ABCRS Exam Information and Outline
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (Part 1)
ABCRS Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official ABCRS exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by ABCRS. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
1. Anatomy and Physiology - Gastrointestinal Anatomy - Colon anatomy - Rectal anatomy - Anal canal anatomy - Perianal anatomy - Pelvic floor anatomy - Mesorectum - Mesentery - Sphincter complex - Levator ani muscles - Dentate line - Peritoneal reflection - Blood supply of colon and rectum - Lymphatic drainage pathways - Autonomic innervation - Pudendal nerve anatomy - Presacral space - Physiology - Colonic motility - Defecation physiology - Continence mechanisms - Pelvic floor physiology - Water and electrolyte absorption - Rectal compliance - Sensory function of anorectum - Gastrointestinal transit - Sphincter physiology - Anorectal manometry concepts 2. Benign Anorectal Disease - Hemorrhoidal Disease - Internal hemorrhoids - External hemorrhoids - Thrombosed hemorrhoids - Rubber band ligation - Hemorrhoidectomy - Stapled hemorrhoidopexy - Doppler guided hemorrhoidal artery ligation - Anal Fissure - Acute fissure - Chronic fissure - Sentinel pile - Internal sphincter hypertonicity - Lateral internal sphincterotomy - Topical nitroglycerin - Calcium channel blocker therapy - Anal Abscess and Fistula - Cryptoglandular infection - Perianal abscess - Ischiorectal abscess - Supralevator abscess - Fistulotomy - Seton placement - Fibrin glue - Advancement flap - LIFT procedure - Horseshoe fistula - Goodsall rule - Pilonidal Disease - Pilonidal sinus - Pilonidal abscess - Marsupialization - Flap procedures - Other Anorectal Conditions - Pruritus ani - Anal stenosis - Rectovaginal fistula - Rectourethral fistula - Anal pain syndromes - Proctalgia fugax - Levator ani syndrome 3. Colorectal Neoplasia and Oncology - Colorectal Cancer - Adenocarcinoma - TNM staging - AJCC staging - Tumor markers - CEA - Neoadjuvant therapy - Adjuvant chemotherapy - Total mesorectal excision - Oncologic margins - Lymph node harvest - Metastatic disease - Hepatic metastases - Pulmonary metastases - Local recurrence - Polyps and Polyposis Syndromes - Adenomatous polyp - Serrated polyp - Villous adenoma - Tubular adenoma - Dysplasia - Familial adenomatous polyposis - Gardner syndrome - Turcot syndrome - Lynch syndrome - Juvenile polyposis - Peutz Jeghers syndrome - Screening and Surveillance - Colonoscopy surveillance - FIT testing - Flexible sigmoidoscopy - CT colonography - Screening guidelines - High risk screening 4. Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Ulcerative Colitis - Pancolitis - Fulminant colitis - Toxic megacolon - Dysplasia surveillance - Restorative proctocolectomy - Ileal pouch anal anastomosis - Crohn Disease - Fistulizing disease - Stricturing disease - Perianal Crohn disease - Biologic therapy - Immunomodulators - Bowel preservation strategies - Medical Therapies - Corticosteroids - Mesalamine - Thiopurines - Anti TNF agents - Integrin inhibitors - JAK inhibitors 5. Diverticular Disease - Diverticulosis - Acute diverticulitis - Complicated diverticulitis - Hinchey classification - Colovesical fistula - Abscess drainage - Hartmann procedure - Elective colectomy - Anastomotic leak 6. Pelvic Floor Disorders - Functional Disorders - Fecal incontinence - Constipation - Obstructed defecation syndrome - Rectal prolapse - Rectocele - Enterocele - Dyssynergic defecation - Diagnostic Studies - Defecography - Endoanal ultrasound - MRI pelvis - Pudendal nerve testing - Balloon expulsion test - Colon transit studies - Treatments - Sacral nerve stimulation - Biofeedback therapy - Ventral rectopexy - Perineal procedures 7. Endoscopy and Diagnostic Procedures - Colonoscopy - Screening colonoscopy - Therapeutic colonoscopy - Polypectomy - Endoscopic mucosal resection - Endoscopic submucosal dissection - Colonoscopic complications - Flexible Sigmoidoscopy - Indications - Technique - Biopsy interpretation - Anoscopy and Proctoscopy - Office procedures - Visualization techniques - Imaging and Diagnostics - CT abdomen pelvis - MRI rectum - PET scan - Contrast studies - Endorectal ultrasound 8. Surgical Procedures and Techniques - Colon Surgery - Right hemicolectomy - Left colectomy - Sigmoid colectomy - Low anterior resection - Abdominoperineal resection - Total colectomy - Proctocolectomy - Minimally Invasive Surgery - Laparoscopic colectomy - Robotic colorectal surgery - Hand assisted laparoscopy - Enhanced recovery protocols - Anastomosis Concepts - Stapled anastomosis - Hand sewn anastomosis - Anastomotic leak - Diversion ileostomy - Colostomy creation - Stoma Management - Ileostomy - Loop colostomy - End colostomy - Stoma complications - Parastomal hernia 9. Trauma and Emergency Surgery - Colonic trauma - Rectal trauma - Penetrating abdominal trauma - Blunt trauma - Damage control surgery - Peritonitis - Ischemic colitis - Volvulus - Bowel obstruction - Perforation management - Toxic megacolon 10. Perioperative Management - Preoperative Care - Risk assessment - Bowel preparation - Antibiotic prophylaxis - Venous thromboembolism prevention - Nutritional optimization - Postoperative Care - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) - Fluid management - Pain control - Postoperative ileus - Surgical site infection - Anastomotic complications - Critical Care Concepts - Sepsis - Shock - Hemodynamic monitoring - ICU management 11. Pathology and Radiology - Pathology - Dysplasia grading - Tumor histology - Margin assessment - Molecular markers - MSI testing - KRAS and BRAF mutations - Radiology - CT staging - MRI rectal cancer staging - PET imaging - Contrast fluoroscopy - Pelvic MRI interpretation 12. Pediatric and Congenital Disorders - Hirschsprung disease - Imperforate anus - Congenital anorectal malformations - Pediatric polyposis syndromes 13. Ethics, Professionalism, and Patient Safety - Informed consent - Surgical ethics - Quality improvement - Patient safety - Morbidity and mortality review - Professional communication - Evidence based medicine - Healthcare systems - Clinical guidelines - Total mesorectal excision (TME) - Complete mesocolic excision (CME) - Anastomotic leak - Circumferential resection margin (CRM) - Diverting loop ileostomy - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) - Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) - Pelvic sepsis - Fecal diversion - Restorative proctocolectomy - Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) - Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) - Sacral nerve stimulation - Cytoreductive surgery - Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) - Watch and wait strategy - Neoadjuvant chemoradiation - Immunotherapy biomarkers - Microsatellite instability (MSI)