[Morphological and enzymatic studies of the supratumoral distended colonic loop in colorectal cancers (therapeutic aspects)].

The authors carried out experimental and clinical studies in an attempt to explain the causes leading to anastomotic dehiscences, a major complication of exeresis surgery of the left colon and of the rectum. In this view they have performed in dogs incomplete stenoses at the level of the sigmoid and also made parallel studies of the morphological and histochemical changes occuring in the supra-stenosis colon wall, with those of the supra-tumoral colon wall found in human colo-rectal carcinomas, in the "sub-occlusion" stage. Histological alterations are presented, characterized by marked edema in all the layers of the wall, leading to evidently hampered colon vascularization. From the enzymological viewpoint there was noted an intensive phosphatasic and ATP-ase reaction in all the layers of the colon wall. These studies led to the conclusion that it is necessary to evaluate the degree and the duration of the supra-tumoral colic distension before a decision is taken to carry out primary colectomy or rectal resection (single-step procedure), and not to avoid the practice of a seriated intervention when necessary. The reversibility of the lesions noted by the authors allows for the possibility to perform a resection after the colic wall to be anastomosed has returned to an almost normal condition, thus avoiding the dehiscence of the sutures.