Rectal prolapse other diagnostic studies
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shaghayegh Habibi, M.D.[2]
Overview
Overview
In rectal prolapse, fluoroscopic defecography, MRI defecography, or balloon expulsion testing may be helpful for diagnosis. Pre-operatively, all patients should undergo anoscopy and colonoscopy.
Other Diagnostic Studies
Other Diagnostic Studies
If rectal prolapse is suspected but cannot be detected during physical examination, fluoroscopic defecography, MRI defecography or balloon expulsion testing (a 4-cm long balloon filled with warm water is placed in the rectum and asked the patient to expel the balloon. A stop watch is provided to assess the time required for expulsion) may be helpful for diagnosis.[1][2]
Pre-operatively, all patients should undergo anoscopy to rule out prolapsed internal hemorrhoids as the cause of the patient’s symptoms and colonoscopy to assure that there is no other colonic pathology that would take priority.[3]
Anorectal manometry may reveal low resting sphincter pressure (especially in complete rectal prolapse) which predicts poor postoperative continence.[2]
References
References
- ↑ Bordeianou L, Paquette I, Johnson E, Holubar SD, Gaertner W, Feingold DL, Steele SR (2017). “Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Rectal Prolapse”. Dis. Colon Rectum. 60 (11): 1121–1131. doi:10.1097/DCR.0000000000000889. PMID 28991074.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Patcharatrakul T, Rao S (2017). “Update on the Pathophysiology and Management of Anorectal Disorders”. Gut Liver. doi:10.5009/gnl17172. PMID 29050194. Vancouver style error: initials (help)
- ↑ Bordeianou L, Hicks CW, Kaiser AM, Alavi K, Sudan R, Wise PE (2014). “Rectal prolapse: an overview of clinical features, diagnosis, and patient-specific management strategies”. J. Gastrointest. Surg. 18 (5): 1059–69. doi:10.1007/s11605-013-2427-7. PMID 24352613.
Looking for the patient version?
© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH