Relación entre score de incontinencia fecal y hallazgos ecográficos en pacientes con antecedente de trauma obstétrico / Relationship between faecal incontinence score and ultrasound findings in patients with a history of obstetric trauma

Introducción: La incontinencia anal es una compleja y devastadora patología que altera la calidad de vida de los pacientes, cuya etiología más común es la lesión esfintérica postparto vaginal. A la hora de clasificar la incontinencia, el score descripto por Jorge y Wexner es el más utilizado en nuestro medio. La ecografía endoanal ha sido definida como el gold standard para evaluar los defectos del esfínter anal. Objetivo: Determinar la correlación entre los hallazgos clínicos y ecográficos en pacientes con incontinencia fecal de causa obstétrica. Material y Métodos: Población: pacientes que consultaron en el Centro Privado de Cirugía y Coloproctología entre enero de 2015 y diciembre de 2017 por incontinencia fecal con antecedentes de trauma obstétrico y a las que se les realizó una ecografía endoanal 360° y score de Jorge y Wexner. Resultados: Se evaluaron 24 pacientes. La media de edad fue de 56 años. El número de partos en promedio fue 2,3 y el Score de Wexner en promedio fue 9.7 (±5.2). La ecografía endoanal confirmó alteración esfintérica por afinamiento o interrupción en el 100% de los pacientes. Se observó una tendencia a una asociación negativa entre el Score de Wexner y la ecografía endoanal (r=-0.328, p=0.067). Las pacientes con menor grado de lesión esfinteriana por ecografía tenían mayor severidad en el Score de Wexner que las pacientes con mayor grado de lesión. Las pacientes con evidencia ecográfica de lesiones leves refirieron un mayor Score de Wexner que aquellas con lesiones severas. Conclusión: En este trabajo no existió correlación entre los hallazgos ecográficos y el score de incontinencia. Si bien la ecografía esfintérica es el gold standard para evaluar daño muscular, la terapéutica no debe ser determinada solamente por la ecografía. Tipo de estudio: Retrospectivo, transversal y descriptivo.

Introduction: Anal incontinence is a complex and devastating pathology that alters the patient's quality of life, whose most common etiology is vaginal postpartum sphincter injury. To classify incontinence, the score described by Jorge and Wexner is the most used in our environment. Endoanal ultrasound has been defined as the gold standard for evaluating anal sphincter defects. Objective: To determine the correlation between clinical and ultrasound findings in patients with fecal incontinence due to obstetric cause. Material and Methods: Population: patients who consulted at the Private Center of Surgery and Coloproctology between January 2015 and December 2017 due to fecal incontinence with a history of obstetric trauma and who underwent a 360º endoanal ultrasound and a Jorge and Wexner score. Results: Twenty-four patients were evaluated. The average age was 56 years. The number of births on average was 2.3 and the Wexner Score on average was 9.7 (± 5.2). Endoanal ultrasound confirmed sphincter alteration by refining or interruption in 100% of patients. A tendency to a negative association was observed between the Wexner Score and the endoanal ultrasound (r = -0.328, p = 0.067). Patients with a lower degree of sphincter injury by ultrasound had greater severity in the Wexner Score than patients with a higher degree of injury. Patients with ultrasound evidence of mild lesions reported a higher Wexner Score than those with severe lesions. Conclusion: In this work, there was no correlation between the sonographic findings and the incontinence score. Although sphincter ultrasonography is the gold standard for assessing muscle damage, therapy should not be determined only by ultrasound. Type of study: Retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive.

Morphological characteristic of anal canal in patients with dyssynergic defecation and its correlation with anorectal manometry / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the diagnostic value of three-dimensional endoanal ultrasound (3D-EAUS) for dyssynergic defecation (DD).@*Methods@#A case-control study was performed to retrospectively collectclinical data of 46 DD patients, including 16 males and 30 females with median age of 51 (20 to 70) years, at Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine from February 2012 to April 2015.All the patients met the diagnostic criteria of functional constipation of Rome III. The paradoxical contraction of puborectalis (PR) muscle was found by both rectal examination and anorectal manometry. In the same period,45 healthy volunteers, including 22 males and 23 females with median age of 48 (21 to 72) years, without pelvic operation history, and with normal defecation in recent 6 months, were enrolled as the control group. No significant differences were observed in age and gender between two groups (both P>0.05). Cleveland constipation score of DD group was higher than that of control group [15(8-24) vs. 5(1-9), t=15.720, P<0.001]. 3D-EAUS examination was performed in all the subjects. Thickness and length of internal anal sphincter (IAS) (anterior side and posterior side), thickness of PR muscle, length of external anal sphincter (EAS) plus PR muscle, and puborectalis angle were measured and compared by using student t test between two groups. Correlation between these ultrasound parameters and anorectal manometry was examined by Pearson correlation analysis.@*Results@#Both male and female in the DD group had the greater thickness of IAS, as compared to those in the control group [male: (1.7±0.5) mm vs.(1.5±0.2) mm, t=2.516, P=0.016; female: (1.9±0.4) mm vs.(1.6±0.5) mm, t=2.034,P=0.047]. No significant differences between the two groups were observed with respect to the posterior length of IAS, length of EAS plus PR muscle, and thickness of PR muscle (all P>0.05). Compared to the control group, male in the DD group had smaller puborectalis angle during straining [(87.0±3.6)° vs. (90.5±1.8)°,t=3.502,P=0.002];female in the DD group had smaller puborectalis angle both in resting and straining [resting:(86.5±3.8)° vs. (90.1±2.1)°,t=4.047, P<0.001;straining: (84.1±4.5)° vs. (90.2±2.3)°, t=5.938, P<0.001]. Correlation analysis showed that anterior length of IAS was positively correlated with anal resting pressure (r=0.321, P=0.030); the length of EAS plus PR muscle was positively correlated with anal squeeze pressure (r=0.415, P=0.004). There were no correlations between the thickness and the posterior length of IAS and the anal resting pressure, or between the thickness of PR muscle and the anal squeeze pressure (all P>0.05).@*Conclusions@#The 3D-EAUS can accurately assess the morphological features of anal canal in DD patients. There is a certain positive correlation between 3D-EAUS and anorectal manometry.

Establishing the normal ranges of female and male anal canal and rectal wall vascularity with color Doppler anorectal ultrasonography / Estabelecendo padrões normais da vascularização do canal anal e da parede retal em indivíduos do sexo masculino e feminino com ultrassom anorretal com Doppler colorido

ABSTRACT Study objectives: To evaluate blood supply in the anal canal, rectal wall and mesorectal fat of men and women, using color Doppler endorectal sonography to establish normal ranges for vascular parameters. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary-care hospital recruited asymptomatic volunteers (≤50 years). Vascularity percentage and index were calculated for defined regions. Results: Vascularity percentage and index were significantly higher in the puborectalis, mid-level external and upper internal anal sphincter compared to the low anal canal; these parameters were higher in men than in women at upper and middle levels of the inner anal canal structures. At mid-level, vascularity was greater in the external compared to the internal anal sphincter in both sexes; however, at the upper level it was greater in the puborectalis compared to the internal anal sphincter in women. Vascularity was greater in the rectal wall compared to the mesorectal fat, with no difference between middle and lower levels. Conclusions: Blood supply is highest at upper levels of the anal canal; however, inner structures are better irrigated in men. Moreover, the rectal wall is better irrigated than the mesorectal fat. Establishing normal ranges may permit future comparisons of the studied structures in disease states as well as the hormonal and age related changes.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar vascularização do canal anal, parede retal e gordura mesorretal em homens e mulheres, usando ultrassonografia endorretal com Doppler colorido para estabelecer parâmetros vasculares de normalidade. Métodos: Estudo prospectivo transversal incluindo voluntários assintomáticos com até 50 anos. Medidos os valores da porcentagem e do índice de vascularização foram calculados para regiões escolhidas. Resultados: Valores da porcentagem e do índice foram significativamente maiores no puborretal, esfíncter externo (canal anal médio) e o esfíncter interno (canal anal superior) comparado ao canal anal inferior; esses parâmetros foram maiores em homens que em mulheres no canal anal médio e alto. No médio, a vascularização foi maior no esfíncter externo comparado ao interno em ambos os sexos; contudo, no canal anal superior, foi maior no puborretal comparado ao esfíncter anal interno em mulheres. A vascularização foi maior na parede retal comparada à gordura mesorretal, sem diferenças entre os níveis. Conclusões: O suprimento sanguíneo é maior nos níveis altos do canal anal. As estruturas internas são mais irrigadas nos homens. A parede retal é mais irrigada que a gordura mesorretal. Os parâmetros vasculares estabelecidos permitirá futuras comparações das estruturas estudadas nos casos de doenças, assim como, alterações que ocorrem com a idade e mudanças hormonais.

Relación entre el grado de incontinencia fecal y el daño del esfínter anal externo / Relationship between faecal incontinence severity and external anal sphincter disruption

Introduction: Faecal incontinence (FI) represents an important psychological and social condition for an individual. There are several causes for FI, therefore its study and management is complex. Among different aetiologies, anatomical disruption of the external anal sphincter (EAS) as a consequence of anorrectal surgery or obstetric injury can be studied by endoanal ultrasound (EAUS). This study focus on anatomical assessment of sphincter muscle injury of EAS and its relationship with clinical presentation con FI. Objective: Compare anatomical and disruption of EAS features studied by 3D-EAUS between patients with FI, according to its severity. Methods: 3D-EAUS images were obtained from selected patients studied for FI between January 2008 and July 2010 at Clínica las Condes. Wexner Score (SW) was used to evaluate severity of FI, dividing patients into two categories: Mild FI (SW < 9) and Severe FI (SW ≥ 9). A single observer evaluated different morphological variables: width, length, percentage and angle of EAS disruption. Parametrical and non-parametrical analysis was used as appropriate. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: From 31 female patients studied, mean SW was 11.7 +/- 0.8 points, range from 5 to 20 points. When dividing into two groups, 9 patients had mild FI and 22 had severe FI. Studied variables in EAUS 3D cubes: width, length, percentage and angle of EAS disruption, did not reach statistical significance between groups. Conclusion: No relationship was found between external anal sphincter anatomic injury variables studied and severity of faecal incontinence.

Introducción: La incontinencia fecal (IF) se refleja en una condición psicológica y social importante para el individuo. Las causas de IF son múltiples, siendo su estudio y manejo complejo. La disrupción anatómica del esfínter anal externo (EAE), secundaria, entre otras, a cirugía anorrectal o lesión obstétrica, es posible de ser estudiada por endosonografía anal (EAUS). El presente artículo se centra en el daño anatómico del EAE y su relación con la presentación clínica de la IF. Objetivo: Comparar las características anatómicas y daño del EAE objetivadas mediante endosonografía en 3 dimensiones (EAUS3D), entre los pacientes con IF según su severidad. Material y Método: Se obtuvo las EAUS3D realizadas en Clínica Las Condes por estudio de IF entre enero de 2008 y julio de 2010. Se utilizó el score de Wexner (SW) para separar la población en dos grupos, IF leve (SW < 9) e IF grave (SW ≥ 9). Un único observador evaluó las diferentes variables: grosor, longitud, porcentaje de defecto y ángulo de lesión del EAE. Se utilizó estadística paramétrica o no-paramétrica según corresponda. Se consideró significativo p < 0,05. Resultados: De un total de 31 pacientes femeninas estudiadas, el SW promedio fue de 11,7 +/- 0,8 con rango entre 5 y 20 puntos. Al separar según grupos, 9 pacientes tenían IF leve y 22 IF grave. De las variables estudiadas por EAUS3D: el promedio, grosor, longitud, porcentaje de defecto y el ángulo de lesión del EAE no lograron diferencia estadística entre los grupos. Conclusión: No existe una relación directa entre las variables estudiadas de daño anatómico del EAE y el grado de IF.

Influence of sphincter defect on biofeedback outcomes in patients with fecal incontinence / Influência do defeito esfincteriano na resposta ao biofeedback em pacientes com incontinência fecal

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effect of sphincter defect (SD) on biofeedback (BF) response in patients with fecal incontinence. METHODS: two hundred and forty-two patients with fecal incontinence undergoing BF as exclusive treatment were identified from a BF database. Patients were evaluated with fecal incontinence score (Cleveland Clinic Florida - Fecal Incontinence Score, CCF-FI) and anorectal physiology tests. The pre- and immediate post-treatment outcomes were obtained from the chart, and the long-term outcomes by CCF-FI score that was sent by mail. RESULTS: 242 patients underwent BF for fecal incontinence. 143 (59.1%) underwent ultrasonography, 43 (30.1%) of whom had sphincter defect detected on US. The immediate outcomes were not affected by the presence of absence of SD. The second CCF-FI questionnaire was mailed after a mean of 6.1 years after treatment. 31 (57.4%) exhibited improvement, 4 (7.4%) remained unchanged, and 19 (35.2%) had worsening function, which was significantly inferior in patients with SD (p = 0.021). Electromyography demonstrated increased electrical activity in the contraction phase after BF in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: the majority of patients experience improvement in fecal incontinence after BF. However, patients with SD detected on US prior to treatment seem to have worse function at long term. (AU)

OBJETIVOS: avaliar a influência do defeito esfincteriano (DE) na resposta ao biofeedback (BF) em pacientes com incontinência fecal. MÉTODOS: 242 pacientes com incontinência fecal, submetidos exclusivamente ao BF como forma de tratamento, foram selecionados. Os pacientes foram submetidos ao escore de incontinência fecal (Cleveland Clinic Flórida-Escore de Incontinência Fecal, CCF-IF) e testes de investigação da fisiologia anorretal. O pré e pós-tratamento imediato foram obtidos do prontuário e para avaliação a longo prazo foi enviado o CCF-IF pelo correio. RESULTADOS: 242 pacientes realizaram BF. 143 (59,1%) realizaram ultrassom e em 43 (30,1%) foi evidenciado DE. Os resultados imediatamente após o BF não foram afetados pela presença ou ausência de DE. O segundo questionário foi enviado pelo correio com tempo médio de 6,1 anos após término do BF. 31 (57,4%) melhoraram, 4 (7,4%) permaneceram inalterados e 19 (35,2%) pioraram, mas nos pacientes com DE a melhora foi significativamente inferior (p = 0,021). A eletromiografia demonstrou melhora na atividade elétrica na fase de contração em ambos os grupos. CONCLUSÕES: houve melhora clínica na maioria dos pacientes com incontinência fecal após o BF. Entretanto, pacientes com DE detectados ao US antes do tratamento, apresentaram piores resultados a longo prazo. (AU)

Functional Investigation with Use of Anorectal Physiology in the Patients with Fecal Incontinence

BACKGROUND: A large amount of attention in anorectal physiologic studies has been devoted to the diagnosis of fecal incontinence. The current study was designed firstly to assess the physiologic characteristics of fecal incontinence and secondly to analyze how the physiologic findings correlate with each other. METHODS: The physiologic findings of 47 patients (24 men and 23 women) were analyzed, retrospectively. Studies included anal manometry (n=38), anal electromyography/pudendal nerve terminal motor latency (PNTML) (n=30), and endoanal ultrasound (n=37). The degrees of continence were estimated by using continence grading scores (CGS) that ranged from 0 to 20 points based on the type and the frequency of incontinence. Control data were obtained from volunteers (n=23). RESULTS: The patients were categorized as having neurogenic (group I, n=25) or myogenic (group II, n=17) incontinence. Despite intensive investigations, unknown etiology was noted in 5 patients (10.4%). The CGS was not different between groups I and II. Pudendal neuropathy was found in 96% of group I and 37.5% of group II patients. Group I showed a higher value of PNTML than that of group II (2.96 1.0 msec vs. 2.07 0.48 msec, p=0.003). The CGS was proportional to the value of the PNTML in group I (r=0.476, p=0.01). However, no correlation was found between the mean PNTML and the CGS in group II. In the manometric parameters, there were no statistical differences between the values of the mean resting pressure (RP), the maximum RP, and the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) between groups I and II. The MVC was inversely proportional to the CGS in group I (r= 0.616, p=0.02) and in group II (r= 0.664, p=0.02). No correlation was found between the PNTML and the manometric parameters. When we consider the presence of a defect or a scar as an abnormal anal ultrasound finding, such findings were more frequent in group II than in group I (group I, 20% vs. group II, 88%, p<0.001, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSIONS: The value of the PNTML had relevance to the degree of symptoms in the patients with neurogenic incontinence. Specifically, the squeeze profiles of the manometric parameters were inversely related to the grade of incontinence. No correlation between the PNTML and the manometric parameters could be independently specified based on the etiology. Complementary examination by using the PNTML and anal ultrasound provided the only useful information to discriminate the etiology of incontinence.