Strangulation of Giant Rectal Prolapse: A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction Rectal prolapse is the complete protrusion of the rectum through the anal canal. Incarceration rarely complicates rectal prolapse. Even more rarely, it becomes strangled and gangrenous, necessitating emergency surgery. Case presentation We report an extremely rare case of strangulated acute rectal prolapse as the first manifestation of rectal prolapse. The patient was a 26-year-old man who presented on admission a 20 × 6 cm semispherical mass extra-anally. Rectosigmoidectomy associated to sacral rectopexy was performed with resection of 20 cm of the incarcerated rectum and sigmoid colon. The postoperative course was quite uneventful with an excellent final result after colostomy closure and continuity restoration. Conclusion The successful treatment of this patient illustrates the value of surgery in the difficult and unusual case scenario of rectal incarceration.