The role of transanal drainage tube in low anterior resection for rectal cancer

Total mesorectal excision with low anterior resection has significantly improved the long-term outcomes of surgical treatment for rectal cancer, decreasing the local recurrence rate and increasing survival. However, total mesorectal excision is becoming one of the main factors for the development of colorectal anastomosis leakage, the rate of which reaches 20% in these operations. To minimize the complications associated with the inconsistency of the colorectal anastomotic suture, preventive intestinal stoma is formed when performing low anterior resections. That significantly worsen the quality of life of patients, their elimination requires re-hospitalization, and surgical interventions are accompanied by a high incidence of postoperative complications, reaching a rate of 20%, which has a significant impact on the cost of treatment for this category of patients. Transanal drainage is an alternative to the formation of preventive intestinal stoma and is devoid of its shortcomings. This literature review is devoted to an analysis of the effectiveness of transanal drainage in low anterior rectal resection. Until recently, transanal drainage has not yet gained popularity among surgeons due to the lack of evidence of its safety and effectiveness, and many studies are retrospective, including small samples. The review considered single-center, multicenter, randomized trials and a meta-analysis of the use of transanal drainage. Transanal drainage is an effective method for preven­ting the inconsistency of colorectal anastomotic suture, it is safe, and it surpasses the preventive intestinal stoma in a number of indicators.