[Fecal incontinence: role of anal sphincter rehabilitation]

Fecal incontinence is a highly disabling symptom which causes the patient to gradually abandon all forms of social, family and working relationships. Rehabilitation was adopted initially in cases of surgical failure and considered as being only palliative. In our study we tested an original rehabilitation protocol for faecal incontinence which embraces 3 methods--physio-kinesitherapy, electrostimulation and biofeedback--in what we have called "anal sphincter functional rehabilitation". The study was conducted in 196 patients (61 M, 135 F) mean age 42.9 (range: 11-86), with faecal incontinence of varying aetiology. The 3 methods were carried out simultaneously in 3 one-hour sessions a week. The protocol envisaged 15 consecutive sessions at the end of which a first assessment was made of the results achieved. Therapeutic success was achieved in 93.4% of cases. The results obtained with our protocol do not differ from those reported by other Authors and we can therefore state that functional rehabilitation of the anal sphincter is to be viewed not merely as a valid alternative to surgery, but as the therapy of choice for fecal incontinence.