[Local excision of rectal tumors. Indications, preoperative diagnosis, surgical technique and results].

Between January 1986 and October 1991 255 patients with rectal tumors were treated by local excision. In 239 patients local excision was performed by transanal endoscopic microsurgery, 16 tumors were removed with the retractor developed by Parks. Operative mortality was 1% in 189 local removed adenomas, complications were observed in two patients (2.1%), local recurrences in seven patients (3.7%). 66 rectal carcinomas were treated by local excision (operative mortality 1%, complication rate 3%). In one of 28 local excised "low risk" T1-carcinomas a recurrence was observed. Five of eleven local treated patients with "high risk" tumors developed a recurrence. Endosonography was of utmost importance in preoperative staging of rectal tumors. Between June 1987 and October 1991 204 patients with rectal tumors (92 sessile adenomas, 30 T1-carcinomas and 82 advanced carcinomas) were examined preoperatively by endosonography. The diagnosis of an adenoma or a T1-carcinoma was made with a sensitivity of 0.9, although no differentiation was possible between adenomas and T1-carcinomas. Results of digital examination were comparable to endosonography, under condition that digital examination was complete. Insufficient information was obtained from the endosonographic detection of lymph-node metastatic spread.