An unusual pediatric case of chronic constipation and rectosigmoid prolapse diagnosed by video defecography

Laparoscopic Suture versus Mesh Rectopexy for the Treatment of Persistent Complete Rectal Prolapse in Children: A Comparative Randomized Study

Purpose

To compare laparoscopic mesh rectopexy with laparoscopic suture rectopexy. Patients and Methods. The prospective study was conducted at Pediatric Surgery Department, Al-Azhar University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt between Feb 2010 and Jan 2015. Seventy-eight children with persistent complete rectal prolapse were subjected to laparoscopic rectopexy. Fourteen parents refused to participate. All patients received initial conservative treatment for more than one year. The remaining 64 patients were randomized divided into two equal groups. Group A; 32 patients underwent laparoscopic mesh rectopexy and group B, 32 underwent laparoscopic suture rectopexy. The operative time, recurrence rate, post-operative constipation, and effect on fecal incontinence, were reported and evaluated for each group.

Results

Sixty-four cases presented with persistent complete rectal prolapse were the material of this study. They were 40 males and 24 females. Mean age at operation was 8 (5–12) years. All cases were completed laparoscopically. Mean operative time in laparoscopic suture rectopexy was shorter than laparoscopic mesh rectopexy group. No early post-operative complications were encountered. No cases of recurrence with mesh rectopexy group while in suture rectopexy group it was 4 cases (14.2%). Post-operative constipation occurred in one case (3.57%) in suture rectopexy group and occurred in one case (3.3%) in mesh rectopexy group. Fecal incontinence improved in 26/28 cases (92.8%) in suture rectopexy while in mesh rectopexy it was improved in 30/30 cases (100%) of cases.

Conclusion

Both laparoscopic mesh and suture rectopexy are feasible and reliable methods for the treatment of complete rectal prolapse in children. However, no recurrence, low incidence of constipation and high improvement of incontinence at follow up more than 36 months with mesh rectopexy accordingly, we considered mesh rectopexy to be the procedure of choice in treatment of complete rectal prolapse.

Dynamic defecography in the diagnosis of paediatric rectal prolapse and related disorders

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Paediatric rectal prolapse (RP) is rarely a diagnostic problem and resolves often spontaneously. We studied whether the assessment of recurrent RP (RP), postoperative relapsed RP (RRP) or anorectal discomfort without RP (ARD) benefits from dynamic defecography (DD) and describe DD findings in relation with outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifteen patients (7 males), median age of 10 (range 3.7-15) years, underwent 19 DD with a synchronic small bowel contrast study. Indications for DD were RP (n = 11), RD (n = 3) and RRP (n = 1). Three patients had solitary rectal ulcer and one juvenile rectal polyps (n = 1). Three patients underwent a total of four postoperative DD because of suspected relapse.

RESULTS

In 11 patients with a clinically diagnosed prolapse DD displayed a simple prolapse (n = 3), prolapse with enterocele (n = 1), prolapse with small bowel interposition (n = 1), rectal intussusception with anterior rectocele (n = 1) and rectal intussusception (n = 1) and no pathology (n = 4) (37 %). In four patients with ARD DD displayed rectal prolapse originating from sigmoid intussusception (n = 1), enterocele (n = 1) and anterior rectocele (n = 1) and no pathology in one. Median follow-up was 8.1(range 3.0-44) months. Ten patients underwent surgery. Three patients with RP underwent simple laparoscopic rectopexy, five with RP or RD with enterocele or anterior rectocele had rectopexy with anterior peritoneoplasty and two (RP n = 1, RRP n = 1) with sigmoid intussusception had sigmoid resection with rectopexy. Two symptomatic patients (RP, negative DD) are scheduled for rectopexy. Three patients PPRP (n = 2) RD (n = 1) had spontaneous cure. Postoperative DD confirmed relapsed RP in one patient.

CONCLUSION

In patients, RP and associated disorders' DD can disclose significant pathology (enterocele, rectocele or sigmoid intussusception) and thereby guide surgical treatment, and should be included in the pre-treatment assessment.