Hartmann's operation

A proctosigmoidectomy or Hartmann's procedure is the surgical resection of the rectosigmoid colon with closure of the rectal stump and formation of an end colostomy. It was used to treat colon cancer or inflammation (proctosigmoiditis, proctitis, diverticulitis, etc). Currently, its use is limited to emergency surgery when immediate anastomosis is not possible, or more rarely it is used palliatively in patients with colorectal tumours. The procedure was first described in 1921 by French surgeon Henri Albert Hartmann. The original two-paragraph article in French together with an English translation by Thomas Pézier and a modern commentary is available. 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.