Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS) in Qatar: initial experience

BACKGROUND: Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS) has revolutionized local excision of mid and high rectal lesions; benign or malignant. It is a technique that is developed as a hybrid between Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) and laparoscopic surgery for resection of rectal lesions. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data on patients who underwent TAMIS for benign and early malignant rectal lesions between Jan 2015 and Sept 2019, at Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. We assessed the following outcomes: feasibility, fragmentation of specimen, operative time, length of stay (LOS) post-operative complications, and margin negativity. RESULTS: Seventeen consecutive patients underwent TAMIS for benign and malignant rectal lesions. The average length of stay (LOS) is 1.5 days (1–6 days). Seven patients had different types of benign adenomas, five patients had proven adenocarcinoma, three patients had well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, one patient with hyperplastic polyp, and one patient had inflammatory polyp. No fragmentation occurred or detected by histopathologic examination, except in a patient who had inflammatory polyp, where the lesion removed in two fragments. CONCLUSION: TAMIS procedure is feasible and safe even in a relatively low-volume colorectal unit. Using this tool, many patients can avoid unnecessary radical surgery. Therefore, we believe that TAMIS should form part of every specialized colorectal service repertoire. To our knowledge, this is the largest series in the gulf region.