External rectal prolapse:abdominal or perineal repair for men?A retrospective cohort study

Background:External rectal prolapse is a relatively rare disease,in which male patients account for a minority.The selection of abdominal repair or perineal repair for male patients has rarely been investigated.Methods:Fifty-one male patients receiving abdominal repair(laparoscopic ventral rectopexy)or perineal repair(Delorme or Altemeier procedures)at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University(Guangzhou,China)between March 2013 and September 2019 were retrospectively analysed.We compared the recurrence,complication rate,post-operative defecation disorder,length of stay,and quality of life between the abdominal and perineal groups.Results:Of the 51 patients,45 had a complete follow-up,with a median of 48.5 months(range,22.8–101.8 months).A total of 35 patients were under age 40 years.The complication rate associated with abdominal repair was less than that associated with perineal repair(0%vs 20.7%,P=0.031)and the recurrence rate was also lower(9.5%vs 41.7%,P=0.018).Multivariate analysis showed that perineal repair(odds ratio,9.827;95%confidence interval,1.296–74.50;P=0.027)might be a risk factor for recurrence.Moreover,only perineal repair significantly improved post-operative constipation status(preoperative vs post-operative,72.4%vs 25.0%,P=0.001).There was no reported mortality in either of the groups.No patient’s sexual function was affected by the surgery.Conclusions:Both surgical approaches were safe in men.Compared with perineal repair,the complication rate and recurrence rate for abdominal repair were lower.However,perineal repair was better able to correct constipation.

Stapled Trans-Anal Rectal Resection (STARR) for Obstructive Defecation Syndrome—Functional Outcome and Quality of Life after Two Years

Background: Stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) has been shown to improve patients’ functional and quality of life outcomes in several studies. Although it is a safe and effective treatment for obstructive defecation syndrome, still data on long-term follow-up are missing. Methods: From January 2010 to July 2014, 46 consecutive patients undergoing STARR using the CONTOUR&reg TRANSTAR&#8482 device, shortly named TRANSTAR (transanal stapler assisted resection), were prospectively followed. Recurrence rate, quality of life (Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life (PAC-Qol)) and complication were documented at baseline, 12 and 24 months after operation. Two subgroups of patients were compared to assess the impact of resection length on outcome. Results: We included 46 patients (89% female) in the study. The mean age was 65 ± 16 years and the duration of the operation was 48 ± 4 min. Total PAC-QoL score improved from 2.0 (SD 0.3) to 0.9 (1.4) after 12 months, but deteriorated to 1.2 (0.3) after 24 months (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). Complications were noted in 7% of the patients: Urinary retention (2 patients), postoperative bleeding (1 patient). No major complications or mortality were seen. After one year, we had one prolapse recurrence and after 24 month we had another. There was no significant relation between the length of the specimen and the improvement of life quality. Conclusions: The STARR procedure seems to be a safe and fast therapeutic option for patients with ODS and/or rectal prolapse. It is a tailored transanal full-thickness rectal resection improving the patients’ quality of life still two years after the operation.