The role of one-stage surgery in acute left-sided colonic obstruction

Background One-stage surgery with primary anastomosis is not widely accepted for acute leftsided colonic obstruction. Patients and Methods Forty-four patients representing our total admission for acute left-sided colonic obstruction over a 3-year period were evaluated with regard to their suitability for onestage surgery and primary anastomosis. Results Thirty-five patients (80%) were found to be suitable for this approach and the failures were mainly due to either the advanced nature of the malignant lesions or to their distal location, which precluded an anastomosis. The overall in-hospital mortality was 11%, but only 2 patients (6%) died in the one-stage surgery group, and these deaths were unrelated to anastomotic leakage. This latter complication occurred in 1 patient representing a leak rate of 3%. Conclusions