Improved colorectal anastomotic leakage healing by transanal rinsing treatment after endoscopic vacuum therapy using a novel patient-applied rinsing catheter.

Purpose: Anastomotic or stump leakage is a common and serious complication of colorectal surgery. The objective of this study was to retrospectively investigate the clinical use and potential benefit of transanal rinsing treatment (TRT) using an innovative rinsing catheter (RC) after treatment with endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT).

Methods: Patients with leakage after low colorectal surgery who had been treated with EVT were retrospectively analyzed. A subset of patients was trained to perform TRT with a specially developed RC. We investigated the rate of complete healing of the leakage, septic complications, failure of the therapy, surgical revisions, ostomy closure rate, and complications related to endoscopic therapy.

Results: Between February 2007 and January 2014, 98 patients with local complications after low colorectal surgery, treated with EVT, were identified. Eighty-nine patients were analyzed (the treatment of nine patients was stopped due to medical or technical problems): 31 patients were treated with EVT only (EVT group) and 58 patients with EVT followed by TRT (EVT/TRT group). Complete healing of the leakage was significantly better in the EVT/TRT group [84% vs. 58% (p < 0.009)], and significantly fewer septic complications needing surgical revision were detected [3% vs. 11% (p = 0.001)]. No significant differences regarding endoscopy-related complications and ostomy closure were found between EVT and EVT/TRT patients.

Conclusions: The use of patient-administered TRT with an innovative, customized RC after EVT is technically feasible and reliable and significantly improves therapeutic results. Further prospective trials with larger patient groups are needed to validate the results of our study.