ObjectiveThis study aimed to discuss the risk factors associated with the delay reversal ileostomy following sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer.MethodsClinical data were collected retrospectively on 130 consecutive patients undergoing defunctioning ileostomy following sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer, between January 2014 and December 2014 in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. According to the reversal time of ileostomy, the patients were divided into two groups, including the delay reversal ileostomy group (≥120 d, n=72) and the normal ileostomy group (<120 d, n=58).ResultsOne hundred and thirty patients were studied (median time to reversal 132 d, range 39–692 d). Logistic regression model showed that adjuvant chemotherapy (OR=14.106, P=0.002), distance of tumor from the anal verge (OR=0.019, P=0.002), and anastomotic leakage (OR=32.440, P=0.001) were significant independent risk factors for delayed reversal. Time to reversal was significantly longer in those patients who had adjuvant chemotherapy, anastomotic leakage, and short distance of tumor from the anal verge.ConclusionAdjuvant chemotherapy, short distance of tumor from the anal verge, and anastomotic leakage are the independent risk factors for delay reversal ileostomy following sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer.