Biofeedback therapy for faecal incontinence: our experience

Biofeedback combined with electrical stimulation is an appealing conservative therapeutic option in patients with faecal incontinence. A total of 51 patients with faecal incontinence referred to our proctological division from March 2004 to June 2008 were studied. All patients were treated with biofeedback plus electrical stimulation. All patients underwent, on average, twice-weekly 15-minute electromyography-biofeedback training sessions followed by 5 minutes of electrical stimulation. Patients satisfaction, physiological data, clinical symptoms and a modified Wexner score were used to assess improvement. At 6 months' follow-up, nearly all physiological parameters showed a significant improvement (p < 0.05) and there was a reduction in the loss of solid stool (from 78.4 to 27.5 percent), in the loss of liquid stool (from 100 to 29.4 percent), and in pad usage (from 74.5 to 17.6 percent). At 1-year follow-up, an improvement in satisfaction was reported by 41/51 of patients (80.4%). This study suggests that biofeedback plus electrical stimulation leads to a substantial improvement in faecal incontinence symptoms and underlines the importance of anorectal functional tests to examine and guide the management of patients with faecal incontinence.