Bowel Incontinence
Alternate Names : Fecal Incontinence, Incontinence - Bowel, Loss of Bowel Control, Uncontrollable Passage of Feces
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What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office
The health care provider will perform a physical examination, focusing on the abdomen and rectum. A digital exam of the rectum and anus will be performed. The health care provider will insert a lubricated finger into the rectum to evaluate sphincter tone, anal reflexes, and to check for any abnormalities of the rectal area.
Medical history questions documenting bowel incontinence in detail may include:
- Has anything happened recently to cause emotional upset?
- Is the patient confused or disoriented?
- In a child, was he or she previously toilet trained? Did he or she have trouble with toilet training?
- What other symptoms are also present?
- Describe your problem. When does this occur?
- How long has incontinence been a problem?
- How many times does this happen each day?
- Are you aware of the need to defecate before you leak?
- What is the consistency of the stool?
- Describe the amount of stool leakage (discharge, with gas, large amount of stool)?
- What surgeries have you had?
- What injuries have you had?
- What medications do you take?
- Do you drink coffee? How much?
- Do you drink alcohol? How much?
- Describe your usual diet.
Diagnostic tests may include:
-
stool culture if person has chronic diarrhea
- blood tests
-
barium enema
- defecography (x-ray procedure using a contrast material to visualize the bowel while the person defecates)
- balloon sphincterogram (x-ray procedure using a contrast material to evaluate how well the sphincter contracts)
- anal manometry (measures anal sphincter tone)
- rectal or pelvic ultrasound
-
EMG
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