Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is the culmination of major developments
in rectal cancer management and minimally invasive surgery. This surgical breakthrough
holds great promise and excitement for the care of the rectal cancer patient. We would
be remiss in discussing taTME to not acknowledge the role of transanal abdominal transanal
proctosigmoidectomy, transanal endoluminal microsurgery, laparoscopy, and natural
orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery that got us to this modern day explosion of
the taTME approach. In this article, we detail and explain the convergence of these
disparate experiences, how they culminated in the development of the taTME, and explore
future directions in this field.
Keywords
rectal cancer - transanal abdominal transanal proctosigmoidectomy - transanal total
mesorectal excision - natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery - minimally
invasive surgery - transanal minimally invasive surgery - transanal endoluminal microsurgery
- intersphincteric resection - total mesorectal excision