In 2013, an 82-year-old man, sound in mind and in good health brought
in a terrapin with black and smelly prolapsed rectum. "No hope of
repairing as the tissues are rotten and stinking," I usually push back
the rectal tissues and suture up the anus for 7-14 days.
Euthanasia was performed.
If the purse-string suture is done early (within 1-2 days of rectal
prolapse as for the 2011 case, images below), the outcome is
excellent. I had written that case study some years ago and the images
of this 2011 case are shown below.
"Holding in the rectum" -
rectal prolapse where the rectum falls out of the anus. New surgical
technique is providing relief. Ventral Mesh Rectopexy. A mesh
(plastic or biodegradaable material) is sutured to the pelvic floor
muscles on both sides of the rectum. The top end is sutured to the
spine to lift up the rectum.
In women, the mesh is sutured to the top of the vaginal to prevent
vaginal prolapse. At Singapore General Hospital, the fees range from
$5,000 - $25,000. Recurrences are said to be low for this type of
procedure as compared to other surgeries. Therapy to retrain the
pelvic floor muscles in human is advised. This will not apply to
animals.
REFERENCE: The Straits Times Jan 17, 2013 pg 12-14 "Mind Your
Body" has details of various surgeries in people. Reading what the
human surgeons do and the latest advances in surgery may be of some
use to veterinary surgeons as some techniques can apply to veterinary
surgery.
Blog: Rectal prolapse in turtles |
TOA
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