Surgeon Involvement in Preoperative Colorectal Tumor Localization

Excerpt

Accurate localization of colorectal tumors is essential for preoperative planning, providing information both for discussions with the patient and planning the surgical approach. In their article, “Correlation between preoperative endoscopic and intraoperative findings in localizing colorectal lesions,” Louis and colleagues report on the accuracy and, often, inaccuracy of preoperative colonoscopy in determining the correct tumor location [1]. They report on 400 cases, of which 12% showed a discrepancy between the colonoscopic impression and the actual tumor location documented at surgery. The fact that similar findings have been reported in the literature underscores the need to improve preoperative localization. …