Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of single-layer suturing technique in preventive terminal ileostomy. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 142 patients who underwent laparoscopic anterior resection and preventive terminal ileostomy from January 2016 to June 2023, excluding 2 patients who did not undergo stoma reversal. The patients were divided into an observation group （single-layer suturing, 70 cases） and a control group （traditional suturing, 70 cases） based on the surgical methods. The observation indicators encompassed patients' general clinical characteristics, the time of stoma surgery （excluding the time for rectal cancer surgery）, stoma-related complications （e.g. stoma stenosis, dermatitis, parastomal hernia, separation, prolapse, retraction, and necrosis）, time to stoma closure, the degree of intra-abdominal adhesions, and postoperative complications after stoma reversal （e.g. incision infection, incisional hernia, and intestinal obstruction）. Results There were no significant differences in baseline data between the two groups （P>0.05）. The stoma suturing time, reversal operation time, and time to stoma closure in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group （P<0.05）. The degree of intra-abdominal adhesions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group （P<0.05）. However, there were no statistical differences between the two groups in the comparison of stoma related complications, incision infection, and intestinal obstruction after stoma reversal surgery （P>0.05）. The incidence of postoperative incisional hernia in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion Compared with traditional suturing methods, the single-layer suturing technique can effectively shorten the stoma suturing and reversal operation time in rectal cancer anterior resection, and reduce the occurrence of intra-abdominal adhesions.

Key words: Low rectal cancer, Preventive terminal ileostomy, Single-layer suturing method, Traditional suturing method