Laparoscopic Assisted Anorectoplasty: A New Definitive Repair of High Imperforate Anus

Abstract

Background/ Purpose : The classic treatment of the the high anorectal anomalies over the last 3 decade is the posterior sagittal anorectoplasty. . Laparoscopic assisted anorectoplasty is a minimally invasive technique that aims at preserving the sphincters, placing sensate skin within the control of the sphincters, and shortening recovery. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the laproscopic assisted anorectoplasty for the infants suffering from high imperforate anus. Materials & Methods: Twenty eight patients with high anorectal anomalies were included in this study. All patients had laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through (LAARP) for high imperforate anus. Hospital charts and surgical notes were reviewed and clinical characteristics tabulated. Results: Postoperative complications included rectal mucosal prolapsed (n=3), intestinal obstruction (n=1),anal stricture(n=1) ,and development of blind ended posterior urethral fistula(n=1 ). There were no complications related to the urinary system, also there was no wound infection, no hernia through the port sites, or anal retraction. Six cases developed constipation. The overall clinical assessment for continence of the cases showed that 50% had good outcome, 36% had moderate, and 14% had poor functional outcome Conclusion: LAARP for treatment of high anorectal anomalies is a feasible technique with encouraging functional results . Before recommendation of its use as a treatment of choice ,we recommend more studies for further evaluation of this technique, as the studies done for this subject are still few.