BACKGROUND:The use of the Heald anal stent (Basingstoke Surgical Technology Ltd, Pinner, UK) has been described previously in the successful therapeutic decompression of the rectum following a leaking ileorectal anastomosis. The novel technique of using the Heald stent to drain a pelvic collection following ultra low Hartmann's operation is presented.TECHNIQUE:The Heald anal stent (Fig 1) can be used to drain pelvic collections on the ward after any surgery that leaves a short rectal stump. The stent is inserted through the rectal cross-staples after the instillation of local anaesthetic gel. After several days, once drainage is complete, the stent is removed painlessly.
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