Pelvic peritoneal reconstruction using the bladder peritoneum flap in a patient with radiation-induced small intestinal fistula

Abstract

Postoperative pelvic peritoneal defects and pelvic residual cavity after rectal cancer surgery are prone to cause related surgical complications, such as intestinal obstruction, hernia, and infection. If the intestines in the abdominal cavity prolapse into the pelvic cavity, the incidence of radiation enteritis related to postoperative radiotherapy may increase. Pelvic peritoneal reconstruction can help reduce the occurrence of the phenomena mentioned above, but the success rate of pelvic peritoneal reconstruction under complex conditions is usually not high. Our team treated a patient with rectal cancer who had undergone comprehensive treatment, including abdominoperineal resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. The patient presented with a small intestinal fistula and pelvic infection at the time of consultation and might receive radiotherapy subsequently. Our team performed pelvic peritoneal reconstruction using the bladder peritoneum flap in this patient and achieved good short-term surgical outcomes.

Keywords

• rectal cancer
• abdominoperineal resection
• chemotherapy
• radiotherapy
• small intestinal fistula
• pelvic peritoneal reconstruction
• bladder peritoneum flap