Rectal prolapse

Rectal prolapse occurs when the rectum becomes stretched out and protrudes from the anus. It causes discomfort to the patient with a feeling of a mass lesion protruding from the anal canal whenever the patient goes for defecation. It can be treated in the following ways:

1. Laparoscopic mesh rectopexy: It is a keyhole surgery, which involves a little cut just below the umbilicus (belly button) and two other small cuts on the right side of the tummy. The operation will be performed under general anaesthetic. This means that you will be asleep for the entire procedure. A mesh is fixed to the rectum so that it prevents the rectum from prolapsing into the anal canal.
2. Altemier’s procedure: Altemeier’s procedure is one of the well-known perineal operations to treat full-thickness rectal prolapse; it removes the prolapse by a partial reconstruction of the pouch of Douglas. This procedure is done from the perineal approach ( bottom) and involves removal of the prolapsed segment and anastomosis.