Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Treatment of Long-Gap Rectal Atresia

Mollie S. Ahn, MBA; Kanika A. Bowen-Jallow, MD, FACS

Product Details
Product ID: ACS-5910
Year Produced: 2019
Length: 4 min.


Rectal atresia is a rare anorectal malformation (ARM), which accounts for 1-2% of all anorectal anomalies and is characterized by a normal anus without communication between the anal canal and the distal colon. Long-gap rectal atresia is defined by a distance greater than 3 cm, and it is even more uncommon. Rectal atresia is traditionally repaired by a posterior sagittal anorectoplasty (PSARP). We report a case of long-gap rectal atresia in an infant male born at 34 weeks gestation. Initial barium enema confirmed complete distal rectal obstruction, and he was taken to the operating room for a colostomy and mucous fistula creation. A mucous fistulogram obtained prior to his pull-through demonstrated a 3.5 cm long-gap rectal atresia. He subsequently underwent a laparoscopic-assisted, transanal endorectal pull-through for correction of rectal atresia. Eight weeks later he had elective colostomy takedown. At his two-month visit, he was passing stool with no complications.