Detailed and applied anatomy for improved rectal cancer treatment.

Rectal anatomy is one of the most challenging concepts of visceral anatomy, even though currently there are more than 23,000 papers indexed in PubMed regarding this topic. Nonetheless, even though there is a plethora of information meant to assist clinicians to achieve a better practice, there is no universal understanding of its complexity. This in turn increases the morbidity rates due to iatrogenic causes, as mistakes that could be avoided are repeated.