Lessons learned from the Norwegian stoma trial

Tuesday, 1 December 2026, 4:30 pm

Lars Grønvold

Vestfold, NO

Lars Grønvold’s advocates for large-scale, prospective, multicentre data as they can clarify whether the benefits of anastomotic protection outweigh stoma-related morbidity and functional impairment, thereby enabling evidence-based surgical decision-making and patient counselling.

The reason: existing evidence is conflicted and often biased, with stomas potentially reducing leakage severity but introducing significant morbidity and LARS risk. The key message is to translate the trial’s findings into more consistent, evidence-based perioperative practice.

About Lars Grønvold

Lars Grønvold is a colorectal surgeon and researcher at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway, where he serves as principal investigator and lead author of the Norwegian Stoma Trial. His research focuses on surgical decision-making in rectal cancer reconstruction, particularly the trade-offs between diverting stoma use, anastomotic leakage risk, and long-term functional outcomes including Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) and health-related quality of life. Through this national, multicentre prospective cohort study, Grønvold aims to generate robust evidence to guide evidence-based counselling of patients facing reconstruction versus permanent colostomy options.

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