Transanal minimally invasive surgery: an initial experience.

Background: Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) is a novel approach used for the resection of rectal lesions. The purpose of this study was to review our initial experience with TAMIS.

Methods: Between March 2012 and May 2012, we collected clinical data on patients who underwent the TAMIS procedure. This included patient demographics, tumour characteristics, operative technique, histological results and post-operative outcomes.

Results: Three patients successfully underwent TAMIS resection of rectal lesions. All tumours were tubulovillous adenomas with high-grade dysplasia, with one also having a small focus of adenocarcinoma. Clear margins were achieved in all cases. One case was complicated by a post-operative bleed, requiring a return to theatre.

Conclusions: TAMIS is a feasible and cost-effective alternative to transanal endoscopic microsurgery for resection of rectal lesions. It may have a shorter learning curve, especially for laparoscopic surgeons already proficient in single-port procedures.