Hatmann's Procedure

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Hartmann's Procedure

Hartmann's operation is the surgical resection of the rectosigmoid colon with closure of the rectal stump and colostomy. It was used to treat colon cancer or diverticulitis. These days its use is limited to emergency surgery when immediate anastomosis is not possible, or more rarely it is used palliatively in colorectal tumours.[1] The procedure was first described by Henri Hartmann in 1921.[2] The procedure is described in detail in his book, Chirurgie du Rectum, which was published in 1931 and constituted volume 8 of his Travaux de Chirurgie.[3]

The Hartmann's procedure with a proximal-end colostomy or ileostomy is the most common operation carried out by general surgeons for management of malignant obstruction of the distal colon. During this procedure, the lesion is removed, the distal bowel closed intraperitoneally, and the proximal bowel diverted with a stoma.

The indications for this procedure include:
a. Localized or generalized peritonitis caused by perforation of the bowel secondary to the cancer
b. Viable but injured proximal bowel that, in the opinion of the operating surgeon, precludes safe anastomosis.

Use of the Hartmann's procedure has been associated with a low perioperative mortality of 9%, but at the cost of a colostomy that, in up to two-thirds of patients, is never reversed.

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