Laparoscopic rectopexy

Abdominal rectopexy has been advocated as the treatment of choice for complete rectal prolapse. Recurrence rates are low raging from 0-12% and fecal continence has been documented to improve in 3-75% of patients. As most patients are elderly and not always fit enough to undergo abdominal procedure, various perineal approaches have been advocated. Depending on the type and extent of the operation, these procedures have a recurrence of up to 38%. Laparoscopic rectopexy represents the latest development in the evolution of surgical treatment of rectal prolapse. This technique aims to combine the good functional outcome of the open abdominal procedure with the low postoperative morbidity of minimal invasive surgery. We present a laparoscopic rectopexy on 72-year-old lady with a 10-year history of fecal incontinence and mucosal rectal prolapse. Electronic supplementary material is available for this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00464-006-0136-y.