Perineal approach to external rectal prolapse: The delorme procedure

Abstract

The Delorme procedure is a perineal technique for repair of full-thickness rectal prolapse first described by the French military surgeon Edmond Delorme in 1900 [1]. This procedure includes stripping the mucosa of the prolapsed rectum and sutured plication of the bare muscle remnant, which collapses the wall like an accordion. The mucosa is then reapproximated to seal the anastomosis. The technique Delorme described is simple, may be performed under regional anaesthesia, is performed through a perineal approach and does not require a bowel resection and anastomosis. However, the Delorme procedure was not commonly used until a report by Uhlig and Sullivan [2] in 1979, after which it gained increased popularity. The simplicity of the approach and lack of major complications have made it popular with both surgeons and patients over the past 20 years and has led to its use as a primary operation for rectal prolapse. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Italia.