Clinical observation of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on postoperative ileus after laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer

doi:10.4251/wjgo.124433

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World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology

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1948-5204

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2026; 18(10): 124433
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.124433

Clinical observation of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on postoperative ileus after laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer

Xiao Zhong, Si-Guang Lin, Da-Ya Zhang, Ping-Ping Li, Fei-Hu Bai

Xiao Zhong, Si-Guang Lin, Da-Ya Zhang, Ping-Ping Li, Fei-Hu Bai, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 570216, Hainan Province, China

Co-first authors: Xiao Zhong and Si-Guang Lin.

Author contributions: Zhong X, Lin SG, Zhang DY, Li PP, and Bai FH drafted the manuscript; Zhong X, Lin SG, Zhang DY, and Li PP designed the study, collected data, and performed statistical analysis; Zhong X and Lin SG recruited participants, and they contributed equally to this manuscript as co-first authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

AI contribution statement: We used DeepL Translator solely for language polishing and translation from Chinese to English. No generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) was used to generate, rewrite, or conceive any scientific content, methodology, results, or conclusions. AI was not involved in study design, data analysis, result interpretation, or image creation. All authors take full responsibility for the originality and accuracy of the manuscript.

Supported by Verification and Reward Funds for the 2025 Hainan Flexible Talent Introduction and Innovation Platform Performance Assessment; the Academic Improvement Support Program of Hainan Medical University, No. XSTS2025001 and No. XSTS2026051; Funded Project of the 2026 Undergraduate Scientific Research and Innovation Training Program, Hainan Medical University, No. RZ2600001129; the National Clinical Key Specialty Capacity Building Project, No. 202330; Hainan Provincial Education Reform Project, No. hnjg2024-67; and the Joint Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of Health Commission of Hainan Province, No. SQ2023WSJK0301.

Institutional review board statement: The protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Second Hospital of Hainan Medical University (approval No. 2026-K102-01) and performed per Helsinki’s Declaration.

Clinical trial registration statement: This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.

Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.

Data sharing statement: The datasets used and/or analyzed in this study can be reasonably obtained from the corresponding author.

Corresponding author: Fei-Hu Bai, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, No. 368 Yehai Avenue, Longhua District, Haikou 570216, Hainan Province, China. hy214654@muhn.edu.cn

Received: June 15, 2026
Revised: July 23, 2026
Accepted: August 26, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 99 Days and 5.7 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Postoperative ileus (POI) commonly complicates recovery after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TEA) may promote gastrointestinal motility, but its role in this setting is unclear.

AIM

To evaluated the efficacy and safety of TEA for POI in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in Hainan.

METHODS

This prospective study included 100 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer in the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, from December 2025 to March 2026. Among them, 50 patients who received TEA combined with routine postoperative care were assigned to the experimental group, while 50 patients who underwent the same surgical procedure and received routine nursing care and prokinetic therapy without TEA were assigned to the control group. Baseline characteristics, time to first flatus, time to first defecation, time to liquid diet intake, drainage tube removal time, postoperative length of hospital stay, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) scores, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at different time points, and sleep VAS scores were compared between the two groups. The incidence of postoperative gastrointestinal complications and TEA-related adverse reactions was also recorded to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TEA in the management of POI after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in sex, age, disease characteristics, or other baseline variables between the experimental and control groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, patients in the experimental group had significantly shorter time to first flatus, time to first defecation, time to liquid diet intake, drainage tube removal time, and postoperative length of hospital stay, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). The PONV score at 24 hours after surgery was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the PONV score at 48 hours after surgery (P > 0.05). Pain VAS scores at 12 hours and 24 hours after surgery were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05), while no significant difference was found at 48 hours after surgery (P > 0.05). In addition, sleep VAS scores at 24 hours and 48 hours after surgery were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Although the incidence of postoperative gastrointestinal symptoms did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05), the experimental group showed a numerically lower incidence, suggesting a potential improvement trend. During TEA intervention, only two patients developed mild local skin redness, and no serious adverse reactions, such as skin burns, allergic reactions, or dizziness, were observed. The symptoms resolved spontaneously after discontinuation of the intervention, indicating good overall safety.

CONCLUSION

TEA may effectively promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function, alleviate POI, and shorten postoperative hospital stay in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer in Hainan. It may also reduce early PONV, relieve early postoperative pain, and improve postoperative sleep quality. This intervention is simple to perform, safe, and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse reactions observed. Therefore, TEA may have clinical application value as an adjunctive perioperative rehabilitation strategy for patients with colorectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery.

Keywords: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; Colorectal cancer; Laparoscopic surgery; Postoperative ileus; Hainan area

Core Tip: This prospective study confirms that transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation effectively promotes gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery, shortening flatus/defecation time and hospital stay, reducing early postoperative nausea, vomiting and pain, improving sleep quality with good safety, providing a non-invasive rehabilitation strategy for patients in Hainan.