Outcome of anterior sphincter repair for obstetric injury: comparison of early and late results.

Introduction: Fecal incontinence is commonly caused by structural sphincter damage secondary to obstetric trauma. Anterior sphincter repair achieves reasonable early improvement rates of between 69 and 97 percent. Few series have reported long-term results.

Toward lowering morbidity, mortality, and stoma formation in emergency colorectal surgery: the role of specialization.

Introduction: Surgical management of left-sided large bowel emergencies has been evolving toward single-staged procedures. Selection for single or staged resection remains the most controversial issue.

Methods: The results from a series of 336 emergency colorectal procedures performed between January 1990 and December 2000 for cancer and diverticular disease by two different surgical units in one hospital are reported: one with a specific interest in colorectal surgery, and one specialized in upper gastrointestinal surgery.