The Surgical Anatomy of the Colorectal Intramural Blood Supply

Abstract

An experimental angiology study of 12 surgical colorectal specimens resected from 12 patients with colorectal malignancies in a prefixed state (panoramic view) and after fixation (cross-sectional views taken at 5 different segmental levels) was conducted in Newmarket General Hospital over a 6 month period. The angiology films were analysed quantitatively in order to study the surgical anatomy of the intramural blood supply with the aim of determining whether the arteriolar anastomotic pattern was variable, possibly making one part more suitable for anastomosis than others. The results revealed no difference in intramural vasculature at different lev els and the selection of any segment for colorectal anastomosis should be gov erned, so far as the blood supply is concerned, by the adequacy of the extramural circulation.