Laparoscopic Suture Rectopexy for Persistent Rectal Prolapse in Children: Is It a Safe and Effective First-Line Intervention?

BACKGROUND: Several techniques have been described for the surgical correction of rectal prolapse without any clear advantage for one technique over the other. We evaluated the use of laparoscopic suture rectopexy (LSRP) as a modality of treatment for rectal prolapse in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective data were collected for all children who presented to our center between 2011 and 2014 and required surgery for rectal prolapse. All children underwent LSRP with fixation of the mobilized rectum to the sacral promontory with multiple nonabsorbable sutures. The median follow-up period was 14 months (range, 6-29 months). The operative time, operative complications, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS: Seventy-four patients presented with rectal prolapse during this period. Twenty patients (27%) required LSRP. Their median age at surgery was 4.4 years (range, 2-11 years), median operative time was 77.5 minutes (range, 30-150 minutes), and the median length of hospital stay was 1 day (range, 1-4 days). Only 1 patient had full-thickness recurrence that required redo surgery, and another had mucosal prolapse, which spontaneously resolved.

CONCLUSIONS: LSRP is a safe and effective technique for treating children with full-thickness rectal prolapse with the benefits of being minimally invasive, a short hospital stay, early recovery, and low recurrence rate.