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Published on: January 7, 2019
Secondary repair of severe chronic fourth-degree perineal tear due to obstetric trauma
Elroy P Weledji1, Adolphe Elong2, Vincent Verla3
1Clinical Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon elroypat@yahoo.co.uk.
Obstetric injury is the commonest cause of anal incontinence. We report a case of anal incontinence as a result of severe chronic fourth-degree perineal tear secondary to birthing with complete disruption of the perineum. Secondary repair consisting of an anterior sphincter repair and levatorplasty in a poor resourced area rendered excellent immediate clinical result. The outcome of anterior sphincter repair following obstetric trauma is good but long-term follow-up is required because of the underlying complexity of obstetric injury. As prevention is not always possible, immediate recognition and adequate primary treatment is of importance.
Obstetric injury is the commonest cause of anal incontinence. We report a case of anal incontinence as a result of severe chronic fourth-degree perineal tear secondary to birthing with complete disruption of the perineum. Secondary repair consisting of an anterior sphincter repair and levatorplasty in a poor resourced area rendered excellent immediate clinical result. The outcome of anterior sphincter repair following obstetric trauma is good but long-term follow-up is required because of the underlying complexity of obstetric injury. As prevention is not always possible, immediate recognition and adequate primary treatment is of importance.
