Surgical procedures of the anus for rectal malignancies are amongst the most difficult procedures within abdominal surgery. Especially when the tumor is located in the middle and distal third of the rectum and the surgeons aim to conduct a sphincter- saving procedure, the pre-operative diagnostics is a pre-requisite for a successful treatment. The authors aim to inform the medical community on a non-traditional and rarely used examination method of the anorectal angle prior to surgical procedures of the rectal carcinomas.

        Key words: carcinoma of the rectum – preoperative examination – examination of the anorectal angle