Abstract: Objective To explore the safety and short-term efficacy of intestinal stent combined with elective surgery for elderly patients with left colorectal cancer and acute intestinal obstruction. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 elderly patients with left colorectal cancer and acute intestinal obstruction who underwent surgery at Department of General Surgery, Beijing Fengtai You’anmen Hospital form December 2021 to October 2024. Based on the treatment approach, the patients were divided into two groups. The observation group (n=34) underwent intestinal stenting as a bridge to elective surgery, and the control group (n=41) underwent direct emergency surgery. The perioperative clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable (P>0.05). No perioperative death or anastomotic leakage was observed in both groups. The observation group showed superior outcomes compared to the control group in surgical duration, surgical approach, lymph node dissection count, colostomy rate, prophylactic ileostomy rate, and complications incidence (P<0.05). The total hospitalization cost was significantly higher in the observation group than that in the control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in intraoperative blood loss and postoperative feeding time (P>0.05). Conclusions For elderly patients with left colorectal cancer and acute intestinal obstruction, intestinal stent combined with time-limited surgery can shorten the surgical duration, increase the laparoscopic operation opportunity, reduce the colostomy rate, and improve the quality of life of the patients. The short-term efficacy is significant, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Key words: intestinal stent, aged, left colorectal cancer, acute intestinal obstruction, elective surgery, emergency operation