Restorative resection: coloanal anastomosis for benign and malignant disease.

Sixteen patients underwent anterior resection and coloanal anastomosis between October 1984 and September 1987. Indications included adenocarcinoma of the low rectum in 9, villous tumor in 2, carcinoid tumor in 1, radiation proctitis in 1, adult onset Hirschprung's disease in 1, rectourethral fistula in 1, and megarectum in 1. There was no in-hospital mortality and no anastomotic dehiscence.

Sensitivity of hemoccult testing in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

This paper is a retrospective study of 100 sequentially selected cases of colorectal carcinoma treated at The Roosevelt Hospital between 1978 and 1983. In 44 of these patients, the admitting physical digital rectal examination was hemoccult-negative (HN). This group of patients showed no significant difference in tumor location, stage, size, or in presenting symptoms when compared with the 56 patients who were found to be hemoccult-positive (HP).

The use of water-soluble contrast enemas in the diagnosis of acute lower left quadrant peritonitis.

The traditional work-up of patients with lower left quadrant peritonitis often includes the eventual use of barium-enema radiography. Diagnosis is usually delayed until adequate patient stabilization allows diagnostic contrast enemas. Delay of accurate diagnosis may, at times, have serious clinical sequelae.

Perineal abscess eight years after total proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.

Total proctocolectomy following surgery for ulcerative colitis and carcinoma may be associated with difficulty in healing of the perineal wound. The presentation of delayed abscesses may be insidious in nature and present a diagnostic dilemma. We present a patient with delayed abscess eight years following total proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.