Clinical results of transanal endoscopic microsurgery.

Using the "transanal endoscopic microsurgery" technique, 140 patients were treated at the Department of Surgery in Cologne and Mainz. Of the patients with adenomas, 68.2% had typical symptoms preoperatively. The postoperative hospital attendance was 8.7 days, with an average resection size of 14.4 cm2. The postoperative complication rate was 5%, and there were no deaths related to the technique. In a prospective controlled trial, 2.2% of the patients with adenomas treated endoscopically in Mainz showed recidivation, requiring reoperation. The follow-up rate was 100%. In 30 cases, microscopic examination revealed carcinoma. Radical reoperation in 8 pT1 tumours showed neither remaining tumour nor lymph node metastases. Twelve patients with pT1 carcinoma treated by local surgery alone were recurrence-free with an average follow-up period of 12.3 months. So far, there have been no late results.