title: Endoluminal vacuum therapy for anastomotic leaks after rectal surgery.
abstract: Anastomotic leakage after rectal surgery is a very serious complication and is the main cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality. We describe three cases of rectal leakage which we treated with endoscopic vacuum-assisted closure. We used the Endo-SPONGE (B. Braun Aesculap AG, Germany), which consists of an open-cell, cylindrical polyurethane sponge connected to a drainage tube which is linked to a vacuum system to exert constant suction. The possible role of this new tool in the management of anastomotic leaks is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Digestive, Colorectal and Minimal Invasive Surgery, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. alberto.arezzo@unito.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arezzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miegge
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garbarini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D057868:Anastomotic Leak / Q000628:therapy*; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015503:Surgical Sponges; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology