Efficacy of transanal drainage tube placement in preventing anastomotic leakage after ileal pouch–anal anastomosis in patients with ulcerative colitis

Transanal drainage tube (TDT) is used to prevent anastomotic leakage after surgery for rectal cancer. However, it remains unclear whether intraoperative TDT placement is also useful in preventing anastomotic leakage after ileal pouch–anal or ileal pouch–anal canal anastomosis (IPAA) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative TDT placement in preventing anastomotic leakage after IPAA in patients with UC. Patients with UC who underwent proctectomy with IPAA in the study institution between January 2000 and December 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The relationship between TDT placement and anastomotic leakage was evaluated by logistic regression analysis. The study population included 168 patients. TDT was placed intraoperatively in 103 of the 168 patients (61.3