Do Age and Sex Influence Anorectal Manometry Parameters?

Using a footstool does not aid simulated defecation in undifferentiated constipation: A randomized trial

INTRODUCTION

The use of a footstool has been advocated to optimize posture when sitting on the toilet and thus facilitate bowel evacuation. We aimed to assess the alterations in defecatory posture, and the changes in simulated defecation with use of a footstool in patients with constipation.

METHODS

Forty-one patients (female 93%, mean 52 year, SD 14 year) with constipation referred to a tertiary neurogastroenterology unit were enrolled. A bowel questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Rome questionnaire were administered prior to anorectal manometry. Each patient underwent three rectal balloon expulsion tests in randomized order with no footstool, a 7-inch, and a 9-inch footstool. Additional assessments included angle between spine and femur, and visual analogue scales assessing ease of evacuation, urge to defecate, and discomfort with expulsion.

KEY RESULTS

Defecatory posture was significantly altered by footstool use, with progressive narrowing of the angle between the spine and femur as footstool height increased (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Compared with no footstool, the use of a footstool was not associated with a change in balloon expulsion time and there was no difference between the two footstool heights. Subjectively, no significant change was identified in any of the three perceptions of balloon expulsion between no footstool and footstool use.

CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES

Although the use of a footstool led to changes in defecatory posture, it did not improve subjective or objective measures of simulated defecation in patients with undifferentiated constipation. Therefore, the recommendation for its use during evacuation cannot be applied to all patients with constipation.

Recto-anal Pressures in Constipated Men and Women Undergoing High-Resolution Anorectal Manometry

BACKGROUND

In constipated individuals, high-resolution anorectal manometry (HRM) may suggest the presence of a defecatory disorder. Despite known physiological differences between men and women, our understanding of functional anorectal pathophysiology is based upon predominantly female cohorts. Results are generalized to men.

AIMS

To evaluate whether recto-anal pressure patterns in constipated men are similar to those in constipated women.

METHODS

The electronic health records at Mayo Clinic, Rochester were used to identify constipated adult patients, without organic anorectal disease, who had undergone HRM and balloon expulsion testing (BET) in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Comparative analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Among 3,298 constipated adult patients (2,633 women, 665 men), anal and rectal pressures were higher in men. Women more likely to have HRM findings suggestive of a defecatory disorder (39% versus 20%, P < 0.001). Women were more likely to exhibit a type 4 pattern (27% versus 14%, P < 0.001), and less likely to exhibit a type 1 pattern (14% versus 38%, P < 0.001), of dyssynergia. Men were more likely to have an abnormal balloon expulsion test (BET, 34% versus 29%, P = 0.006). Nominal logistic regression demonstrates that male sex, age over 50 years, reduced recto-anal gradient during simulated evacuation, and types 2 and 4 dyssynergia are associated with an abnormal BET.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large retrospective study, constipated men and women exhibited different patterns of dyssynergia both in the presence and absence of an abnormal BET. These findings were independent of sex-specific baseline physiological differences.