Background. Low anterior resection (LAR) is performed with increasing frequency for patients with carcinoma of the lower third of the rectum. Our study compares the LAR and abdominoperineal excision (APE) results in patientswith carcinoma of the lower third of the rectum. Patients and methods.In the period from 1.1.1989 to 31.12.1995 116 patients with carcinoma of tlže lower third of the rectum underwent potentially curative resection. Five-years survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis. Patients who died within 30 days after operations were censored. Differences in survival curves between both groups were assessed by the log rank test. Results. We performed LAR in 44 of 116 (37,9%) patients and APE in 53 of 116 (45,7%). In the lower third of the rectum in 52 out of 116 (44,8%) patients wepreserved the sphincter (LAR, local excision). The patients were divided according to the type of operation by the Dukes classification: LAR (A11/44 25%; B16/44 36,4%; C17/44 38,6%), APE (Al2/53 22,6%; B17/53 32,1%; 624/53 45,3%). Five-year survival rate for patients with Dukes B and C tumors in the lower third of the rectum is 25% for LAR and 53% for APE. There was no statisticaly significant difference of survival curves between the two operations (pž,20458, Log rank). We analyzed our results with regard to positive lymphatic glands: LAR (N1 15,9%; N2 25%; N3 11,4%); APE (Nl 18,9%; N222,6%; N3 0%). Lymphatic spread was found in 23 of 44 (52,3%) of the patients with LAR and in 22 of 53 41,5% of the patients with APE. Anastomotic leakage became clinically manifest in 8 out of 44 patients (18,2%). All the patients required relaparatomy and were treated with temporary loop colostomy.Conclusion. We performed LAR (52,3%) in a higher percentage of patients with lymphatic dissemination than APE (41,5%). Thus the difference infiveyear survival rate is not surprising: LAR (25%), APE (53%).

The scientific program "Surgery of the Heart and Blood Vessels" consists of two main theme - "Experimental and Clinical Research in Micro-vascular Surgery" and "Experimental surgery". The first theme consists of three works: (1) "Comparison between Arterial, Venous and Aloplastic Microvascular Grafts",(2) "Anatomy of Skin, Fascial and Muscular Vascularisation for Plicrovascular Transfer", (3) "Burns and Burns Shock: Evaluation of Burns Shock Fluid Therapy in the First 48 hours in the Years 1983 - 1985. All three works represent a continuation of previously started research and will continue in the next year. 'The only exception is the work "Burns and the burns shock" which ends. The final report will be published as a paper shortly. The work done in the year 1990 is presented together with the bibliography. The main theme "Experimental Surgery" consists of the following works: 1. Liver Traraplantaticn 2. Pancreas Transplantation 3. Use of the biologically Acceptable Skin in Extensive Burns 4. Experimental Acute Pancreatitis (in rats). The work planned fcr the year 1990 ha.s been fullfiled. The results of the experimental work on animals have been successfully transfered into the clinical practice (first pancreas transplant in Yugoslavia - Repše et al.). Presented are the data about the research in 1990.