Early and late anastomotic leak after colorectal surgery: A systematic review of the literature

The aim of this study was to review and to assess the quality of the scientific articles regarding early and late anastomotic leak (AL) after colorectal surgery and their risk factors. An electronic systematic search for articles on Colorectal Surgery, AL and its timing was undertaken using the MEDLINE database via PubMed, Cochrane and Embase. The selected articles were thoroughly reviewed and assessed for methodological quality using a validated methodology quality score (MINCIR score). This review was registered in the PROSPERO registry under ID: CRD42022303012. 9 articles were finally reviewed in relation to the topic of early and late anastomotic leak. There is a lack of consensus regarding the exact cut-off in time to define early and late anastomotic leak, but it is clear that they are two differentiated entities. The first, occurring in relation to technical factors; whereas the latter, is related to impaired healing.