Anorectal Sphincter Research Articles

Anorectal manometric abnormalities and effect of cisapride in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate abnormalities in anorectal motility, changes in rectal visceral perception of balloon distention and the effect of cisapride on patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). METHODS: Anorectal manometry was carried out in 30 CIC patients using the Synectics Visceral Stimulator combined with PcPolygraf before and after treatment with cisapride (10 mg three times daily for 4 weeks). Twenty age-matched controls were also studied before cisapride therapy. RESULTS: Patients with CIC had lower anorectal sphincter squeeze pressures (P < 0.05), larger minimum relaxation volumes necessary to elicit the anorectal inhibitory reflux (P < 0.05), higher rectal defecation volume thresholds and higher rectal maximum tolerable volume thresholds (P < 0.01) compared with the controls. All of the abnormalities significantly improved and defecation frequency greatly increased after 4 weeks of cisapride therapy (P < 0.01). Cisapride was effective in 46.67% of patients with CIC. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CIC have abnormalities of both anorectal motility and rectal visceral perception of balloon distention. Cisapride can improve these abnormalities and is effective in approximately one-half of CIC cases.

Is the sex-related impairment of the anorectal sphincter consequent to diminished rectal sensitivity?

Is the sex-related impairment of the anorectal sphincter consequent to diminished rectal sensitivity?

Gluteus maximus augmentation for the treatment of fecal incontinence

Fecal incontinence is a devastating problem for schoolaged children and adults. Medical and biofeedback therapies are unsuccessful in most patients who have severely defective internal and external sphincters. Continued fecal incontinence frequently leads to social isolation and withdrawal. Gluteus maximus augmentation of the sphincter mechanism is one surgical method for treating fecal incontinence. The authors present their results with gluteus maximus augmentation of the anal sphincter and describe patient selection criteria. From 1992 through 1996, seven patients underwent gluteus maximus augmentation of the anal sphincter for fecal incontinence. Six of these patients were children 5 to 6 years of age who had major deficiencies of their anorectal sphincter demonstrated by manometry. One patient was a 56-year-old adult woman who had acquired idiopathic fecal incontinence. Four of the six children (67%) had imperforate anus and two had cloacal anomalies (33%). The augmentation was performed in three stages. A sigmoid-end colostomy with a Hartman's pouch was followed 1 month later by rotation of a portion of the gluteus maximus for anorectal sphincter augmentation. A colostomy take down was performed 2 to 4 months later. All patients underwent dilatation after sphincter augmentation and were taught muscle exercises for using their neosphincter during the period before colostomy take down. Four of six children and the adult are continent postoperatively (71%). Both patients who remain incontinent are unable to sense rectal distention clinically or on anal manometric analysis but have excellent voluntary sphincter tone. Fecal incontinence can be successfully treated with gluteus maximus augmentation in carefully selected patients. Patients unable to sense rectal distension are unlikely to benefit from this procedure. The presence of a rectal reservoir and a skin-lined anal canal also appear to be important in attaining fecal continence.

Preservation of Continence After Posterior Sagittal Surgery

Purpose An animal study was performed to evaluate the effect of posterior sagittal pararectal mobilization on anorectal sphincter function. Materials and Methods We initially divided 11 juvenile pigs into 3 groups: group 1–anesthesia alone (3), group 2–posterior sagittal incision alone (4) and group 3–posterior sagittal incision with unilateral pararectal dissection (4). Two animals in group 1 subsequently underwent posterior sagittal incision with circumferential pararectal dissection (group 4). The anal canal was preserved intact in all animals. Anorectal sphincter manometry was performed preoperatively, and 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Electromyography was performed 12 weeks postoperatively. Anorectal sphincter muscle complexes were harvested for histological examination. Results All animals had postoperative bowel continence. Postoperatively manometry revealed no difference from preoperative measurements in all study groups (p = 0.90). Electromyography and histological examination of the anorectal sphincters were normal in all but 2 animals. Denervation injury and histological atrophy were detected after repair of inadvertent enterotomy in 1 animal following unilateral pararectal dissection, and polyphasic motor unit potentials implying reinnervation were detected in another after circumferential pararectal mobilization. Conclusions These results indicate that posterior sagittal incision and unilateral pararectal mobilization cause no permanent injury to the anorectal sphincter. However, circumferential pararectal dissection or repair of a rectal injury may cause measurable changes in sphincter function.

Preservation of Continence After Posterior Sagittal Surgery

An animal study was performed to evaluate the effect of posterior sagittal pararectal mobilization on anorectal sphincter function. We initially divided 11 juvenile pigs into 3 groups: group 1-anesthesia alone (3), group 2-posterior sagittal incision alone (4) and group 3-posterior sagittal incision with unilateral pararectal dissection (4). Two animals in group 1 subsequently underwent posterior sagittal incision with circumferential pararectal dissection (group 4). The anal canal was preserved intact in all animals. Anorectal sphincter manometry was performed preoperatively, and 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Electromyography was performed 12 weeks postoperatively. Anorectal sphincter muscle complexes were harvested for histological examination. All animals had postoperative bowel continence. Postoperatively manometry revealed no difference from preoperative measurements in all study groups (p = 0.90). Electromyography and histological examination of the anorectal sphincters were normal in all but 2 animals. Denervation injury and histological atrophy were detected after repair of inadvertent enterotomy in 1 animal following unilateral pararectal dissection, and polyphasic motor unit potentials implying reinnervation were detected in another after circumferential pararectal mobilization. These results indicate that posterior sagittal incision and unilateral pararectal mobilization cause no permanent injury to the anorectal sphincter. However circumferential pararectal dissection or repair of a rectal injury may cause measurable changes in sphincter function.

Gastrointestinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. A report of clinical experience at a single center.

We describe our clinical experience in the evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease. Dysphagia, heartburn, medication-related nausea, and constipation were the predominant symptoms. Although all of the patients localized their dysphagia to the oropharynx and although oropharyngeal dysfunction was common, evaluation revealed significant dysfunction in either the esophageal body or lower esophageal sphincter in many--gastroesophageal reflux-related disease being especially common. Studies of anorectal sphincter and pelvic floor function in those patients with constipation demonstrated a high incidence of abnormal external anal sphincter dysfunction. We conclude, first, that dysphagia in patients with Parkinson's disease should not be assumed to result solely from oropharyngeal dysfunction but deserves detailed evaluation and, second, that constipation in Parkinson's disease is commonly consequent on anorectal sphincter and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Anorectal manometry: techniques and clinical applications.

Anorectal manometry has gained wide acceptance as a helpful method to objectively assess the apparatus of defecation provided by the anorectal sphincter. The standard manometric evaluation enables measurement of resting and squeeze pressures, as well as of the length of the functional anal canal (high pressure zone [HPZ]). More detailed assessment of radial and longitudinal pressure profiles can also be generated from vector volume and vector symmetry index assessment. Adjuvant techniques using an intrarectal balloon allow assessment of the rectoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR), rectal sensitivity, capacity, and compliance. Although anorectal manometry can be used as a diagnostic test in diseases such as Hirschsprung's disease, more often it is used to assess common disorders such as chronic idiopathic constipation and fecal incontinence. Anorectal manometry has also been considered as a preoperative evaluation in patients having abdominal and anorectal procedures during which the state of continence can be jeopardized.

The prevalence of anal sphincter defects in faecal incontinence: a prospective endosonic study.

Forty six patients (median age 61 years; 42 women) with faecal incontinence and 16 age and sex matched controls undergoing a restorative proctocolectomy were assessed by clinical examination, anorectal physiology, and anal endosonography. Forty patients (87%) with faecal incontinence had a sphincter defect demonstrated on anal endosonography (31 external and 21 internal anal sphincter defects). The commonest cause of faecal incontinence was obstetric trauma. This occurred in 35 women, 30 of whom exhibited a morphological defect in the anorectal sphincter complex. In 22 of these patients with a history of a perineal tear or episiotomy, 21 (95%) had a sphincter defect. Sphincter defects were commonly located at the level of the midanal canal.

Precise anorectal sphincter dilatation--its role in the therapy of anal fissures.

For the past 20 years, internal anal sphincterotomy has generally been considered to be the standard operation for an anal fissure. We sought an alternative form of treatment because of the wound complications inherent in this operation. Anal dilatation, precisely performed with a Parks' retractor opened to 4.8 cm or with a 40-mm rectosigmoid balloon, has been found to cure successfully the fissure in 93 percent and 94 percent, respectively, of each group and to be associated with fewer complications.

Computerised tomography in the management of imperforate anus patients following rectoplasty

Eighteen patients with surgically corrected high (supralevator) anorectal anomalies were scanned by computerised tomography (CT) to assess the state of development of the anorectal sphincter muscle complex (SMC) and the position of the neorectum in relation to the SMC. These CT findings were compared with the patients' assessed grade of faecal continence/incontinence. While continence levels did not always correlate closely with CT findings, the presence of a deficient SMC or an eccentric position of the neorectum within it, or both, was more frequent in patients with continence problems. For severe incontinence, CT scanning gave helpful indications for or against secondary rectoplasty.

FETAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANO-RECTAL SPHINCTER

A morphometric analysis of the ano-rectal sphincter was carried out in 45 human fetuses (8-40 weeks), completed by immunocytochemical and biochemical studies of different markers of muscle differentiation (vimentin, desmin, actin, isoforms of the myosin heavy chain (MHC), titin). The external sphincter (ES) and the m. pubo-rectalis are determined at the earliest stages and contain striated fibers after 10 weeks. After 20 weeks, the internal sphincter (IS) becomes well determined and the ES is colonized by smooth muscle from the longitudinal layer of the rectum, which represents up to one third of the total muscle. The smooth muscle components express actin, vimentin and sometimes desmin. The striated muscle fibers first express vimentin, desmin, titin and four different isoforms of the MHC - with a very immature pattern of reactivity up until 25 weeks when compared to other striated muscles at the same ages. The maturation is rapid afterwards and almost achieved at 40 weeks : the fibers then express desmin, titin and the slow or the fast MHC. Conclusions : 1/ the development of the ano-rectal sphincter is characterized by an intrication of smooth and striated muscle, 2/ the ES is partially composed of smooth fibers, 3/ the study of muscle differentiation markers is a new approach to digestive motor function in childhood.

89215964 Effects of aging on the anorectal sphincters and their innervation

89215964 Effects of aging on the anorectal sphincters and their innervation

Effects of cisapride on ano‐rectal sphincter function

To investigate the effects of cisapride, a motility-inducing agent, on ano-rectal sphincter functions, standard manometry was performed in 10 healthy male volunteers after 5 days on a 20-mg dose of cisapride in a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized crossover fashion. All subjects kept stool diaries during the experiment. Cisapride significantly increased stool frequency by adding soft and liquid stools; in addition, anal resting pressure was reduced with cisapride in seven of the 10 subjects; mean resting pressure decreased by 16%, while all other measurements were not altered. This suggests that cisapride may act directly on the smooth muscle of the internal anal sphincter. It also supports the view that enhanced defaecation in chronic constipation induced by cisapride may not be achieved by propulsive motor activity in the colon but also by a decreased anal sphincter tone.

The anorectal sphincter after rectal pull-through surgery for anorectal anomalies: MRI evaluation

The anorectal sphincter after rectal pull-through surgery for anorectal anomalies: MRI evaluation

Effects of aging on the anorectal sphincters and their innervation.

The effects of aging on the pelvic floor musculature and its innervation are described in 102 women and 19 men without colorectal or pelvic floor disease. In the women, a reduction in anorectal "squeeze" pressure was found in the fifth decade, but the resting anal pressure remained unchanged. This reduction in squeeze anal pressure was accompanied by an increase in the mean pudendal nerve terminal motor latency, indicating damage to this nerve, and increased perineal descent in the resting and straining positions. The fiber density, recorded by single fiber electromyography in the external anal sphincter muscle, a muscle innervated by the pudendal nerves, was increased in the sixth decade, indicating the later development of compensatory reinnervation in this muscle. The interrelation of aging, menopausal effects, and parity in these changes is difficult to define from currently available data, but the authors suggest, from other evidence, that menopausal effects may be relevant.

The anorectal sphincter after rectal pull-through surgery for anorectal anomalies: MRI evaluation.

The puborectalis muscle sling was evaluated with MRI in 10 pediatric patients who had rectal pull-through surgery for anorectal anomalies. MRI (1.5T) demonstrated the puborectalis muscle equally or better than CT in 5 patients who had both CT and MRI. The amount of puborectalis muscle mass and the location of the pulled-through intestine in relation to the puborectalis sling was well shown with MRI. Our study suggests that MRI can be reliably substituted for CT in the majority of these patients, to assist in planning further surgery for relief of persistent postoperative fecal incontinence.

Clinical Application of Anorectal Manometry

Anal sphincter manometry provides an objective assessment of one aspect of the anorectal sphincter mechanism. It provides a far more reliable indicator of anal sphincter tone than can be achieved by digital examination. The relative contribution of the voluntary and involuntary components can be assessed, and the integrity of reflex inhibition to rectal distention can be evaluated. Anal sphincter manometry may provide direct evidence of the underlying problem as in Hirschsprung's disease or anal sphincter hypertonia. Radial cross-sectional analysis can provide identification of surgically repairable segmental defects as in the case of traumatic injury. On the other hand, the finding of a normal anal sphincter profile may serve to redirect one's investigational efforts to other components of the sphincter apparatus.

Manometric Studies on Developmental Maturation of the Competence of Anorectal Sphincter and Rectal Prolapse in Childhood

Manometric Studies on Developmental Maturation of the Competence of Anorectal Sphincter and Rectal Prolapse in Childhood

Optical-acoustical analogous biofeedback conditioning in the treatment of fecal incontinence in childhood

This is a report on the treatment of anal incontinence by biofeedback conditioning. Since August 1982 9 children with incontinence (8 rectoanal agenesia, one Morbus Hirschsprung) were treated by simultaneous optical and acoustical analogous biofeedback conditioning. Training of sensitivity and voluntary contractions were performed and controlled electromanometrically. According to the pressure waves electrical alterations were transformed and feedback visually and acoustically. Results of the training of the maximal voluntary contraction are presented and the superiority of this method for the coordination of the anorectal sphincter function is stressed.

Anorectal continence following sphincter reconstruction utilizing the gluteus maximus muscle: A case report

Rectal incontinence following pull-through procedure for high imperforate anus remains a difficult problem. Based on recent knowledge of the segmental neurovascular supply of the gluteus maximus muscle, the inferior half of the muscle on both sides was used for anorectal sphincter reconstruction on a 10-year-old boy who was totally incontinent following a pull-through procedure for a high imperforate anus. The technique of constructing this sphincter is simple and utilizes principles of muscle tendon transfer without jeopardizing the function of gait. Furthermore, the gluteus maximus muscle, being an accessory muscle of anal continence, is an ideal structure for this reconstruction. Colostomy can be prevented with the use of good preoperative bowel preparation and a constipating program for 1 week postoperatively. The results are directly related to the success of the operative procedure, and the maturity and degree of motivation of the child to undergo bowel-control training.