Transanal Surgery: From Local Excision to More Complex Procedures

Gustavo L. Rossi, MD, MASCRS

Over the last few decades, the transanal approach has adopted a central role for the management of many different clinical scenarios in the field of rectal surgery. These ones are represented mainly by rectal-sparing procedures, transanal proctectomies, and, recently, by the transanal management of certain postoperative complications.

The adoption of this surgical strategy requires the recognition of many different aspects of this useful technique, as surgical skills, technical resources, and learning curve. But more importantly, is to have and dominate the clinical criteria to guide the decision-making process, based on the best and updated data.

Recently, one of the issues of this journal was entirely dedicated to transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. On this 2022 volume, we aimed to offer a wider view of the transanal approach, delivering not only the best quality of information mainly focused on transanal local excisions but also discussing the indications of transanal proctectomy for benign diseases, certain concerns regarding transanal total mesorectal excision, and even the management of postoperative pelvic complications transanally.

For this purpose, we put together a group of truly key opinion leaders in the field of transanal surgery, and even more in every specific topic of their articles. I really hope that this compendium of specifically selected topics contributes to deepen the knowledge of the readership, allowing them to incorporate this technique in a progressive and safe way.

I am extremely grateful to all the contributors of this issue for the time and effort, to provide the best quality evidence based on the personal experience, especially in light of the world's events over these past few years. And finally, I am tremendously grateful to the editor-in-chief, Dr. Scott Steele, for the opportunity of guest edit this Clinics of Colon and Rectal Surgery issue.

Publication History

Article published online:
28 February 2022