Scientific publications
Necrotizing fasciitis as a complication of late anastomotic leak after anterior resection for rectal cancer
Víctor Domínguez-Prieto 1 , Miguel León-Arellano 1 , Alicia Alvarellos-Pérez 1 , Mario Ortega-López 1 , Carlos Pastor 2
Background: Anastomotic leak is a serious complication of rectal cancer surgery that leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Its incidence is 3-21%, usually appearing 5-7 days after surgery, although there are cases of late presentation as chronic anastomotic fistulas or sinuses.
Case report: We present three cases of patients who underwent anterior resection for rectal cancer and developed necrotizing fasciitis due to late anastomotic leaks.
Conclusions: We believe that early and resolutive surgical treatment is recommended for chronic anastomotic fistulas or sinuses, even when asymptomatic, because of the associated risk of necrotizing fasciitis.
CITATION Cir Cir. 2021;89(S2):80-83. doi: 10.24875/CIRU.20001403
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