Colorectal Diseases Non Cancerous Colorectal Disease

Fecal Incontinence

Fecal Incontinence, characterized by an inability to control bowel movements, can occur for many reasons. It may be caused by an abscess or inflammation in the rectum, anus or perianal area. Other causes include damage to the anal sphincter from trauma, complications during childbirth, or the result of a previous operation. It can stem from an injury or disorder of the nervous system. Fecal impaction or muscle atrophy in an elderly patient can also lead to incontinence. While age-onset incontinence is less responsive to surgical treatment, surgical correction can be performed in some instances, especially if the underlying cause of the incontinence is anal sphincter abnormality.

Fecal Incontinence Treatment at the Colorectal Care Program

The Colorectal Care Program at Columbia Presbyterian understands the distressing, even devastating effects that fecal incontinence can have on patients' quality of life. We work with patients to accurately assess and effectively treat fecal incontinence so that you may enjoy life as it was, with your freedom and independence back again.

Surgery for Fecal Incontinence

Biofeedback, sphincter (Kegel) exercises, and dietary and liquid management are often tried first to address fecal incontinence associated with constipation or diarrhea. For certain individuals, especially in cases of severe incontinence or incontinence due to chidbirth injury, surgery may be recommended. Surgery is particularly effective at repairing injury to the anal sphincter. Surgical treatments may either repair or augment the sphincter mechanism, or they may constrict the sphincter using the patient's own tissue or an artificial device.

A number of other procedures are less commonly performed but are also available, such as total pelvic floor repair, gluteoplasty, graciloplasty, and others. Research on sacral nerve stimulation is promising, and research continues to improve on many of the above procedures. It is necessary to understand the cause of incontinence in order to determine the appropriate choice in surgery.

For more information and support regarding fecal incontinence, please see http://www.aboutincontinence.org or http://www.iffgd.org.