Rectal prolapse is a disease in which the rectum protrudes from the anal cavity. Procidentia is a medical condition of entire rectal prolapse. It may or may not involve any symptoms, however, most of the people suffering from rectal prolapse can experience mucous discharge, obstructed defecation symptom along with fecal inconsistence and rectal bleeding are the most common.

Though the pathology behind it is quite complex, doctors performing laparoscopic rectopexy in Varanasi found a correlation between rectal prolapse with having chronic constipation, multiple pregnancies, being female, pelvic floor disorder, previous pelvic surgery and certain neurological disorders. Though it can occur at any stage, the elderly women are more susceptible to get it. Even if having a rectal prolapse is not life threatening, its symptom can affect the quality of life significantly.

There are mainly three types of rectal prolapse, which is as follows-

• Complete or full thickness rectal prolapse- in which all three layers of rectal walls get protrudes from the anal canal.

• Mucosal or partial thickness rectal prolapse- protrusion of the mucosal layer of the rectum through the anal canal

• Internal rectal prolapse- inward-protrusion of the rectum into the anal canal

Use of medicine or following any diet does very little to correct rectal prolapse. Thus, surgical repair remains the only way to cure it. Most of the external prolapse can be cured successfully. Sadly the same cannot be stated for internal prolapse cases, because it is harder to detect and more difficult to treat.

There are three approaches to rectal prolapse surgery-

Repair through abdomen- By making a small incision through the abdomen, the surgeon extracts the rectum back inside the anal canal. It is then secured in its place with the help of a mesh. In case the patient suffers from chronic constipation, the surgeon may also remove a portion of the colon.

Laparoscopic rectal prolapse- Like the previous one, laparoscopic rectopexy in Varanasi is also executed through the abdomen. However, instead of a single large incision, this method employs 4-5 incisions and special equipment to carry out this procedure. With emerging technologies, robotic assistance is also employed these days, for better accuracy and precision.

Rectal prolapse through the region surrounding anus- This procedure is carried out through the anus, where the surgeon retracted the rectum and attach it to the colon. This is usually done for the patients, who are not considered ideal for open or laparoscopic repair.