Surgical Department, General Hospital of Nea Ionia ‘‘Constantopoulion – Aghia Olga’’, Greece - Abstract
Anastomotic leakage is a dreadful complication of colorectal surgery, as it greatly increases the morbidity and mortality, irrespective of the type of anastomosis performed. It has also been associated with increased local recurrence in malignant cases and reduced survival. However, despite proper caution and excellent surgical technique, some anastomotic leaks are inevitable. The frequency of anastomotic leakage is high in certain circumstances, such as emergency colorectal surgery, resection of low rectal tumours and malnutrition. This report seeks to highlight the importance of two special risk factors in adult anastomotic healing and function, the impaired immune defense and the colonic and rectal neuronal malformations.