title: Pelvic floor reconstruction after major cancer surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many surgical techniques to keep the small intestine out of the pelvis after cancer surgery have been developed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used part of the ileum and its mesentery sutured around the linea terminalis in ten patients who underwent surgery for rectal or gynecologic carcinomas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All imaging studies of our patients on the tenth postoperative day confirmed the position of the bowel above the pelvis. Four of ten patients had radiation treatment postoperatively without any problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of the ileum to reconstruct the pelvic floor seems to be a simple and efficacious technique to keep the pelvic area free. We believe this warrants further investigation in a larger number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, University of Athens, Aretaeio Hospital, Greece.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Voros
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fragoulidis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Theodosopoulos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mavrantonis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Samanidis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papavasiliou
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000637:transplantation*; D008643:Mesentery / Q000637:transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D017773:Pelvic Floor / Q000601:surgery*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*