How is a rectocele surgery done?

Rectal prolapse surgery is performed abdominally either through a large incision or by laparoscopic methods, according to Mayo Clinic. It can also be performed through the perineum, the region around the anus. The procedure is used to treat stool leakage, fecal incontinence and obstructed bowel movements, often in elderly women.

In abdominal rectal prolapse, or rectocele, surgery the surgeon pulls the rectum back inside the body and attaches it to the tissue around the sacrum, securing it with sutures or a mesh sling that supports the rectum, explains Mayo Clinic. Laparoscopic rectal prolapse surgery uses smaller abdominal incisions into which the surgeon inserts special tools and a small camera to repair the rectal prolapse. Both abdominal procedures require general anesthesia.

In perineal rectosigmoidectomy, or rectal prolapse surgery through the perineum, the surgeon removes a portion of the rectum and sigmoid colon and attaches the remaining rectum to the large intestine, states Mayo Clinic. Short prolapses often require the Delorme procedure, in which the lining of the rectum is removed and the muscular layer folded to shorten the rectum. Perineal rectosigmoidectomy is performed using local anesthesia, during which patients remain awake. Often surgery to repair a rectal prolapse is combined with surgery to treat problems such as vaginal prolapse or pelvic organ prolapse.