ArticleFrontiers in surgery2026
Anatomy and surgical planes of the pelvic cavity based on the peritoneum retreat theory.
Article in Frontiers in surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Several studies have described the structure of the pelvic cavity; however, there is still confusion about the optimal dissection plane of rectal surgery. The aim of this study was to clarify the anatomical structures of the pelvic cavity and identify the correct surgical plane for rectal cancer based on the peritoneum retreat theory. Methods: Surgical videos of 29 male patients who underwent laparoscopic operations for rectal cancer were reviewed to identify the anatomical structures of the mesorectum and its surrounding fasciae. Schematic diagrams and sectional illustrations of the pelvic cavity were generated to illustrate its anatomical structures. Results: The general anatomy of the pelvic cavity could be divided into three layers (pelvic wall, urogenital system, and rectum) and two interlayers (transversalis fascia and extraperitoneal fascia). The urogenital system layer was an independent viaduct-like structure sandwiched between the pelvic wall and the rectum. The rectosacral fascia was the lower part of the urogenital system layer and was separated from the fascia propria of the rectum by the junction of transversalis fascia and extraperitoneal fascia at the level of S3/4 vertebrae. Posterolateral to the upper rectum, the presacral fascia and posterior renal fascia defined the presacral space, while the anterior renal fascia (also called Gerota's fascia/prehypogastric nerve fascia) and the fascia propria of the rectum defined the retrorectal space. Behind the lower rectum, the presacral fascia and the fascia propria of the rectum defined the supralevator space. Denonvilliers' fascia in front of the rectum was continuous with the pre-hypogastric nerve fascia. Denonvilliers' fascia and the fascia propria of the rectum in the front defined the prerectal space. Conclusion: The rectosacral fascia is continuous with the urogenital system layer and not directly connected to the posterior rectal wall. The retrorectal, supralevator, and prerectal spaces form the correct surgical plane for mesenteric-based rectal surgery by operating within the extraperitoneal fascia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.