Objective: To investigate the influence of defunctioning ileostomy on short-term quality of life (QOL) in patients after laparoscopic low anterior resection for low rectal cancer. Methods: By retrospective case-control design, 98 patients with low rectal cancer undergoing low anterior resection in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University from May 2015 to May 2016, who had complete clinical records were enrolled. Of the patients, 48 cases underwent defunctioning ileostomy following low anterior resection (ileostomy group) and 50 cases did not undergo defunctioning ileostomy (non-ileostomy group). The clinicopathologic data and the scores for postoperative low anterior resection syndrome and QOL between the two groups of patients were compared. Results: In ileostomy group, the number of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and patients with advanced pathological stage were higher than those in non-ileostomy group (both P<0.05). No statistical differences in incidence of anastomotic leakage, intraoperative blood loss, number of retrieved lymph nodes and length of postoperative hospital stay were noted between the two groups (all P>0.05). Despite of receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or not, the scores for low anterior resection syndrome in ileostomy group within one year after ileostomy reduction were significantly lower than those in non-ileostomy group within one year after surgery (all P<0.05). In terms of QOL, the scores for global health, physical functioning and emotional functioning at postoperative 3 and 6 months, the scores for social functioning and role functioning at postoperative 3 months, and scores for diarrhea half a year after operation in ileostomy group were significantly superior to those in non-ileostomy group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Defunctioning ileostomy can alleviate the severity of low anterior resection syndrome and improve postoperative short-term QOL in patients after laparoscopic low anterior resection for low rectal cancer.