14 and in hemorrhoidectomy alone group (B) was 43.94+/-15 years. The male to female ratio was 1.1:1. One week after the operation, there was no statistically significant differences in the frequency of postoperative complications like pain and urinary incontinence between the two groups except for fecal incontinence which was more frequent in group A. After two weeks, the same results with an acceptable improvement in fecal incontinence in group A were observed. Three months after the operation, manometry showed considerable reduction in the mean resting anal canal pressure and maximal resting anal canal pressure in group A; the mean squeeze pressure did not have any changes in either group. CONCLUSION: We recommend sphincterotomy plus hemorrhoidectomy for patients with high anal canal pressure documented by manometry prior to the operation.