Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic effect of total mesorectal excision in radical operation of rectal carcinoma.
Methods:From 1997 to 2007,126 consecutive patients with middle and inferior rectal carcinoma underwent surgical operation according to the principle of total mesorectal excision.
Results:Two patients （1.6%） died of postoperative pulmonary infection, and postoperative anastomotic leakage occurred in 2 cases (1.6%). The postoperative follow-up of 1-5 years showed that local recurrence rate 2 years after surgical operation was 4%(5/126), the 3-, 5-year survival rate was 93.6%（116/124） and 84.7%（105/124）, respectively.
Conclusions:Total mesorectal excision can decrease the frequency of postoperative local recurrence of rectal cancer without increasing complications as long as its correct indications are selected.