Biofeedback therapy

Barostat or syringe‐assisted sensory biofeedback training for constipation with rectal hyposensitivity: A randomized controlled trial

“…Because sensory biofeedback training is patient‐dependent, in addition to objective measures such as rectal sensory thresholds, one should ascertain the patient's ability to learn as well as the therapist's ability to impart sensory training. To our knowledge, these aspects have not been evaluated previously in biofeedback programs for anorectal disorders 18,43,44 . We found that patients who received either BAST or SAST reported significant improvement in their awareness for stooling when compared to baseline, although there was no difference between the two methods, and also, the patient's ability to learn from each method of sensory training was rated high at ~66% after their first training, and an additional 10% improvement after six sessions suggesting a ceiling effect.…”

“…To our knowledge, these aspects have not been evaluated previously in biofeedback programs for anorectal disorders. 18,43,44 We found that patients who received either BAST or SAST reported significant improvement in their awareness for stooling when compared to baseline, although there was no difference between the two methods, and also, the patient's ability to learn from each method of sensory training was rated high at ~66% after their first training, and an additional 10% improvement after six sessions suggesting a ceiling effect. On the other hand, the therapists rated that their ability to teach patients to recognize rectal sensations was significantly better with BAST when compared to SAST, and also from a technical standpoint, they rated that the BAST was significantly easier to administer than the SAST.…”

“…These observations underscore the need for improved technology. The introduction of a computerized balloon distension technique using a barostat 20,21,42,43 has enabled us to further refine this technology and develop a BAST program, and also, recently using a different sensory distension paradigm, the barostat has been shown to be efficacious and useful for treating patients with IBS and rectal hypersensitivity 42 …”

“…These observations underscore the need for improved technology. The introduction of a computerized balloon distension technique using a barostat 20,21,42,43 has enabled us to further refine this technology and develop a BAST program, and also, recently using a different sensory distension paradigm, the barostat has been shown to be efficacious and useful for treating patients with IBS and rectal hypersensitivity. 42 Because sensory biofeedback training is patient-dependent, in addition to objective measures such as rectal sensory thresholds, one should ascertain the patient's ability to learn as well as the therapist's ability to impart sensory training.…”