Urologic complications after operations for anorectal cancer, with an evaluation of preoperative intravenous pyelography.

Urologic complications arose in 23.7 per cent of 569 patients who underwent abdominoperineal or low anterior resection for anorectal cancer. No radomization of the two operations was attempted, low anterior resection being performed whenever resection 5 cm below the tumor was possible. Complications were more frequent after abdominoperineal resection and in men. Preoperative intravenous pyelography was performed in the cases of 541 of the patients, including 60 who underwent palliative colostomy. The pyelograms of 30 per cent of these patients were abnormal. The abnormalities were anatomic variations of the urinary tract in 25 per cent and urologic diseases in 75 per cent. None of the postoperative urologic complications was related to an abnormal preoperative pyelogram. No relation was found between the radicality of abdominoperineal and low anterior resection and the pyelographic signs of tumor involvement.