5 Benefits of Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery

As you can tell by the name of our practice — Fairfax Colon & Rectal Surgery — our team is dedicated to surgical solutions for all things colorectal. Not only do we specialize in surgery, but we also pride ourselves on staying on the cutting edge of the latest techniques that benefit the health and quality of life of our patients. And transanal endoscopic microsurgery is a perfect example of this.

Your rectum — the five-inch tube that connects your colon to your anus — is a tricky surgical target. Not only is it small, but some important organs surround your rectum, and we want to minimize collateral damage as much as possible.

Thankfully, when we need to access your rectum to correct or remove something, the process has been made much easier on our patients thanks to our use of transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), which offers a few benefits we want to outline here.

What we use transanal endoscopic microsurgery to treat

Before we get into the benefits of TEM, let's take a quick look at some of the conditions we can treat with this advanced procedure.

To start, TEM is a great solution for tumors associated with rectal cancer. Each year in the United States, slightly more than 46,000 cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed, and, as with most cancers, our first priority is to remove the cancerous tissues. 

Outside of rectal cancer, we can also use TEM to remedy:

• Noncancerous tumors and polyps in your rectum
• Anal fistulas
• Rectal prolapse
• Narrowing in your rectum (strictures)
•  

As you can see, there are many uses for TEM, and we turn to the procedure regularly because it’s much easier for patients.

Why patients prefer transanal endoscopic microsurgery

Now let’s get into some of the benefits of TEM that we keep referring to, which include:

1. No open surgery

Traditionally, surgeons performed open surgery to access your rectum, which meant making large incisions in your abdomen. With TEM, we guide a rectoscope through your anus and into the rectum. Once in position, we can thread a camera and tools to perform whatever is necessary inside your rectum.

Because we’re not making a large incision and entering through your abdomen, there’s far less collateral damage with TEM.

2. Reduced risk of infection

Because we’re going in through an existing opening and not making large incisions, your risks for infection are greatly decreased.

3. Less pain

With no incisions and less collateral damage, the good news is that post-surgical discomfort related to the TEM procedure is minimal.

4. Less time in the hospital

No one likes to spend time in a hospital. Because the TEM procedure is less invasive and aggressive than open surgery, there’s a good chance that you won’t be spending much time in the hospital to recover.

5. Shorter recovery

All of the benefits we’ve outlined so far point toward the best benefit — shorter recovery time. You don’t want your life to be completely upended by rectal surgery and with our use of TEM,  we can keep the disruption to a minimum and greatly shorten your recovery time.

As you can see, TEM offers some great benefits, and we’re pleased to offer this innovative approach to rectal surgery to our patients.

If you have more questions about transanal endoscopic microsurgery, we invite you to contact one of our offices in Fairfax, Fair Oaks, Alexandria, Gainesville, Woodbridge, or Lansdowne, Virginia, to schedule a consultation.