A prospective study of the length of the distal margin after low anterior resection for rectal cancer

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Abstract
The length of distal margin between the lower border of the tumour and the level of division during low anterior resection may be related to the rate of local recurrence. The method of measuring the distal clearance is not usually stated in reports of the operation. The distal margin was measured prospectively in 5 different ways in 20 patients. A difference was observed between various methods of measurement of the same specimen in situ, unpinned and pinned out before and after fixation. The margin was significantly less (pp<0.001) shrinkage occurred with fixation when the specimen had not been pinned.