Pelvic sidewall dissection with combined resection of the internal iliac vessels is an important procedure that is sometimes required in advanced pelvic surgery [1][2][3]. However, it is a technically demanding procedure because of the complex anatomy of the iliac vessels, especially the iliac vein, in relation to the surrounding structures. Here, we demonstrate our method of laparoscopic pelvic sidewall dissection combined with resection of the distal internal iliac.We present a video of laparoscopic pelvic sidewall dissection for recurrent rectal cancer following laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection (APR). The patient was a 66-year-old man with a body mass index (BMI) of 23.5 kg/m 2 . He had local recurrence of rectal cancer at the left pelvic sidewall. Five ports were used ( Fig. 1). After the isolation of the ureter, dissection along the pelvic sidewall was started. Then, the anterior compartment containing the obturator nodes was dissected from the lateral side of the vesicohypogastric fascia [4,5]. A dissectible layer between the pedicle of the internal iliac vessels and the sciatic plexus/piriformis muscle was entered from the lateral side, and the internal iliac vessels were mobilized toward the midline. Sufficient mobilization of the internal iliac vessels facilitates safe isolation and division of the vessels while avoiding injury to the sacral nerves posteriorly. The neurovascular bundle was divided at the side of the prostate, and lastly, the inferior gluteal and pudendal vessels were divided at the inferior sciatic foremen using an endoscopic linear stapler and the specimen was extracted.We performed pelvic sidewall dissection with combined resection of internal iliac vessels for local recurrence of rectal cancer on three patients (one male and two females). One patient underwent combined APR resection of the rectum. No patient had a medical comorbidity. Median (range) values for age, BMI, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss in this series were 67 (51-69) years, 22.1 (20.1-23.5) kg/m 2 , 322 (294-614) min, and 92 (0-152) g, respectively. Pathological examination revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma with negative margins. There were no deaths and no major (Cgrade 3 of the Clavien-Dindo classification) intraoperative or postoperative complications. No patient had motor or urinary dysfunction. Two patients had recurrence (liver and peritoneal).Our technique of laparoscopic pelvic sidewall dissection combined with resection of iliac vessels appears to be safe, and we believe that the patients benefit from the minimally invasive approach.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (