Rectal prolapse is a common pelvic floor disorder. Its pathogenesis primarily involves the degeneration and impairment of the supporting tissues of the rectum, leading to their laxity and consequent displacement of the rectum. As the pelvic cavity is a complex system consisting of gynecology, urology, and coloproctology, rectal prolapse often coexists with other pelvic relaxation disorders, such as perineal descent, pelvic floor hernias, and uterovaginal prolapse. Traditionally, pelvic-related disciplines have operated independently, creating disciplinary boundaries that restricted perspectives to single specialties. This compartmentalization focuses narrowly on repairing specific anatomical structures while neglecting the integrity of the pelvic floor system, thereby hampering the diagnosis and comprehensive management of pelvic floor disorders. This is a key reason for the high recurrence rates and poor long-term outcomes associated with traditional surgical approaches. The Integral Theory Paradigm (ITP) views the pelvic floor as an indivisible functional unit, emphasizing pelvic floor dysfunction caused by laxity of muscles, fasciae, and ligaments. By providing an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation, it has significantly advanced systematic innovations in the research, diagnosis, and treatment of pelvic floor disorders. Since the 21st century, with the development of the Integral Theory and membrane anatomy, the adoption of autologous fascial ligament reconstruction techniques has brought new prospects for the surgical management of rectal prolapse.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic pelvic floor autologous fascia integral repair based on membrane anatomy versus transperineal proctosigmoidectomy (Altemeier procedure) in the treatment of patients with complete rectal prolapse (CRP).Methods:This study employed a retrospective observational cohort design. Clinical data were collected from a total of 55 CRP patients who underwent surgical treatment between January 2018 and July 2023, including 25 patients from Luoyang Central Hospital, affiliated with Zhengzhou University, and 30 patients from the 989th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force & Military Anorectal Surgery Research Institute. All patients undergoing surgery met the following criteria: aged ≥ 18 years, rectal prolapse protruding outside the anus, prolapse length > 5 cm with inability to self-reduce, conforming to the diagnostic criteria for CRP, and being first-time treated patients. Twenty-seven patients who underwent the Altemeier procedure between January 2018 and March 2021 were assigned to the Altemeier group; 28 patients who underwent laparoscopic pelvic floor autologous fascia integral repair based on membrane anatomy between April 2021 and July 2023 were assigned to the integral repair group. The therapeutic efficacy differences between the two groups were analyzed and compared, including the CRP length (DCRP), Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) before surgery and at 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, as well as postoperative complications and recurrence at 24 months after surgery.Results:There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender distribution, age, preoperative body mass index (BMI), defecation frequency, DCRP, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI (all P>0.05). All patients completed the surgery. The length of hospital stay and intraoperative blood loss in the integral repair group were significantly less than those in the Altemeier group (both P<0.01). At 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, the DCRP, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI in both groups significantly improved compared with the preoperative values (all P<0.001). At 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, the CRP treatment effect, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI in the integral repair group were significantly better than those in the Altemeier group (χ2=15.821, P<0.001; χ2=18.238, P<0.001; χ2 = 12.558, P=0.001; and χ2 =22.413, P<0.001, respectively). In the integral repair group, 4 patients (14.3%) developed grade I-III postoperative complications, including 2 cases of urinary retention, 1 case of anastomotic bleeding, and 1 case of anastomotic stenosis. In the Altemeier group, 11 patients (40.7%) developed grade I-III postoperative complications, including 4 cases of urinary retention, 3 cases of anastomotic bleeding, 1 case of anastomotic stenosis, 2 cases of intestinal fistula, and 1 case of fecal incontinence. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=4.850, P=0.028). There was no recurrence of CRP in the integral repair group at 24 months after surgery, while 7 cases of CRP recurrence were observed in the Altemeier group at 24 months after surgery. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.148, P=0.013). Conclusion:The autologous fascia repair technique based on membrane anatomy and the pelvic floor integral theory is superior to the transperineal Altemeier procedure in the treatment of CRP. Furthermore, it is an effective surgical method for CRP.

Rectal prolapse is a common pelvic floor disorder. Its pathogenesis primarily involves the degeneration and impairment of the supporting tissues of the rectum, leading to their laxity and consequent displacement of the rectum. As the pelvic cavity is a complex system consisting of gynecology, urology, and coloproctology, rectal prolapse often coexists with other pelvic relaxation disorders, such as perineal descent, pelvic floor hernias, and uterovaginal prolapse. Traditionally, pelvic-related disciplines have operated independently, creating disciplinary boundaries that restricted perspectives to single specialties. This compartmentalization focuses narrowly on repairing specific anatomical structures while neglecting the integrity of the pelvic floor system, thereby hampering the diagnosis and comprehensive management of pelvic floor disorders. This is a key reason for the high recurrence rates and poor long-term outcomes associated with traditional surgical approaches. The Integral Theory Paradigm (ITP) views the pelvic floor as an indivisible functional unit, emphasizing pelvic floor dysfunction caused by laxity of muscles, fasciae, and ligaments. By providing an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation, it has significantly advanced systematic innovations in the research, diagnosis, and treatment of pelvic floor disorders. Since the 21st century, with the development of the Integral Theory and membrane anatomy, the adoption of autologous fascial ligament reconstruction techniques has brought new prospects for the surgical management of rectal prolapse.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic pelvic floor autologous fascia integral repair based on membrane anatomy versus transperineal proctosigmoidectomy (Altemeier procedure) in the treatment of patients with complete rectal prolapse (CRP).Methods:This study employed a retrospective observational cohort design. Clinical data were collected from a total of 55 CRP patients who underwent surgical treatment between January 2018 and July 2023, including 25 patients from Luoyang Central Hospital, affiliated with Zhengzhou University, and 30 patients from the 989th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force & Military Anorectal Surgery Research Institute. All patients undergoing surgery met the following criteria: aged ≥ 18 years, rectal prolapse protruding outside the anus, prolapse length > 5 cm with inability to self-reduce, conforming to the diagnostic criteria for CRP, and being first-time treated patients. Twenty-seven patients who underwent the Altemeier procedure between January 2018 and March 2021 were assigned to the Altemeier group; 28 patients who underwent laparoscopic pelvic floor autologous fascia integral repair based on membrane anatomy between April 2021 and July 2023 were assigned to the integral repair group. The therapeutic efficacy differences between the two groups were analyzed and compared, including the CRP length (DCRP), Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) before surgery and at 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, as well as postoperative complications and recurrence at 24 months after surgery.Results:There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender distribution, age, preoperative body mass index (BMI), defecation frequency, DCRP, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI (all P>0.05). All patients completed the surgery. The length of hospital stay and intraoperative blood loss in the integral repair group were significantly less than those in the Altemeier group (both P<0.01). At 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, the DCRP, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI in both groups significantly improved compared with the preoperative values (all P<0.001). At 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery, the CRP treatment effect, Wexner Constipation Score, Wexner Fecal Incontinence Score, and GIQLI in the integral repair group were significantly better than those in the Altemeier group (χ2=15.821, P<0.001; χ2=18.238, P<0.001; χ2 = 12.558, P=0.001; and χ2 =22.413, P<0.001, respectively). In the integral repair group, 4 patients (14.3%) developed grade I-III postoperative complications, including 2 cases of urinary retention, 1 case of anastomotic bleeding, and 1 case of anastomotic stenosis. In the Altemeier group, 11 patients (40.7%) developed grade I-III postoperative complications, including 4 cases of urinary retention, 3 cases of anastomotic bleeding, 1 case of anastomotic stenosis, 2 cases of intestinal fistula, and 1 case of fecal incontinence. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=4.850, P=0.028). There was no recurrence of CRP in the integral repair group at 24 months after surgery, while 7 cases of CRP recurrence were observed in the Altemeier group at 24 months after surgery. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2=6.148, P=0.013). Conclusion:The autologous fascia repair technique based on membrane anatomy and the pelvic floor integral theory is superior to the transperineal Altemeier procedure in the treatment of CRP. Furthermore, it is an effective surgical method for CRP.