Functional results after ventral mesh rectopexy in 50 patients with obstructed defecation and/or fecal incontinence.

Abstract

<h4>Introduction and aim</h4>Ventral mesh rectopexy (VMR) for correcting rectal prolapse, rectocele, and enterocele improves obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) and fecal incontinence (FI). This procedure is popular due to its minimally invasive approach and favorable clinical outcomes. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical response of patients that underwent VMR, focusing on changes in the ODS and FI scores.<h4>Material and methods</h4>A retrospective, observational, cohort study was conducted on patients that underwent VMR within the time frame of May 2019 and May 2024 at a high-volume hospital. Fifty case records were analyzed, measuring the changes in the scores of the ODS scale and CCF-FIS, before and after surgery. Statistical significance was set at a p < 0.05.<h4>Results</h4>The ODS scores decreased from 10.76 to 6.28 and the FI scores from 9 to 5, showing significant improvement. When analyzing individual items of each of the scales separately, all in the ODS scale were statistically significant, whereas in the FI scale, only pad use and impact on social life were significant. There were no major intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery and the mean hospital stay was1.96 days. No significant differences in outcomes were found between the conventional and robotic laparoscopic approaches.<h4>Conclusions</h4>VMR is a safe and effective procedure for improving ODS and FI symptoms in the Mexican population. Long-term follow-up is required to confirm the persistence of benefits and evaluate late complications.