How to treat rectal prolapse?

Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on December 21, 2024
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Rectal prolapse mainly includes external rectal mucosal prolapse and internal rectal mucosal prolapse. External rectal mucosal prolapse primarily refers to the symptoms and types of clinical rectal prolapse. The most common and effective treatment for rectal prolapse or internal rectal mucosal prolapse is surgery. Simple medication can only relieve local relaxation or compressive symptoms, but it does not have a definitive therapeutic effect on the disease itself. The surgery mainly involves the removal and excision of the relaxed and prolapsed mucosa, thereby increasing the tightness of the intestinal mucosa and relieving the local mucosal pressure on the anus, which causes the patient's feelings of bloating and descent. After the surgery, patients need to rest in bed for a week and should avoid squatting and excessive abdominal straining in their future activities.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Can rectal prolapse heal itself?

Rectal mucosal prolapse primarily refers to a condition where the rectal mucosa becomes excessively relaxed, accumulates near the anus, and presents symptoms such as a distinct feeling of fullness and downward pressure at the anal area. Sometimes, the prolapsed mucosa may congest the anal opening, causing difficulty in defecation or even constipation. Rectal mucosal prolapse cannot heal completely on its own. Treatment options include medication to alleviate symptoms or surgery to remove the prolapsed mucosa. Patients with rectal mucosal prolapse should avoid straining excessively during bowel movements. If constipation occurs, patients should not strain too hard and may use enemas to assist with bowel movements.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Which department to consult for rectal prolapse?

Rectal prolapse is generally divided into internal mucosal prolapse and external prolapse. External mucosal prolapse is commonly known as rectal prolapse, which falls under the category of proctological diseases. Therefore, patients who suspect they have rectal prolapse should promptly visit a proctology department for relevant examinations and treatment. The examination and diagnosis of rectal prolapse mainly involve digital rectal examination, anoscopy, and defecography to confirm the diagnosis. Especially for internal mucosal prolapse, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, defecography is necessary for differentiation. In cases of rectal prolapse, one can generally see a ring-like protrusion outside the anus, and in severe cases, there may be conical or cylindrical prolapse. Regardless of whether it is internal mucosal prolapse or rectal prolapse, surgical treatment is necessary.

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Written by Deng Heng
Colorectal Surgery
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Clinical manifestations of rectal prolapse

The main symptom of rectal prolapse is a swelling that protrudes from the anus. In the early stages, the swelling is small and only protrudes during defecation, retracting on its own afterwards. As the condition progresses, the protrusion occurs more frequently and grows larger, requiring manual assistance to push it back into the anus after defecation. This is accompanied by a feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation and a feeling of heaviness. If not addressed promptly, the prolapsed intestine may become swollen, constricted, incarcerated, and even risk necrosis. As the prolapse worsens, it can cause varying degrees of anal incontinence, accompanied by the discharge of mucus, which leads to eczema and itching around the anal area.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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How to treat rectal prolapse?

Rectal prolapse mainly includes external rectal mucosal prolapse and internal rectal mucosal prolapse. External rectal mucosal prolapse primarily refers to the symptoms and types of clinical rectal prolapse. The most common and effective treatment for rectal prolapse or internal rectal mucosal prolapse is surgery. Simple medication can only relieve local relaxation or compressive symptoms, but it does not have a definitive therapeutic effect on the disease itself. The surgery mainly involves the removal and excision of the relaxed and prolapsed mucosa, thereby increasing the tightness of the intestinal mucosa and relieving the local mucosal pressure on the anus, which causes the patient's feelings of bloating and descent. After the surgery, patients need to rest in bed for a week and should avoid squatting and excessive abdominal straining in their future activities.

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Written by Deng Heng
Colorectal Surgery
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The difference between rectal prolapse and rectal prolapse

The term "rectal prolapse" used in folk vernacular covers a wide range, such as incarcerated hemorrhoids, inflammatory external hemorrhoids, thrombosed external hemorrhoids, rectal polyps, and rectal prolapse itself are all referred to as rectal prolapse. Of course, this also includes cases where, due to a lack of medical knowledge, any tumors or flesh-like growth protruding from inside to outside the anus are collectively termed as rectal prolapse. It is evident that the folk term “rectal prolapse” includes conditions like prolapsed rectum, prolapsed internal hemorrhoids, or prolapsed polyps, while the modern medical definition of rectal prolapse specifically refers to the protrusion of the rectum and its mucous membrane; the two should not be confused.