Objective To investigate the effect of lower ligation of inferior mesenteric artery in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer.Methods The clinical data of 85 patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer treated in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed.Divided into two groups according to the different mesenteric ligation sites during operation, 45 patients with low ligation of inferior mesenteric artery during operation were regarded as low group, and 40 patients with high ligation of inferior mesenteric artery during operation were regarded as high group.The number of intraoperative lymph node dissection, surgical operation index and recovery index, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups of patients;follow-up to December 31, 2019 and the 3-year cumulative survival rate of the two groups of patients were compared.Results There were no significant differences in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, total number of lymph node dissections, number of lymph node dissections at the third station, lymph node metastasis rate at the third station and 3-year cumulative survival rate between the two groups of patients (P>0.05).The exhaust time of the lower group was shorter than that of the high group, and the total incidence of postoperative complications was 4.44%, lower than that of the high group, accounting for 25.00%, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion The application of lower ligation of inferior mesenteric artery in laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer has the same survival rate and lymph node dissection as the high ligation of inferior mesenteric artery.However, lower ligation of inferior mesenteric artery can reduce the incidence of postoperative anastomotic leakage, which is highly safe and worthwhile application.