Injury to the perineum, whether from episiotomy or spontaneous laceration, may result in loss of vaginal or rectal tone and/or anal incontinence. External anal sphincter defects can be identifi ed by endoanal ultrasound in 20% to 53% of women after normal vaginal delivery, a possible risk factor for anal incontinence that will be subsequently reported in 4% to 50% of cases. Flatal incontinence ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the role of anal sphincter damage following delivery in the development of anorectal complaints and urinary incontinence, and to identify obstetric factors associated with subsequent fecal incontinence. METHODS The retrospective cohort study with matched controls used a postal questionnaire and analysis of delivery and operation records from all women who underwent primary...

OBJECTIVE To compare two policies for episiotomy: restrictive and systematic. PATIENTS AND METHODS It is a quasi-randomised comparative study between two French university hospitals with contrasting episiotomy policies: one using it restrictively and the second routinely. Population included 774 nulliparous women delivered during 1996 of a singleton in cephalic presentation at a term of 37-41...

Objectives: The objective of this study is: To determine frequency of persistent postoperative incontinence in closed lateral internal sphincterotomy for chronic anal fissure. Study design: Descriptive study (Case series). Place and duration: The study was undertaken at the department of the General Surgery, Nishtar Hospital Multan from Nov5,2008 to May 5, 2009. Material and methods: One hundre...

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)....

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to perform a psychometric evaluation of the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale in the Spanish language. METHODS Eleven hospitals in Spain participated in the study, which included 118 patients with active fecal incontinence. All the patients filled out a questionnaire on the severity of their incontinence, a general questionnaire of health (Medical Outc...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate anal sphincter anatomy using three-dimensional ultrasonography (3-DAUS) in incontinent women with vaginal delivery, correlate anatomical findings with symptoms of fecal incontinence and determine the effect of vaginal delivery on anal canal anatomy and function. METHODS Female with fecal incontinence and vaginal delivery were assessed with Wexner's score, manometry, and...

The association of faecal incontinence with constipation and confusion in the elderly is well recognised but the anal function of faecally incontinent geriatric patients is poorly understood. Anal studies were therefore performed on 99 geriatric patients (49 with faecal incontinence, 19 continent patients with faecal impaction and 31 geriatric control patients with normal bowel habit) and 57 yo...

OBJECTIVE The impacts of an episiotomy on a woman's sex life and ability to relax the pelvic musculature remain largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of an episiotomy on the development of postpartum dyspareunia and anal incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 200 patients participated in the present study. The patients were grouped as follows: vaginal ...