ANORECTAL MANOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS IN MEN AND WOMEN WITH IDIOPATHICFECAL INCONTINENCE

To characterize and compare the anorectal manometric findings of men a nd women with idiopathic fecal incontinence referred to a tertiary car e center for pelvic floor disorders, we reviewed 86 consecutive patien ts who underwent anorectal manometry during a 13-month period. We dete rmined the etiologies of all patients and analyzed men and women with no obvious cause (idiopathic). The manometric parameters included rest ing and squeeze anal canal pressures, duration of squeeze pressures, t hreshold of external anal sphincter contraction, threshold of octal se nsation, and rectal compliance. Thirty-one of 86 patients were classif ied as having idiopathic fecal incontinence. The mean age of the 7 mal e patients with idiopathic fecal incontinence was 65 years, (range, 45 -78 years) and 63 years (range, 38-83 years) in the 24 women. Compared with male patients, female patients had lower sphincteric pressures a nd shorter squeeze durations. Both men and women frequently exhibited poor phasic response of the external anal sphincter to rectal distenti on. We conclude that, compared with men, women with idiopathic fecal i ncontinence more often exhibit abnormalities of anal sphincteric motor function. The sex-related differences in muscle mass and past traumat ic events related to childbirth may partly account for these findings.