Surgical complications after different therapeutic approaches for locally advanced rectal cancer

Table 1 Definition of postoperative surgical complications (during admission and 30 d thereafter)

	Definition
Anastomotic leakage	Any gas or feces collection around the anastomosis after low anterior resection in the drainage tubes; clinical suspicion confirmed by surgery
Perineal wound complications	Perineal wound dehiscence and wound necrosis after abdominoperineal resection resulting from infection
Ileus	Absence of bowel sounds or defecation after 5 d following surgery
Bleeding	Gastrointestinal or abdominal hemorrhage, decrease in hemoglobin level directly after surgery treated conservatively with blood transfusion or by reintervention
Intra-abdominal abscess	Any intra-abdominal fluid collection unrelated to the anastomosis or perineal wound
Abdominal wound complications	Fascial dehiscence, superficial wound infection
Urological complications	Ureter leakage, urinary incontinence, ureter stenosis
Intestinal necrosis	Caused by bowel ischemia
Gastrointestinal perforation	Intestinal contents discharge from abdominal cavity; clinical suspicion confirmed by surgery
Intravenous line infection	Fever, chills and increase in leukocyte count, excluding other infections; the symptoms disappear after removing the intravenous line
Stoma complications	Stoma necrosis, stoma infection, parastomal hernia
General complications	Cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological events