Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Quantification of Levator Ani Hiatus Enlargement by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Males and Females with Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Published on: April 17, 2019
Gender influence on defecographic abnormalities in patients with posterior pelvic floor disorders
Céline Savoye-Collet1, Guillaume Savoye, Edith Koning
1Radiology Department, Rouen University Hospital Charles Nicolle, 1 rue de Germont, F-76031 Rouen, France. savoyecel@hotmail.com
Aim:
To compare defecographic abnormalities in symptomatic men and women and to analyze differences between men and age- and symptom-matched women.
Methods:
Sixty-six men (mean age: 55.4 years, range: 20-81 years) who complained of constipation and/or fecal incontinence and/or pelvic pain underwent defecography after intake of a barium meal. Radiographs were analyzed for the diagnosis of rectocele, enterocele, intussusception and perineal descent. They were compared with age- and symptom-matched women (n = 198) who underwent defecography during the same period.
Results:
Normal defecography was observed in 22.7% of men vs 5.5% of women (P < 0.001). Defecography in men compared with women showed 4.5% vs 44.4% (P < 0.001) rectocele, and 10.6% vs 29.8% (P < 0.001) enterocele, respectively. No difference was observed for the diagnosis of intussusception (57.6% vs 44.9%). Perineal descent at rest was more frequent in women (P < 0.005).
Conclusion:
For the same complaint, diagnosis of defecographic abnormalities was different in men than in women: rectocele, enterocele and perineal descent at rest were observed less frequently in men than in women.
Related Concept Videos
Microbiota of the Urogenital Tract
Assessment of the Rectum and Anus
Rectal Inspection
Begin by inspecting the perianal and anal areas for color, texture, rashes,...
Muscles of the Pelvic Floor and Perineum
Perineal Layer
The perineum is a diamond-shaped area below the pelvic diaphragm, divided into an anterior urogenital triangle that contains the external genitals and a posterior anal triangle housing the anus. The urogenital...
Feces Formation and Defecation
The mass peristalsis then pushes the feces into the rectum, which stretches the rectal walls to activate...
Imaging Studies VI: Voiding Cystourethrography and Cystography
Urodynamic Studies: Uroflowmetry
