Surgery and Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Constipation and Fecal Incontinence
Surgery and Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Constipation and Fecal Incontinence Rodrigo A. Pinto, MD, Dana R. Sands, MD, FACS, FASCRS* KEYWORDS Fecal incontinence Constipation Sphincterplasty Sacral nerve stimulation Fecal incontinence and constipation are two colorectal diseases that have a high incidence requiring specialized treatment when medical options are exhausted. This article briefly discusses the etiology, epidemiology, incidence, and pathology history of constipation and fecal incontinence, followed by a detailed review of the surgical options, including SNS. FECAL INCONTINENCE Fecal continence is a complex bodily function, which requires the interplay of sensa- tion, rectal capacity, and neuromuscular function. Multiple factors, such as cognitive function, stool consistency and volume, rectal distensibility, colonic transit, anorectal sensation, anal sphincter function, and anorectal reflexes, can influence a patient’s continence.1 Fecal incontinence affects approximately 2% of the population and has a prevalence of 15% in elderly patients.2,3 This disorder is a debilitating condition that can be personally and socially incapacitating. Incontinence is considered complete when the patient loses control of solid feces and partial when the patient has inadvertent soiling or escape of liquid or flatus. Browning and Parks4 proposed criteria to stage fecal incontinence as follows: A, normal continence; B, incontinence to flatus; C, no control to liquid or flatus; D, continued fecal leakage. Subsequently, many grading scales have been proposed, and most consider the frequency of incontinence episodes as the most important item. Some scales,5,6 which included urgency, clean- ing difficulty, use of pads, and impact on quality of life, are considered more complete. Many authors have proposed scales for fecal incontinence.
[Show full text]