A Clinical Trial Comparing Staged Turnbull-Cutait Pull-through Anastomosis With Direct Anastomosis Plus Prophylactic Ileostomy in the Treatment of Low Rectal Cancer After Internal Sphincter Resection

Summary

This study targets patients undergoing ultra-low rectal cancer surgery, which requires internal sphincter resection for sphincter-saving procedures. The study compares the staged Turnbull-Cutait Pull-through anastomosis (a delayed transanal pull-through anastomosis without a protective stoma) as the experimental group with traditional anastomosis (hand-sewn/stapled) plus protective ileostomy as the control group. The aim is to assess whether the Turnbull-Cutait Pull-through colon-anal anastomosis is non-inferior to traditional ISR surgery in terms of complications (short-term such as anastomotic leakage/dehiscence, pelvic infection, anastomotic bleeding, ischemic bowel necrosis, bowel obstruction, and long-term complications such as anastomotic stricture, perianastomotic fistula, bowel obstruction, stoma-related complications, and others), postoperative anal function, quality of life, long-term oncologic outcomes, hospital stay duration, and total hospitalization costs.

Conditions

• Rectal Cancer
• Rectal Carcinoma

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Delayed transanal pull-through anastomosis

Laparoscopic surgery is recommended. A standard 5-port method is used to create pneumoperitoneum after placing the trocar. The sigmoid colon and upper rectal mesentery are dissected along Toldt's fascia. Autonomic nerves should be preserved, and high ligation of the inferior mesenteric vessels with lymph node dissection is recommended. TME: Using a posterior-to-anterior approach, the mesorectal plane is dissected down to the pelvic floor, cutting the Waldeyer's fascia to enter the intersphincteric space, where sharp dissection is carried out toward the levator ani muscle hiatus. The dissection endpoint is the dentate line, where the proximal colon is exteriorized by at least 2 cm and sutured to the anal canal with 6-8 stitches, without a protective ileostomy.Two to four weeks after the first surgery, after the colon has adhered well to the surrounding tissue, the exteriorized colon is excised (under epidural or spinal anesthesia, trimming the exteriorized colon to form the anus).

PROCEDURE

Direct Anastomosis Plus Prophylactic Ileostomy

ISR is categorized into partial ISR (PISR), subtotal ISR, and total ISR (TISR). Correspondingly, the anastomosis site after coloanal anastomosis is located below the levator ani hiatus (PISR, near the dentate line; subtotal-ISR and TISR, below the dentate line).The dissection steps are the same as in the first stage of the Staged Turnbull-Cutait Pull-through Anastomosis group (TME and intersphincteric space dissection).The bowel is transected at least 1 cm below the tumor, leaving a larger segment of healthy tissue on the non-tumor side while ensuring that no more than 1/3 of the dentate line is resected to avoid impairing fecal control.Anastomosis is performed using absorbable sutures under direct visualization. A protective ileostomy is created 25-30 cm from the ileocecal valve.3 to 6 months after surgery, the ileostomy is reversed. Prior to closure, digital rectal examination, defecography, MRI, colonoscopy, and other evaluation must perform.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ezhou Central Hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Jingzhou Central Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Taihe Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Hubei University of Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• Qilu Hospital of Shandong University

  collaborator OTHER

• Beijing Chao Yang Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Tianmen First People's Hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Xiangyang Central Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• First People's Hospital of Xianyang

  collaborator OTHER

• Central Hospital of Xiaogan

  collaborator OTHER

• Yichang Central People's Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Yichang Second People's Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Rocket Force Special Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Huashan Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Zhongnan Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Congqing Jiang, MD, PhD · Department of colorectal and anal surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-05-08

Primary Completion

2026-05-30

Completion

2029-12-30

Countries

• China

Study Locations