To investigate the clinical study of laparoscopic total mesangectomy (TME) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for middle and low rectal cancer with indentations anal tube.

Clinical data of 80 patients with medium-low rectal disease from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received nCRT before surgery and then underwent laparoscopic TME. 46 patients had anal catheter indwelling after surgery as the indwelling group, and 34 patients without postoperative anal catheter were selected as the traditional group strictly according to the matching principles of gender, age, body mass index (BMI), tumor diameter, distance from the lower tumor margin to the anus, degree of differentiation, and TNM stage.Data was processed by SPSS 22.0. Perioperative indicators, anal function and other measurement data were represented by (). Paired t test was performed for intra-group comparison and independent t test was performed for inter-group comparison. The statistical data of postoperative complications were represented by cases (%), χ² test, and row Rank Sum test of differentiation degree and anastomotic leakage grade. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

There was no significant difference in operation time, intraoperative blood loss and number of lymph nodes dissection between the two groups (P>0.05). Postoperative exhaust time, postoperative feeding time and postoperative hospital stay in indignant group were significantly shorter than those in traditional group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). The total incidence of anastomotic leakage (4.3%vs.23.5%) and its related complications (2.2%vs.17.6%) were significantly lower than those in the non-indwelling group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). Three months after surgery, scores of bowel intention, sensory function, control ability, defecation time and frequency of defecation in 2 groups were significantly higher than those before surgery, and scores of anal function in indenture group were significantly higher than those in traditional group, with statistical significance (P<0.05).

Anal catheterization after laparoscopic TME for middle and low rectal cancer after nCRT can effectively reduce the severity of postoperative anastomotic leakage, reduce the incidence of anastomose-related complications, effectively promote postoperative recovery of patients, and improve anal function, which is worth popularizing.