Evidence of negative pressure therapy for anastomotic leak: a systematic review.

Included studies suggest that 60-100% of ALs heal with endoluminal negative pressure therapy. However, results from this review need to be interpreted with caution because of the variable definition of success. A more objective assessment of success may be stoma closure but this is only reported in 60% of studies. Further studies are needed to assess the benefit of negative pressure therapy in anastomotic leaks.