Introduction: Conventional abdominoperineal resection (APR) has a high rate of local recurrence. Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) can potentially diminish the rate of intraoperative tumour perforation (IOTP) and can provide wider circumferential resection margins (CRM) but at the price of higher perineal complication rate. The aim of our study was to compare the short term results of conventional APR to ELAPE.
Materials and methods: Thirty-five consecutively operated APRs compared to 38 also consecutively operated ELAPEs. Prospectively collected short-term outcome data were analysed retrospectively.
Results: There was no difference in demographics, disease stage or tumour location between groups. IOTP rate and CRM positivity rates were similar between the two groups (p = .608). No difference was found in major (Clavien-Dindo III-V) complications, but we found statistically significant difference in minor (Clavien-Dindo I-II) complications (p = .01) in favour of the ELAPE group. Frequency of perineal SSI was lower in ELAPE group, but the difference was not significant (p = .320). Intraoperative iatrogenic complications occurred at significantly lower rate in ELAPE group (p = .035). Also, postoperative morbidity connected with the dissection in the perineal phase (e.g. urine incontinence, urinary retention) was significantly lower (p = .018) after ELAPE.
Discussion and conclusions: In our experience ELAPE operations may diminish the rate of Clavien-Dindo I-II complications compared to conventional APR. This effect is ensuing from the decrease of intraoperative iatrogenic complications and from the decrease of minor postoperative complications.
Keywords: ELAPE; Rectal cancer; SSI; minor complications.