Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is still a common operation in patients with tumours less than 6 cm from the anal verge. The perineal phase of APR is a difficult part of the operation, often done with the patient in the supine position.The risk of inadvertent bowel perforation is high, the resulting specimen frequently has a waist at the lower border of the mesorectum, and the circumferential resection margin (CRM) is often close to the rectal muscle tube. The cylindrical APR may be performed via an extended posterior perineal approach, that aims to create a more cylindrical specimen without a waist. The potential benefit of this technique is a reduction in the risk of bowel perforation and tumour involvement of the CRM, and thus in the risk of local recurrence.