Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition - Caring for Clients With Disorders of the Lower Gastrointestinal Tract Related

Review Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition - Caring for Clients With Disorders of the Lower Gastrointestinal Tract related questions and content

A client is diagnosed with colon cancer, located in the lower third of the rectum. What does the nurse understand will be the surgical treatment option for this client?

  • A. Colectomy
  • B. Segmental resection
  • C. Abdominoperineal resection
  • D. A low colectomy
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: A cancerous mass in the lower third of the rectum will result in an abdominoperineal resection with a wide excision of the rectum and the creation of a sigmoid colostomy. An encapsulated colorectal tumor may be removed without taking away surrounding healthy tissue. This type of tumor, however, may call for partial or complete surgical removal of the colon (colectomy). Occasionally, the tumor causes a partial or complete bowel obstruction. If the tumor is in the colon and upper third of the rectum, a segmental resection is performed. In this procedure, the surgeon removes the cancerous portion of the colon and rejoins the remaining portions of the GI tract to restore normal intestinal continuity.