Is partial thickness excision in TAMIS without defect suture safe for benign rectal lesions?

BACKGROUND: One of the minimally invasive methods used in the surgical treatment of large-based polypoid lesions located in the rectum is transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS). This method, which relieves patients from the severe morbidities of invasive surgical procedures, is performed in both malign (T1-T2) and benign lesions. Difficulty of suturation after TAMIS emerges as the most important factor to prolong the procedure. We aimed to analyse the efficacy of TAMIS procedure with partial thickness resection without suturation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study. The study was conducted in a Turkish Education and Research Hospital in 2016. Data of 10 patients who diagnosed with benign rectal masses were included in the study. Patients who were suspected for muscularis propria invasion and lymph node positivity in magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively excluded from the study. All lesions were resected with TAMIS and the mucosal defects were not closed in any patients. Demographic features, lesion's distances to anal verge, excised lesion's size, histopathological report, operation times, duration of hospital stay and complications were recorded RESULTS: Six male and 4 female patients were treated. The mean distance to the anal werge of the lesions was 8.5 (5-12) cm. The longest diameters of the lesions ranged from 1-4 cm in length. All the patients were discharged the day after the surgery. Operation times were found to be 46.1 ± 5 min (30-70). Histopathological examinations of the removed lesions revealed villous adenomas in 3 patients, villous adenoma and Tis adenocarcinoma in 5 patients, villous adenoma and T1 adenocarcinoma in 1 patient and neuroendocrine tumor in 1 patient. There were no early complications such as bleeding, and late complications such as perforation, anal incontinence or anorectal dysfunction in any patient. No evidence of recurrence was found in any of the patients under control rectosigmoidoscopy and pelvic MRI examinations.

CONCLUSION: Partial thickness resection of rectal benign lesions by TAMIS method is safe. After resection some surgeons suggest to close the defect by suture or stapler. In our study resection without closure of the defect is found safe and feasible with limited patient prejudice.

KEY WORDS: Rectal benign lesions, Transanal partial thickness excision.