Treatment of the perineal wound after proctectomy by intermittent irrigation.

Between 1977 and 1983, 43 patients underwent proctectomy (40 patients for carcinoma, three for ulcerative colitis). The subsequent perineal wound received primary closure and the pelvic space was treated with intermittent irrigation and suction drainage using a double-lumen catheter. Primary healing of the perineal wound occurred in 56.4% of cases and in 89.7% of cases the perineal wound had healed completely by the sixth postoperative week. The relationships between perineal wound healing and the age and sex of the patient, the stage of the tumor, and the tumor distance from the anal verge were assessed. The period of hospitalization was significantly reduced when the perineal wound underwent primary healing. The results obtained in terms of wound healing are comparable with the best published results using continuous irrigation. Our method is advantageous in that it does not necessitate immobilization of the patient.