Rectal Surgery Evaluation Trial (RESET)

Several surgical techniques are used to perform TME. Dissection using open laparotomy and minimally-invasive laparoscopic or robot-assisted abdominal approaches is performed in a 'top-down' manner, where the instruments are inserted transabdominally and the procedure progresses from splenic flexure/sigmoid colon mobilization to rectal resection. A transanal approach may also be used, a 'bottom-up' procedure where instruments are inserted through the anus to perform rectal resection and TME