Novel treatment of fecal incontinence with an injectable biocompatible tissue bulking agent.

MB Fecal incontinence is the inability to defer the urge to pass gas or stool until a socially acceptable time and place. It is estimated that fecal incontinence affects approximately 15 million individuals in the United States; however, this figure likely underestimates the true prevalence of this condition. It is estimated that approximately two thirds of the patients who suffer from fecal incontinence do not come forward, leading to this condition being labeled as “the silent affliction.” These patients may be too embarrassed to discuss their condition or may think that they can manage it on their own. At times, they may broach the subject with their physician, but unfortunately the physician may not be aware of any interventions that would offer significant help to treat the condition. Thus, many patients suffer in silence. Fecal incontinence is associated with a significant decrease in quality of life. Individuals who suffer from this condition often curtail their activities of daily living due to fear that they may have an accident, with many individuals becoming social shut-ins. It has been shown that individuals who suffer from fecal incontinence have a worse quality of life than individuals who have other gastrointestinal issues. A fecal incontinence quality-of-life score has been developed to assess the impact of this condition across 4 categories: lifestyle, coping and behavior, depression and self-perception, and embarrassment. Patients with fecal incontinence score worse across all 4 categories than patients with other gastrointestinal disturbances. G&H How does fecal incontinence arise?