Spain's top bullfighter undergoes sphincter reconstruction and rectal repair after bull gores him up the ass on April 20 [View all]
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/king-bullfighters-horrific-injuries-laid-37058361
King of bullfighters' horrific injuries laid bare as surgeons rebuild 'perforated rectum'
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: José Antonio Morante de la Puebla, 44, hailed as Spains top bullfighter, has withdrawn from competition for a second time this year to protect his mental health
The top Spanish bullfighter who suffered a horrific injury that left him "terrified" after a bull horn perforated his rectum has stepped away from competition this year.
The goring
Morante was gored on April 20 while facing a 512kg bull called Clandestino. He was knocked to the ground and sustained a horn wound with a reported 10cm trajectory that perforated the posterior wall of his rectum and partially damaged anal sphincter muscles.
Witnesses said he was taken from the ring in visible distress as other matadors moved in to distract the animal. Morante reportedly tried to control the bull when it charged at his chest and knocked him down.
One of the bull's horns caught him in the buttock region as he was on the way down after Morante tried to avoid being trampled on. A report of his injuries said: "It is a 'bull horn wound on the posterior anal margin with a trajectory of about 10cm, partially damaging the anal sphincter muscles with a perforation of the posterior wall of the rectum of 1.5cm'."
The surgery
Surgeons operated for more than two hours, carrying out a sphincter reconstruction that involved cleaning the wound, repairing the rectal wall and leaving a suction drain in the retrorectal space. Lead surgeon Dr Octavio Mulet said the procedure was complex because of the sensitive structures involved.