Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Xiaozhui mixture on improving postoperative defecation function of rectal cancer. Methods A total of 60 patients who received laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of Rizhao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2020 to June 2022 and met the inclusion criteria were selected and divided into two groups by random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was instructed to perform bowel function exercise. The observation group performed defecation function exercise, and was given the traditional Chinese medicine Xiaozhui mixture orally, 50m1 each time, twice a day, orally after meals, for 15 consecutive days as a course of treatment, half a month of rest for the next course of treatment, 3 courses of continuous application. The defecation function scores and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were compared between the two groups before treatment, 1 month after treatment, 3 months after treatment and 5 months after treatment; Results There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics (gender, age, height and pathological stage) between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in AST and ALT between the two groups before and after treatment (1, 3, 5 months)(P>0.05);The defecation score of the observation group was significantly different from that of the control group 1 month and 3 months after treatment , there was statistical significance (P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups 5 months after treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion The traditional Chinese medicine Xiaozhui mixture can obviously improve the postoperative defecation dysfunction, and the safety is good, worthy of clinical application.

Key words: rectal neoplasm, low anterier resection syndrom, Xiaozhui mixture, defecation function