Prolapse of intestinal stoma

Abstract

Stoma prolapse can usually be managed conservatively by stoma care nurses. However, surgical management is considered when complications make traditional care difficult and/or stoma prolapse affects normal bowel function and induces incarceration. If the stoma functions as a fecal diversion, the prolapse is resolved by stoma reversal. Loop stoma prolapse reportedly occurs when increased intraabdominal pressure induces stoma prolapse by pushing the stoma up between the abdominal wall and the intestine, particularly in cases of redundant or mobile colon. Therefore, stoma prolapse repair aims to prevent or eliminate the space between the abdominal wall and the intestine, as well as the redundant or mobile intestine. Accordingly, surgical repair methods for stoma prolapse are classified into 3 types: methods to fix the intestine, methods to shorten the intestine, and methods to eliminate the space between the stoma and the abdominal wall around the stoma orifice. Additionally, the following surgical techniques at the time of stoma creation are reported to be effective in preventing stoma prolapse: an avoidance of excessive fascia incision, fixation of the stoma to the abdominal wall, an appropriate selection of the intestinal site for the stoma orifice to minimize the redundant intestine, and the use of an extraperitoneal route for stoma creation.