[Anal incontinence caused by an obstetric trauma. Experience with the technique of overlapping sphincteroplasty]

Anal incontinence (IA) could be of idiopathic, congenital, neurological origin, or secondary to trauma. Obstetric trauma is the most common cause of the traumatic anal incontinence.

To analyze results of a group of patients with anal incontinence secondary to obstetric trauma, with overlapping sphincteroplasty.

All patients with anal incontinence secondary to obstetric trauma without neurological damage, between January 2002 to January 2006 were studied; all of them underwent overlapping sphincteroplasty. We evaluated improvement in incontinence score according Jorge and Wexner incontinence scale, pre and postoperatively as well as morbi-mortality rates.

16 patients, most of them with total anal incontinence, with preoperative values between 16 to 20 points at the Jorge and Wexner scale; 14 patients (87.5%) referred improvement in their values with 4 to 0 points postoperatively, two patients did not refer significant improvement, both of them with defects in both sphincters and loss of the 50% of the entire sphincteric complex. They were sent to bio-feedback therapy. There was not mortality. Seven patients (43.7%) had skin dehiscence.

Overlapping sphincteroplasty is an accurately technique for repair obstetric trauma injuries of the anal sphincter, with a success rate of 70 to 80%, and a low morbidity rate.