Anastomotic Leakage Following Low Anterior Resection of Rectal Cancer Considering the Role of Protective Stoma

Background and aims: probable risk factors of clinical anastomotic leakage andthe role of defunctioning stoma in patients undergoing low anterior resection (lar)for rectal cancer, is still controversial. the goal of our study was to find out possiblerisk factors of anastomotic leakage and to locate the influence of protective stomain the rate of anastomotic leakage.materials and methods: in this retrospective study, 44 patients underwent lar withtotal mesorectal excision (tme) during the period from 2001 to 2006 wereanalyzed. from these 44 patients 24 were treated with protective stoma while 20were not.results: overall anastomotic leakage rate was similar among patients with andwithout protective stoma (odds ratio=0.51, p=0.2357). male gender, lowanastomosis, coronery artery disease, preoperative radiotherapy, and smokingwere great risk factors for developing anastomotic leakage. we did not find anydifferences between handsewn and stapled anastomosis (odds ratio=0.6).conclusion: protective stoma will be helpful depending on surgeon experiencesand is not recommended for all the patients routinely. beside this, male gender, lowanastomosis, coronary artery disease, preoperative radiotherapy, and smoking arethe major risk factors of anastomotic leakage.