Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS)
Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is also known as anterior resection syndrome. It’s a collection of bowel symptoms that can happen after surgery to remove all or part of your rectum. These symptoms are long term and can impact your daily life.
You may be more likely to have LARS if you’ve had a low anterior resection, rather than a high anterior resection. Most people will have some of the symptoms of LARS after this type of surgery, but they’re not always severe. Having radiotherapy or chemotherapy can also increase the chances of having these symptoms.
Symptoms of LARS may include:
- needing to empty your bowels more often (frequency)
- passing small amounts of poo frequently (clustering or fragmentation)
- not being able to empty your bowels completely (incomplete evacuation)
- loose and runny poo (diarrhoea)
- an urgent need to empty your bowels (urgency)
- leaking poo or not making it to the toilet in time (faecal incontinence)
- being unable to tell the difference between wind and poo
- increased wind
- a feeling of needing to go to the toilet but not passing anything (tenesmus)
- hard, dry poo which is difficult to pass (constipation)
- pain in your bottom on passing poo
LARS can be more of a problem at some times than others. Living with LARS can be frustrating as it can affect your daily life and activities.
Sometimes people are not comfortable being far from a toilet. You can get tired if you’re having to go to the toilet during the night. It can affect your return to work and working life, your social life and your sex life. It’s important for your healthcare team to work with you to find the best way to manage your symptoms.
Finding out if you have LARS
Let your healthcare team know if you have any of the symptoms listed above. They should ask you questions to find out if you have LARS so that they can start treating it quickly.
Some people develop symptoms after they have completed their hospital follow-ups. This means you might need to contact your GP or hospital team outside of your planned appointments. Your GP may not have experience of recognising and managing LARS, so you might need to ask for a referral back to your hospital team.
Treating LARS
Your GP or hospital team should work with you to find ways to manage your symptoms and regain bowel control.
Finding what works for you often comes down to trying different options, as the causes and symptoms of LARS vary for different people. Introduce changes step-by-step to see what works best and ask your healthcare team for more support if you need it.
Page reviewed January 2025