title: Robot-assisted intersphincteric resection for rectal submucosal tumour.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rectal submucosal tumours are rare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of robot-assisted rectal surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who received robot-assisted intersphincteric resection (ISR) were included in the present study. Clinical outcomes, operating time, length of hospital stay and pathological status were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were three patients with gastrointestinal tumours and three patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumours. The mean operating time was 369.2 min and the estimated blood loss was 66.7 ml. There were neither intraoperative complications nor conversions. On pathological examination, the mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 10.3 (range 3-16), the mean distal resection margin was 1.1 (range 0.1-3) cm and all six patients had the circumferential resection margins clear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show that robotic surgery is feasible and safe, with no morbidity or mortality, and that ISR provides bowel continuity and eliminates the need for colostomy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Colorectal Surgery, Zhejiang University Jinhua Hospital, Jinhua, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jin-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wang Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.|Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Jen
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000473:pathology; D061646:Operative Time; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*
keywords: gastrointestinal tumour; intersphincteric resection; neuroendocrine tumour; rectum; robotic surgery; submucosal tumour