Rectal prolapse in childhood--the role of infections and infestations.

Seventy-eight cases of rectal prolapse in childhood treated during a 3-year period are reviewed retrospectively. A cause of prolapse which could be corrected surgically was found in 9 children (12%). Among the remaining 69, 25 children (36%) were infested with a variety of parasites, 4 (6%) had a specific dysentery, and 6 (9%) had a convincing clinical picture of gastro-enteritis. In 34 patients no precise diagnosis could be made; however, among children without a mechanical or neurological lesion, 90% responded rapidly to anthelmintics and symptomatic treatment.