STARR: indications, results and safety. Review of literature

Treatment of obstructive defecation (OD) is extremely challenging. Patients with symptoms of OD may demostrate certain anatomic abnormalities on defecography, such as rectal intussuception, rectal prolapse, and recto-or enterocele. Internal rectal prolapse (rectal intussuception) and rectocele are frequent clinical findings in patients suffering from refractory constipation. However, there is still no clear evidence whether the STARR procedure (stapled transanal resection) provides a safe and effective surgical option for symptom resolution in ODS patients. In this paper we reviewed the literature to summarize the surgical outcomes and postoperative complications following STARR procedure considering yhe largest multicentric studies published in literature.