Is mechanical bowel preparation really necessary for elective left sided colon and rectal surgery?

The value of mechanical bowel preparation for elective left sided colorectal surgery is debatable. This retrospective study evaluates the incidence of wound infection, wound dehiscence, abdominal/pelvic collections and anastomotic dehiscence between patients who received mechanical bowel preparation [MBP] (n = 61) and those who did not (n = 75). The case notes of 136 consecutive patients undergoing elective left sided colorectal surgery over a three year period in a district general hospital were reviewed. The incidence of infective and anastomotic complications between the two groups was not significantly different. There were two post-operative deaths, both in patients receiving MBP. We therefore conclude that the role of MBP in the era of systemic antibiotics must be questioned. A prospective randomised multicenter trial recruiting an adequate number of patients undergoing elective left sided colorectal procedures would clarify this long standing debate. Note: Presented at the Spring Meeting of the Minnesota Surgical Society in Rochester, Minnesota, USA, May, 1996 and to the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), Seattle, Washington, June 1996, and published in abstract form in Diseases of the Colon and Rectum (1996) 39:A47.