Patient Characteristics and Treatments for Women With Moderately Severe Fecal Incontinence [36F]

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Surgical treatments, such as sphincteroplasty or sacral neuromodulation, are available for fecal incontinence (FI). There has been increasing attention on the progress to surgical treatment for overactive bladder, but little is known about the progress towards this therapy for FI. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of all new patients presenting to an academic Urogynecology clinic with Wexner Incontinence Scale scores of 11-14 (equivalent to moderately severe FI). Demographics, prior treatments, and how long it took for patients to proceed to definitive treatment were collected. Our prior work described women with severe FI (Wexner score 15–20). With this study we sought to describe women with moderately severe FI and compare moderate to severe FI groups. RESULTS: From January 2014 to July 2017, 158 new patients with a Wexner score of 11-14 were seen in clinic. The mean age was 62.5 +/-12 years. The majority (n=117, 77%) had never had any treatment for FI. The most common treatment plan at the first visit was fiber and dietary modifications (n=59, 38%). Only 3 patients went on to surgical treatment. There were no significant differences between those with moderate versus severe FI in how many ultimate progressed to surgical therapy (3 versus 6) or the number of clinic visits until that decision was made (2 versus 3), all p>.05. CONCLUSION: Very few patients progress to surgical treatment despite at least moderately severe FI. Further work is needed to facilitate timely delivery of definitive care for this patient population.