Transanal drainage tube for the prevention of anastomotic leakage in anterior resection for rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the ability of the transanal drainage tube (TDT) to prevent anastomotic leakage (AL) and provide clinicians with the latest evidence in this area. Materials and methods: We search for relevant studies according to a search strategy. Data extracted from the study were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results: Fourteen eligible studies were included in our meta-analysis. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that patients with TDT placement have a lower incidence of AL than those without TDT placement (6% vs. 9.1%) (RR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.73, P < 0.00001). However, pooled results from RCTs suggest that TDT does not appear to reduce the incidence of AL in patients (6.4% vs. 8%) (RR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.52, 1.18, P = 0.24). In addition, the results of the meta-analysis suggest that TDT appears to reduce patient reoperation rates (2.6% vs. 5.8%) (RR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.27, 0.54, P < 0.00001). Conclusions: The results of the RCTs suggest that TDT placement does not reduce the AL rate in patients, however, it is undeniable that the placement of TDT does provide patients with some clinical benefits (such as reduced reoperation rates).