Several surgeons and researchers from the Cabrini Monash University Department of Surgery successfully presented new research findings and the latest in surgical technique advancements at the recent Royal Australian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress held in Brisbane 2 – 6 May 2016.

Cabrini surgeon Stephen Bell presented at this year’s international scientific congress with an overview of the equipment and techniques involved with the latest surgical procedure, trans-anal Total Mesorectal Excision. He also presented at the video session on “taTME – How I do it”. He was also invited faculty in the educational workshop on taTME, and course director of the workshop: “For Advanced Laparoscopic Solutions in Colorectal Resection Surgery”. Finally, he hosted a meeting for the surgeons and researchers involved in the ADIPOSe clinical trial, an Australian and New Zealand surgical trial investigating the benefits of weight loss prior to rectal cancer surgery in obese patients. 

Dr Simon Wilkins presented on a retrospective data review of patients who underwent a particular surgical resection technique (abdominoperineal resection, or APR). To help improve outcomes in cancer treatment, the APR standard technique has been purportedly superseded by a more radical extra-levator abdominoperineal excision (called ELAPE) while patients are in a prone position.

However, Dr Wilkins concluded that the data does not in fact provide justification for change in respect to the technique of APR and that the ELAPE technique is unnecessary. The positioning of a patient in the Lloyd-Davies or the left-lateral position is adequate.