Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is the culmination of major developments in rectal cancer management and minimally invasive surgery. This surgical breakthrough holds great promise and excitement for the care of the rectal cancer patient. We would be remiss in discussing taTME to not acknowledge the role of transanal abdominal transanal proctosigmoidectomy, transanal endoluminal microsurgery, laparoscopy, and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery that got us to this modern day explosion of the taTME approach. In this article, we detail and explain the convergence of these disparate experiences, how they culminated in the development of the taTME, and explore future directions in this field.
Keywords: intersphincteric resection; minimally invasive surgery; natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery; rectal cancer; total mesorectal excision; transanal abdominal transanal proctosigmoidectomy; transanal endoluminal microsurgery; transanal minimally invasive surgery; transanal total mesorectal excision.
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