[Progress in diagnostics of anorectal disorders. Part I: anatomic background and clinical and neurologic procedures]

Diagnostics and therapy of anorectal disorders are still questions of surgery. Exact knowledge of functional anatomy and precise clinical examination constitute the basis for the resulting therapeutic strategies. Three-dimensional endosonography and technical advances in flexible endoscopy using high-resolution chromoendoscopy and narrow-band imaging enable exact staging and diagnosis, even of malignancies in earliest stages. Furthermore new in-vivo staining methods combined with high-resolution imaging facilitate the discrimination of inflammatory and neoplastic lesions, which often lead to diagnostic difficulties in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Developments in neurologic testing, including surface electromyography and sacral nerve stimulation, complement the diagnostic armamentarium.