Injection sclerotherapy using aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid in the treatment of symptomatic rectocele: A prospective case series.

Abstract Introduction Although various surgical techniques have been described for the treatment of rectocele, there is currently no method exhibiting overall superiority because of the different types of complications and varying rate of recurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of injection sclerotherapy using aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid in the management of symptomatic rectocele. Methods Twelve patients were recruited and treated using injection sclerotherapy. Efficacy measures included changes in the Constipation Scoring System value and rectocele size. Results The median operative duration was 7.5 min (range, 3–16 min). Three months after treatment, the mean Constipation Scoring System value decreased significantly in comparison with the baseline value (8.9 ± 4.1 vs. 4.9 ± 2.8, P = 0.0014) and the mean rectocele size reduced significantly in comparison with the baseline size (3.8 ± 0.5 vs. 1.7 ± 0.9, P  Conclusions Injection sclerotherapy is quick, easy to perform, and offers reasonable mid-term outcomes; furthermore, it is associated with a low rate of complications. Therefore, it appears to be a reasonable alternative for patients with symptomatic rectocele.