Pelvic fat volume reduction with preoperative very low energy diet (VLED): implications for rectal cancer surgery in the obese

ConclusionsVery low energy diets result in a clinically significant reduction in mesorectal fat with a lesser change in total pelvic fat, suggesting that very low energy diets may be useful for preparation for pelvic surgery in the obese. The distance from S1 to the posterior rectum correlates well with mesorectal reduction, making this a valuable clinical tool when volumetric analysis is not possible.  This analysis is limited to the quantification of the effect of the diet and cannot comment on the safety of this approach before pelvic cancer surgery.
Source: Techniques in Coloproctology - Category: Surgery Source Type: research