Spinal Cord Perfusion Pressure Correlates with Anal Sphincter Function in a Cohort of Patients with Acute, Severe Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries

Background Acute, severe traumatic spinal cord injury often causes fecal incontinence. Currently, there are no treatments to improve anal function after traumatic spinal cord injury. Our study aims to determine whether, after traumatic spinal cord injury, anal function can be improved by interventions in the neuro-intensive care unit to alter the spinal cord perfusion pressure at the injury site. Methods We recruited a cohort of patients with acute, severe traumatic spinal cord injuries (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grades A–C). They underwent surgical fixation within 72 h of the injury and insertion of an intrathecal pressure probe at the injury site to monitor intraspinal pressure and compute spinal cord perfusion pressure as mean arterial pressure minus intraspinal pressure. Injury-site monitoring was performed at the neuro-intensive care unit for up to a week after injury. During monitoring, anorectal manometry was also conducted over a range of spinal cord perfusion pressures. Results Data were collected from 14 patients with consecutive traumatic spinal cord injury aged 22–67 years. The mean resting anal pressure was 44 cmH2O, which is considerably lower than the average for healthy patients, previously reported at 99 cmH2O. Mean resting anal pressure versus spinal cord perfusion pressure had an inverted U-shaped relation (Ȓ2 = 0.82), with the highest resting anal pressures being at a spinal cord perfusion pressure of approximately 100 mmHg. The recto-anal inhibitory reflex (transient relaxation of the internal anal sphincter during rectal distension), which is important for maintaining fecal continence, was present in 90% of attempts at high (90 mmHg) spinal cord perfusion pressure versus 70% of attempts at low (60 mmHg) spinal cord perfusion pressure (P < 0.05). During cough, the rise in anal pressure from baseline was 51 cmH2O at high (86 mmHg) spinal cord perfusion pressure versus 37 cmH2O at low (62 mmHg) spinal cord perfusion pressure (P < 0.0001). During anal squeeze, higher spinal cord perfusion pressure was associated with longer endurance time and spinal cord perfusion pressure of 70–90 mmHg was associated with stronger squeeze. There were no complications associated with anorectal manometry. Conclusions Our data indicate that spinal cord injury causes severe disruption of anal sphincter function. Several key components of anal continence (resting anal pressure, recto-anal inhibitory reflex, and anal pressure during cough and squeeze) markedly improve at higher spinal cord perfusion pressure. Maintaining too high of spinal cord perfusion pressure may worsen anal continence.

Conservative Treatment of Hemorrhoidal Disease

Background: Hemorrhoids are vascular cushions underlying the distal rectal mucosa and contributing for approximately 15–20% of the resting anal pressure with a complete closure of the anal canal. They can become pathological (hemorrhoidal disease, HD) being the most common cause of painless rectal bleeding during defecation with or without prolapsing anal tissue. The treatment of HD must be tailored to both the severity of disease and patient’s expectation. Methods: A narrative review of all the most relevant papers present on Pubmed was conducted. Results: Conservative treatment is effective in managing the majority of patients complaining of early stages of the disease. Dietary and lifestyle modifications to achieve regular defecation and soft stool are the first therapeutic step. Oral phlebotonic drugs can help to control symptoms. The use of topical medications, particularly during the acute phase or in the post-hemorrhoidectomy period can also be beneficial for all patients complaining of HD. Conclusion: Despite a large number of available products on the market and the high incidence of HD, very few randomized controlled trials have been carried out and most of the studies are uncontrolled case series. Larger and better designed trials are necessary to establish the real benefit of all types of drugs in the treatment of early stages of HD.

CLINICAL AND MANOMETRIC ASSESMENT OF FUNCTIONAL STATE OF ANAL SPHINCTER IN PATIENTS AFTER FISTULECTOMY WITH PRIMARY SPHINCTEROPLASTY

AIM: to evaluate changes of anorectal manometry parameters and clinical symptoms of fecal incontinence 3 months after fistulectomy with primary sphincteroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: fifty-two patients (37 males) with complex anal fistulae of cryptoglandular origin underwent fistulectomy and primary sphincteroplasty. The fistulas were recurrent in 13 (25 %) cases, 8 (15,4 %) patients had preoperative fecal incontinence. Fecal incontinence Wexner score was 0,46 (0-8) before surgery. Anorectal manometry was performed before and 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: three months days after surgery mean and maximum resting anal pressure were not significantly low compared with the baseline. In patients with initially normal data before the surgery (n=22), resting anal pressure was significantly lower (before surgery M=56,1 ± 7,6 [46,1-69,0], after surgery 45,5 ± 8,8 [38,0-63,0], p=0,006, Wilcoxon test). There were no significant changes in squeezing anal pressure. Resting anal pressure has become below the normal after surgery in 13 (59.1 %) patients. Clinical symptoms of fecal incontinence was detected in 10 patients postoperatively (gas incontinence and soiling). Fecal incontinence Wexner score was 1,64 (0-11) after surgery (p=0,007). CONCLUSION: fistulectomy with primary sphincteroplasty leads to change of resting anal pressure basically in patients with initially normal pressure and mainly - in patients with anterior fistulas. Fecal incontinence symptoms after with surgery produced 26,3 % patients. These data confirm the need of individual approach when choosing the method of surgical treatment of analfistulae.

Anal sphincter dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: an observation manometric study

Constipation, obstructed defecation, and fecal incontinence are frequent complaints in multiple sclerosis. The literature on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these disorders is scant. Using anorectal manometry, we compared the anorectal function in patients with and without multiple sclerosis.136 patients referred from our Center for Multiple Sclerosis to the Coloproctology Outpatient Clinic, between January 2005 and December 2011, were enrolled. The patients were divided into four groups: multiple sclerosis patients with constipation (group A); multiple sclerosis patients with fecal incontinence (group B); non-multiple sclerosis patients with constipation (group C); non-multiple sclerosis patients with fecal incontinence (group D). Anorectal manometry was performed to measure: resting anal pressure; maximum squeeze pressure; rectoanal inhibitory reflex; filling pressure and urge pressure. The difference between resting anal pressure before and after maximum squeeze maneuvers was defined as the change in resting anal pressure calculated for each patient.ResultsGroup A patients were noted to have greater sphincter hypotonia at rest and during contraction compared with those in group C (p=0.02); the rectal sensitivity threshold was lower in group B than in group D patients (p=0.02). No voluntary postcontraction sphincter relaxation was observed in either group A or group B patients (p=0.891 and p=0.939, respectively).ConclusionsThe decrease in the difference in resting anal pressure before and after maximum squeeze maneuvers suggests post-contraction sphincter spasticity, indicating impaired pelvic floor coordination in multiple sclerosis patients. A knowledge of manometric alterations in such patients may be clinically relevant in the selection of patients for appropriate treatments and for planning targeted rehabilitation therapy.

Amplitude and recovery velocity of relaxation induced by rectoanal inhibitory reflex and its importance for obstructive evacuation

BACKGROUND: The rectoanal inhibitory reflex has an important rule in the fecal continence mechanism. Alterations in this reflex can be associated with compromised anal sphincteric function. AIM: To identify possible correlation between rectoanal inhibitory reflex parameters and intestinal constipation due to obstructive evacuation. PATIENTS: Sixty nine patients with intestinal constipation had been submitted to anorectal manometry. It was selected 29 patients (27 female, mean age of 42.3 (19-73) years) having intestinal constipation owing to obstructive evacuation. Thirteen individuals without anorectal functional complaints (eight female, mean age 52.5 (28-73) years) formed the control group. RESULTS: The mean value of resting anal pressure before rectoanal inhibitory reflex in the proximal and distal anal canals were 61.8 mm Hg and 81.7 mm Hg respectively, for the constipated patients, and 46.0 mm Hg and 64.5 mm Hg, respectively, for asymptomatic individuals. The mean pressure at the point of maximal relaxation in constipated patients was 29.0 mm Hg in the proximal anal canal, and 52.1 mm Hg in the distal anal canal, whilst in the asymptomatic group they were 17.8 mm Hg and 36.3 mm Hg, respectively. The mean percentage difference between the mean resting anal pressure and the mean point of maximal relaxation pressure in the proximal anal canal (amplitude of relaxation) was 54.1% in constipated patients and 54.3% in asymptomatic individuals. In the distal anal canal it was, respectively, 35.6% in constipated patients, and 38.5% in the control group. The average recovery velocity of relaxation in the proximal anal canal was 4.06 mm/second in constipated patients and 2.98 mm/second in asymptomatic individuals, giving a significant difference between the two groups, as well as in the distal anal canal (3.9 mm/second and 2.98 mm/second, respectively) CONCLUSION: The greater recovery velocity of the resting anal pressure in the proximal anal canal in constipated patients than in controls may be associated with obstructive evacuation.