Urinary incontinence of the severity encountered in spina bifida and bladder exstrophy can deal a shattering blow to the fragile self esteem of children and young people. Patients stigmatised by incontinence in childhood are often underachievers at school and denied employment opportunities as young adults. Treatment is aimed at creating the degree of continence required to enable them to fulfi...

This article presents a method to fabricate, measure and control a physical simulation of the human defecatory system to investigate individual and combined effects of anorectal angle and sphincter pressure on continence. To illustrate the capabilities and clinical relevance of the work, the influence of a passive-assistive artificial anal sphincter (FENIXTM) is evaluated. A model rectum and as...

PURPOSE The impact of pelvic floor muscle training on the recovery of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy is still controversial. We tested the effectiveness of biofeedback-pelvic floor muscle training in improving urinary incontinence in the 12 months following radical prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 73 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy were randomized t...

BACKGROUND The efficacy of preoperative pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for urinary incontinence (UI) after open radical prostatectomy (ORP) and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP) is still unclear. OBJECTIVE To determine whether patients with additional preoperative PFMT regain urinary continence earlier than patients with only postoperative PFMT after ORP and RARP. ...

Reduced mobility, physical weakness or other disabilities can all contribute to continence problems (McIntosh, 1998). The ability to transfer from a bed or chair to a commode may be a critical factor in deciding whether patients can be discharged home or into residential care. Also, patients--particularly women--may be prescribed continence pads simply because they cannot access the toilet or c...

Artificial urinary sphincters are commonly used in males with intrinsic sphincter deficiency to improve continence and quality of life. Complications include erosion, mechanical failure and infection. Frequently, a staged approach involving removal of the device, followed by a period of healing and subsequent reinsertion of a new sphincter is required to restore continence. We describe the firs...

The case details and outcome after surgical decompression of 46 dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disease with loss of deep pain perception prior to surgery were reviewed. Nineteen dogs (41.3%) recovered with a median follow-up period of 12.5 months. Recovery was defined as an ambulatory paraparesis, or better, with urinary and fecal continence. There was a better outcome in dogs with...

OBJECTIVE The current study investigates the effect of bladder neck (BN) preservation on postoperative continence and positive surgical margins (+SMs). PATIENTS AND METHODS 150 patients (group 1) who underwent BN-sparing endoscopic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy (EERPE) and 90 patients treated with EERPE and BN resection (group 2) were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS Both groups w...

The mechanics of defecation and fecal continence are poorly understood. Valvular theories for continence 2 rely on raised intra-abdominal pressure to force the anterior wall of the rectum downwards to close off the anorectal junction. Such theories are not consistent with EMG and radiological data which suggest a striated muscle sphincteric mechanism.3 It has been demonstrated that puborectalis...