Prospective Study on Effect of Submucosal Alcohol Injection in Cases of Rectal Prolapse in Infants and Children

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to study the impact of sclerosing agent in cases of rectal prolapse in infants and children.
Materials and Methods: A total of 200 cases of diagnosed rectal prolapse in infants and children attending a tertiary care of West Bengal were included in the study for the effect of submucosal injection of alcohol from a period of August 2016 to July 2018. 1.5–2 ml of alcohol was linearly injected in three sites (two laterals and one posterior).
Results: All 200 cases were followed at 3 months interval for a period of 2 years. One hundred and twenty-one patients (60.5%) had a duration of prolapse for 3–6 months. Forty-six patients (23.0%) had prolapse for more than 8 months and 33 (16.5%) patients had prolapse for more than 1 year. One hundred and ninety-one (90.5%) patients responded to a single injection. Five patients (2.5%) required the second injection. Four (2%) patients with age more than 10 years did not respond to the treatment. Twenty-five patients had fecal soiling for a period of 10–12 days. No infectious complication and no recurrence were observed.
Conclusion: 2–5 ml of ethyl alcohol (96%) is effective for the treatment of rectal prolapse. The duration of rectal prolapse had no deleterious effect on treatment; however, patients with age more than 10 years did not respond to sclerosing agent, probably due to different etiology