Preoperative Colonoscopic Tattooing with Autologous Blood in Laparoscopic Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Red-Flagging for an Invisible Enemy

In patients with early colorectal cancer, intraoperative localization of the target lesion is troublesome. Several strategies have also been studied for the preoperative localization of colorectal tumors. These include CT colonography, endoscopic metal clipping, endoscopic tattooing, and intraoperative colonoscopy. On the other hand, preoperative tattooing can lead to technical failure for effective tattooing or result in intraperitoneal complications. To minimize these adverse events, several studies performed tattooing with the patient's blood.