Patients and study design:
From June 2014 to July 2020, consecutive rectal cancer patients who underwent APR in the Colorectal Cancer Center, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, were divided into the extraperitoneal group and a transperitoneal group. All patients are operated by six experienced surgeons in the department, and the method of colostomy is determined according to the treatment experience of each doctor.
The inclusion criteria were as follows: histologically-proven rectal cancer; curative resection; abdominoperineal resection with permanent colostomy; Patients with non-curative resection or temporary colostomy or previous abdomen operation history or emergency operation were excluded.
This study was approved by the institutional review board of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. The study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Identifier: ChiCTR2200056134).
Surgical Technique
All eligible patients underwent APR performed by six experienced surgical teams focused on colorectal cancers in West China Hospital. After taking out the specimen of rectal cancer, colostomies were performed.
For the extraperitoneal route, the peritoneum along the left paracolic gutter was separated from the abdominal wall to make an internal opening for the extraperitoneal tunnel before the skin incision. Then, a circular incision of approximately 25 mm in diameter was made at the marked site. The skin was removed, and subcutaneous tissues were incised. Next, the anterior rectus sheath was opened with a cross incision, and the rectus abdominis was gently split to expose the posterior rectus sheath. Then, the posterior rectus sheath was dissected with care to not open the peritoneum. The peritoneum was gently separated from the abdominal wall, and this space was then connected to the previously dissected space along the left paracolic gutter to create an extraperitoneal tunnel. The stump of the colon was exteriorized through this tunnel. After exteriorization, the bowel wall was fixed to the anterior rectus sheath at four points using absorbable monofilament sutures. Finally, the stump of the colon was opened and sutured to the skin before the end of the operation.
For the transperitoneal route, both the posterior rectal sheath and the peritoneum were cut longitudinally, and the diameter of the tunnel was dilated to two finger widths. The stump of the colon was exteriorized through the tunnel.
Data Collection
Demographic and perioperative data including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ASA classification of anesthesia, neoadjuvant therapies, surgical approaches, and comorbidities were retrospectively collected from the electronic clinical records.
In our center, postoperative follow-ups (including CT reviews) were settled at 1 month and 3 months after APR, every 6 months in the first 5 years and every year after 5 years according to routine follow-up protocol for rectal cancer.[18]
Follow-up information was obtained from medical records, outpatient clinic visits and phone calls.
The endpoint included the occurrence of PSH, but mainly the repair rate of parastomal hernia with different approaches. In our study, The definition of parastomal hernia adopts European Hernia Society(ESH) standard (PSH is an abnormal protrusion of the contents of the abdominal cavity through the abdominal wall defect created during placement of a colostomy), and the classification method of parastomal hernia through CT scan proposed by ESH.[19] Postoperative surveillance CT scans were separately reviewed by two radiologist (Lu Zhang and Yan Yu). When a discrepancy arose, the CT scans were reviewed by an experienced radiologist (Hanjiang. Zeng) to reach a consensus (Fig. 2). In addition, when the CT scan is negative but the clinical symptoms are positive, it is also determined to be a PSH.
The secondary endpoints were the occurrence of intra- and post-operative complications including peristomal infection, stoma bleeding, mucocutaneous separation, anastomotic stenosis, anastomotic prolapse, adhesive intestinal obstruction, and incision or pelvic infection.
Statistical analysis:
SPSS for Windows, version 22.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) and GraphPad Prism for Windows, version 8.0.0 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, California) were used for data analysis. Continuous data are shown as the mean and standard deviation. Categorical variables are represented as percentages. Continuous variables were compared by using parametric or non-parametric. Categorical variables were compared between groups using Fisher’s exact test or the chi-square test. Kaplan–Meier curves of the likelihoods of the occurrence of PSH were analyzed using the log-rank test. Variables related to the occurrence of PSH were first analyzed with univariate analysis. Potential risk factors (p < 0.05) were then entered into a multivariable model using stepwise logistic regression to identify the independent predictors of the occurrence of PSH. Statistical significance was defined as a p value less than 0.05.