Management of rectal prolapse in children: Ekehorn's rectosacropexy.

Although surgical intervention is occasionally required for rectal prolapse (RP), there is both vagueness as to the indications for surgery and confusion as to the technique that should be used for children who need surgical treatment. Using Ekehorn's transanal suture rectosacropexy technique, 56 children with RP were treated surgically between 1987 and 1998 at our hospital. There were 36 boys and 20 girls, the average age was 4.5 years, and the duration of the recurrent prolapse prior to admission ranged from 3 to 8 months. The technique consists of simply inserting one "U"-shaped suture through the rectal ampulla and tying the strands of the suture outside at the level of the sacrococcygeal junction. In this series, follow-up periods ranged from 1 to 10 years and there were no recurrences. We believe that surgical indications for RP need to be defined more clearly and that Ekehorn's technique offers a simple and effective method for the surgical treatment of complete RP in children.