Drainage smell and peritonitis are efficient indicators of anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic rectal cancer resection

Objective Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a frequent complication after laparoscopic rectal cancer resection (LRCR). The main objective of the present study was to identify accurate indicators of AL after LRCR. Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed of 185 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer between March 2012 and February 2017 at Beijing Friendship Hospital. Potential indicators of AL were examined via univariate and multivariate analyses. The performance of multivariate analysis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The overall AL rate was 17.84%. Multivariate analysis identified drainage smell (odds ratio [OR = 35.318, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.114 to 175.338) and peritonitis [OR = 17.475, 95% CI = 1.540 to 198.318) as independent indicators of AL. The area under the ROC curve was 0.720 (95% CI = 0.606 to 0.835). Conclusion Drainage smell and peritonitis could be reliable and accurate indicators of AL after LRCR.