Surgical and postoperative evaluations of rectal adenomas excised with a rigid proctoscope

PURPOSE: This study presents the surgical and postoperative results achieved with a rigid proctoscope using the transanal endoscopic technique to excise rectal adenomas. The results are compared to the results obtained with other currently employed transanal techniques. METHODS: We investigated the medical records of patients who underwent transanal endoscopic operations from April 2000 to June 2018 at two tertiary referral centers for colorectal cancer. RESULTS: This study included 99 patients. The mean age was 65.3 ± 13.3 years. The average size of the adenomas was 4.6 ± 2.3 cm, and their average distance to the anal border was 5.6 ± 3.3 cm. The average operative time was 65.3 ± 41.7 min. In 48.5% of the operations, the specimen was fragmented, and in 59.6% of the cases, the microscopic margins were free. The rates of postoperative complications and relapse were 5% and 19%, respectively. The mean follow-up was 80 ± 61.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: The described proctoscope proved to be a viable technique with results similar to other techniques, with the advantage that it allowed greater accessibility for surgeons. Therefore, its use could be implemented and become widespread in surgical practice.