Biofeedback combined with diet is a valuable treatment option for patients with obstructed defecation syndrome associated with anismus, and more than half of our patients of both sexes achieved a satisfactory response. Improvement was not related to reversal of paradoxical contraction of puborectalis muscles at manometry. Patient sex, age, previous anorectal surgery, anorectal manometry pressures, and vaginal delivery, menopause, and hysterectomy in women did not significantly affect outcome.

Dynamic 3-dimensional transvaginal and transrectal ultrasonography is a simple and fast ultrasound technique that shows strong agreement with echodefecography and may be used as an alternative method to assess patients with obstructed defecation syndrome.

Based on data from this study, the safe extent of division is less than 25% of the total sphincter length, which in women corresponds to less than 1 cm.

As determined by the 3D ultrasound score, severity of incontinence is related to the extent of damage of the PVM, as well as of the anal sphincters. Additionally, vaginal delivery results in enlargement of the levator hiatus and a lower position of the anorectal junction and bladder neck compared with nulliparous women.

-Context -Management of patients with obstructed defecation syndrome is still controversial. Objective -To analyze the efficacy of clinical, clinical treatment followed by biofeedback, and surgical treatment in patients with obstructed defecation, rectocele and multiple dysfunctions evaluated with echodefecography. Methods -The study included 103 females aged 26-84 years with obstructed defecation, grade-II/III rectocele and multiple dysfunctions on echodefecography. Patients were distributed into three treatment groups and constipation scores were assigned. Group I: 34 (33%) patients with significant improvement of symptoms through clinical management only. Group II: 14 (14%) with improvement through clinical treatment plus biofeedback. Group III: 55 (53%) referred to surgery due to treatment failure. Results -Group I: 20 (59%) patients had grade-II rectocele, 14 (41%) grade-III. Obstructed defecation syndrome was associated with intussusception (41%), mucosal prolapse (41%), anismus (29%), enterocele (9%) or 2 dysfunctions (23%). The average constipation score decreased significantly from 11 to 5. Group II: 11 (79%) grade-II rectocele, 3 (21%) grade-III, associa ted with intussusception (7%), mucosal prolapse (43%), anismus (71%) or 2 dysfunctions (29%). There was significant decrease in constipation score from 13 to 6. Group III: 8 (15%) grade-II rectocele, 47 (85%) grade-III, associated with intussusception (42%), mucosal prolapse (40%) or 2 dysfunctions (32%). The constipation score remained unchanged despite clinical treatment and biofeedback. Twenty-three underwent surgery had a significantly decrease in constipation score from 12 to 4. The remaining 32 (31%) patients which 22 refused surgery, 6 had low anal pressure and 4 had slow transit. Conclusions -Approximately 50% of patients with obstructed defecation, rectocele and multiple dysfunctions presented a satisfactory response to clinical treatment and/or biofeedback. Surgical repair was mainly required in patients with grade-III rectocele whose constipation scores remained high despite all efforts. HEADINGS -Rectocele. Constipation. Pelvic floor. Imaging, three-dimensional.None disclosure.

-Context -Anismus is a prevalent functional cause of outlet delay. It is characterized by symptoms of obstructed defecation associated with paradoxical contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. Objective -To evaluate the ability of two dimensional anal ultrasonography to identify anismus patients with paradoxical contraction or normal relaxation, comparing findings with manometric measurements. Methods -Forty-nine women presenting with outlet delay and a mean validated Wexner constipation score of 13.5 were included in a prospective study. Following screening with anal manometry, the patients were assigned to one of two groups: G-I -with normal relaxation and G-II -patients with anismus. Dynamic anorectal ultrasonography was used to quantifier the movement of the puborectalis muscle and to measure changes in the angle between two converging lines drawn from the 3 o'clock and the 9 o'clock positions of the endoprobe circumference to the internal border of the puborectalis muscle. The angle decreases during straining in patients with normal relaxation, but increases in patients with anismus. The agreement between the two techniques was verified with the Kappa index. Results -In manometry, during straining the anal canal pressure decreased by 41.3% in G-I and increased by 168.6% in G-II, indicating a diagnosis of anismus for the second group. In US, during straining, the angle produced by the movement of the puborectalis muscle decreased from 63 ± 1.31 to 58 ± 1.509 degrees (P = 0.0135) in 23 of the 30 patients in G-I, indicating normal relaxation, and increased from 66 ± 0.972 to 72 ± 0.897 degrees (P = 0.0001) in 16 of the 19 patients in G-II, indicating anismus. The index of agreement between manometry and two dimensional anal ultrasonography was moderate: 77% (23/30) for G-I and 84% (16/19) for G-II. Conclusion -Two-dimensional dynamic anal ultrasonography showed similar results previously suggested by anal manometry at identifying patients with normal relaxation or paradoxical contraction.

Functional biometric indexes, normal perineal descent and bladder neck descent values were determined for young asymptomatic nulliparous women with the 3-D endovaginal ultrasonography. The method was found to be reliable to measure pelvic floor structures at rest and during Valsalva, and might therefore be suitable for identifying dysfunctions in symptomatic patients.

Evaluation of both pubovisceral muscles and anal sphincters is important to identify defects and determine treatment for women with fecal incontinence after vaginal delivery. The severity of fecal incontinence symptoms is significantly related to the extent of defects of the pubovisceral muscles and anal sphincters.