Diagnostic Accuracy of Intraoperative Pelvic Autonomic Nerve Monitoring During Rectal Surgery: A Systematic Review

Alexander O'Connor*, Carla Rengifo, Ben Griffiths, Julie Cornish, Jim P Tiernand, Jim Khan, Joseph W Nunoo-Mensah, Karen Telford, Deena Harji

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose
Anorectal and urogenital dysfunction are common after rectal surgery and have a significant impact on quality of life. Intraoperative pelvic autonomic nerve monitoring (pIONM) has been proposed as a tool to identify patients at risk of these functional sequalae. This systematic review aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pIONM in detecting anorectal and urogenital dysfunction following rectal surgery.

Methods
A systematic review of articles published since 1990 was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies describing pIONM for rectal surgery and reporting anorectal or urogenital functional outcomes were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the QUADS-2 tool. The diagnostic accuracy of pIONM was established with pooled sensitivity and specificity alongside summary receiver operating characteristic curves.

Results
Twenty studies including 686 patients undergoing pIONM were identified, with seven of these studies including a control group. There was heterogeneity in the pIONM technique and reported outcome measures used. Results from five studies indicate pIONM may be able to predict postoperative anorectal (sensitivity 1.00 [95% CI: 0.03 – 1.00], specificity 0.98 [0.91 – 0.99]) and urinary (sensitivity 1.00 [95% CI: 0.03 – 1.00], specificity 0.99 [0.92 – 0.99]) dysfunction.

Conclusions
This review identifies the diagnostic accuracy of pIONM in detecting postoperative anorectal and urogenital dysfunction following rectal surgery. Further research is necessary before pIONM can be routinely used in clinical practice.
Original languageEnglish
JournalTechniques in Coloproctology
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Dec 2024

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