Description

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is a less invasive way to remove benign or malignant tumors from the rectum. Patients with small, early malignant tumors are candidates for TEM as are patients with benign tumors of any kind. As with all minimally invasive procedures, the advantage to the patient is the avoidance of a major wound and thus a quicker return to normal activities following surgery. Another benefit is that the need for a colostomy following TEM is rare whereas it is indicated more frequently after traditional procedures. TEM techniques have been around for a while (Buess published the first report of over 500 cases in 1999), but colorectal surgeons wanted proof that this approach would have favorable long-term outcomes for removal of malignant tumors. Data presented at the Society for Surgical Oncology meeting in March 2005 confirmed that TEM is a safe choice even with cancerous lesions, and now surgeons around the world want to learn these less invasive techniques. Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery is the first book on the topic and covers everything: patient selection, operative approaches, oncologic results, and evidence-based comparisons to traditional approaches.