Local recurrence following anterior resection for carcinoma of the rectum with a stapled anastomosis.

Forty-four patients underwent an anterior resection for carcinoma of the rectum using the EEA stapling device. After a two-year follow-up period, two patients had developed a local recurrence alone, and four a local recurrence in the presence of disseminated disease. These were compared to a group of 108 patients with carcinoma of the rectum who had an anterior resection with a hand-sewn anastomosis. There was no difference in the incidence of local recurrence between the two groups.