An innovative and convenient technique to reduce anastomotic leakage after double stapling anastomosis: laparoscopic demucositized suture the overlapping point of the "dog ear" area.

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality in the treatment of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate an innovative and convenient technique of laparoscopic demucositized suture the overlapping point of the "dog ear" area after the double stapling anastomosis (lds-DSA), as an improved alternative for conventional DSA, and whether it could reduce the AL rate in laparoscopic anterior resection (Lapa-AR). Between January 2018 and December 2020, a total of 245 patients who underwent Lapa-AR for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon or rectal cancer were divided into the lsd-DSA group (n = 99) and the DSA group (n = 146). Data were analyzed retrospectively. Morbidity, AL rate and other perioperative outcomes were compared between the two groups. Patient demographics, preoperative comorbidity, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, tumor size, stage, and other operative details were comparable between the two groups. There was no difference in surgical time between the two groups (196.41 ± 76.71 vs. 182.39 ± 49.10 min, p = 0.088). The overall complication rate was also without a difference (11/99, 11.11% vs. 21/146, 14.38%, p = 0.456), but AL rate significantly lower in the lsd-DSA group than in the DSA group (2/99, 2.02% vs. 12/146, 8.22%, p = 0.040). For other perioperative outcomes, the lsd-DSA group shortened the total and postoperative hospital stay, and the time to pull out drainage tube than in the DSA group. Our comparative study demonstrates lds-DSA to have a better short-term outcome in reducing AL compared with DSA. This technique could be an alternative approach to maximize the patients' benefit in Lapa-AR.