Anterior resection for the treatment of rectal prolapse: a 20-year experience

Between 1971 and 1991, 41 patients underwent anterior resection for the treatment of complete rectal prolapse. Anterior resection was performed after full rectal mobilization to the levator ani muscles with reanastomosis (39 hand-sewn and two stapled) carried out to peritonealized distal rectum. The 41 patients comprised 35 women and six men with an average age of 56 years (range, 7-88 years). Postoperative follow-up averaged 6 years (range, 6 months to 18 years). Three patients (7%) suffered recurrent prolapse in 2, 2.5, and 5.5 years, respectively. Mortality was 0 per cent; morbidity was 15 per cent including three incisional herniae, two small bowel obstructions, and one stroke. No pelvic sepsis, abscess, or anastomotic dehiscence occurred. Anal incontinence was a preoperative finding in 21 patients (51%) with rectal prolapse. Nineteen of these patients (90%) noted either improvement or no change in postoperative continence. Anterior resection is a familiar, frequently performed operation that does not require a foreign body or rectal suspension. We believe this to be the procedure of choice for patients with complete rectal prolapse. Anterior resection withstands long-term scrutiny both in terms of recurrence rate and associated complications.