What're the treatments for rectal prolapse?
In infants, conservative treatment, consisting of strapping the buttocks together between bowel movements and eliminating any causes of bowel straining, usually produces a spontaneous resolution of prolapse. For partial prolapse in adults,
excess tissue is surgically tied off with special bands causing the tissue to wither in a few days.
Complete prolapse requires surgery. Different surgical techniques are used, but all involve anchoring the rectum to other parts of the body, and using plastic mesh to reinforce and support the rectum. In patients too old, or ill, to tolerate surgery, a wire or plastic loop can be inserted to hold the sphincter closed and prevent prolapse. Treatment should be undertaken as soon as prolapse is diagnosed, since the longer the condition exists, the more difficult it is to reverse.
For people who are too weak to undergo surgery because of extreme old age or poor health, surgery to the rectum is preferred to surgery to the abdomen. One type of surgery to the rectum is performed by inserting a wire or plastic loop to encircle the sphincter in a technique called the Thiersch procedure. Alternatively, a segment of the rectum or the excess lining of the rectum may be cut out (excised).
Alternative therapies can act as support for conventional threatment, especially if surgery is required. Acupuncture, homeopathy, and botanical medicine can all be used to assist in resolution of the prolapse or in recovery from surgery. |
