Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland
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Comparative Study
Transanal vs laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: initial experience from Denmark.
Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) has improved short-term outcomes of rectal cancer surgery with comparable oncological results to open approach. LaTME can be difficult in the lowermost part of the rectum, leading potentially to higher rates of complications, conversion to open surgery and probably suboptimal oncological quality. Transanal TME (TaTME) can potentially solve these problems. The aim of this study was to compare the short-term results after TaTME with those after LaTME. ⋯ The TaTME procedure had comparable pathological results and acceptable short-term postoperative outcomes compared to LaTME.