182
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Anorectal diseases

The role of anorectal investigations in predicting the outcome of biofeedback in the treatment of faecal incontinence

&
Pages 1265-1271 | Received 30 Jun 2013, Accepted 19 Aug 2013, Published online: 25 Sep 2013
 

Abstract

Objective. The current literature does not provide unequivocal evidence on prognostic factors of patients' response to biofeedback for management of faecal incontinence. The aim of this study was to identify independent predictors of patient response to biofeedback. Material and methods. Baseline demographic characteristics, symptomatology and anorectal investigation reports of 137 patients who completed biofeedback therapy were analysed retrospectively. Short-term response (<3 months) to biofeedback was assessed using subjective criteria (improvement/ no improvement). P Values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results. At univariate analysis, age, duration of symptoms, severity of faecal incontinence, mean maximum squeeze and resting pressure differed significantly (p < 0.05) were associated with patients' response. However, after performing logistic regression analysis age, duration and severity of symptoms were the only variables associated with the outcome (p Values were 0.041, 0.022 and 0.025, respectively). Conclusion. Three independent factors (younger age, shorter duration and lower severity of faecal incontinence) were associated with patient outcome after completing our unit's biofeedback protocol. Anorectal investigations are of questionable value in patient selection for biofeedback therapy.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.