BACKGROUND: Many surgical techniques to keep the small intestine out of
the pelvis after cancer surgery have been developed. METHODS: We used
part of the ileum and its mesentery sutured around the linea terminalis
in ten patients who underwent surgery for rectal or gynecologic
carcinomas. RESULTS: All imaging studies of our patients on the tenth
postoperative day confirmed the position of the bowel above the pelvis.
Four of ten patients had radiation treatment postoperatively without any
problems. CONCLUSION: Use of the ileum to reconstruct the pelvic floor
seems to be a simple and efficacious technique to keep the pelvic area
free. We believe this warrants further investigation in a larger number
of patients
