Increased Leak Rates Following Stapled Versus Handsewn Ileocolic Anastomosis in Patients with Right-Sided Colon Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Data on anastomotic leak rates after stapled versus handsewn ileocolic anastomosis are conflicting. In a Cochrane review, the combined estimate favored the stapled technique, but recent cohort studies demonstrated a 2-fold increase in anastomotic leak with the stapled approach.The purpose of this study was to investigate anastomotic leak rates following stapled versus handsewn ileocolic anastomosis.This was a nationwide, retrospective cohort study.Data were obtained from the Danish Colorectal Cancer Group and National Patient Registry databases.Danish patients, ≥18 years of age, undergoing right hemicolectomy for a first-time diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in the right colon with primary anastomosis between October 2014 and December 2015 were included.The primary outcome was anastomotic leak rate. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality. Covariates included demographics, comorbidity, tumor stage, and surgical variables. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching were used to adjust for confounding.The 1414 patients included 391 (28%) in the stapled group and 1023 (72%) in the handsewn group. Forty-five patients (3.2%) developed anastomotic leak: 21 of 391 (5.4%) and 24 of 1023 (2.4%) in the stapled and handsewn group (p = 0.004). This difference was confirmed in multivariable analysis (adjusted OR, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.53-5.53; p0.001), and after propensity score matching (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.24-4.67; p = 0.009). Thirty-day mortality was 15.6% (7/45) and 2.1% (29/1369) in patients with and without anastomotic leak (p0.001), with no difference between the stapled and handsewn approach.The study's design was retrospective, with no information on allocation to the stapled or handsewn approach.The present study demonstrated a 2-fold increase in anastomotic leak after stapled versus handsewn ileocolic anastomoses. Previous opinions on the optimal anastomosis technique for colon cancer should be scrutinized given the devastating short-term outcome of anastomotic leak. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A819.