Proceedings of the American Urogynecologic Society Multidisciplinary Symposium on Defecatory Disorders

The Multidisciplinary Symposium on Defecatory Disorders was created to delineate the breadth of defecatory disorders and propose investigations to address identified knowledge deficits. Seven experts in defecatory disorders and 24 members of the American Urogynecologic Society were invited. The experts provided brief summaries of the scope of defecatory disorders from the perspectives of their specialties. The group then divided into 3 subgroups that focused on pathophysiology, imaging, and evaluation and treatment. Defecatory disorders, including anal incontinence and constipation, are common among women of all ages. Determination of their prevalence is complicated by a lack of standardized definitions. Defecatory disorders carry lengthy differential diagnoses. Imaging studies and anorectal testing, although not standardized, can aid in distinguishing different causes of dysfunction. The lack of uniformity in diagnosis and evaluation compromises comparisons of different treatments. Standardization of diagnoses and diagnostic modalities is essential to the design of meaningful evaluations of treatments for defecatory disorders.