[Transanal staplermucosectomy for symptomatic rectocele with outlet obstruction]

Between 1.1.2001 and 30.6.2002 n = 52 female patients with symptomatic isolated anterior rectocele underwent transanal staplermucosectomy. All of them were suffering from outlet obstruction. In addition 9 patients complained incontinence grade I and n = 1 incontinence grade III. Complete colonoscopy, defecography and combined anal manometry with needle EMG were carried out preoperativly for exclusion of synchronous pathological findings. Sphinctermanometry showed a significant lower preoperative resting pressure (p < 0.01, t-test ) of 77.0 +/- 21.0 cm H (2)O in comparison to a normal collective. Surgical procedure consisted in a modified staplerresection of the rectocele area with tightening of the anterior rectal wall. No intraoperative complications occurred and outlet obstruction disappeared in all patients. Further investigations have to be performed to show long-term effects of this procedure.