[Factors associated with incontinence following anorectal procedures]

To investigate the factors associated with postoperative fecal incontinence after anorectal procedures.

A total of 1074 patients underwent anorectal procedures in the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Coloproctology Hospital of Shenyang. Factors associated with postoperative fecal incontinence were analyzed retrospectively.

Follow-up was available in all the patients. One hundred and forty-four(13.4%) patients developed mild incontinence, and 57(5.3%) moderate incontinence. There was no complete incontinence. The overall incontinence rate was 18.7%. The incontinence rate was 41.8%(107/256) after fistula procedures, higher than that after hemorrhoid procedures(12.4%,73/591) and fissure procedures(9.2%,21/227), and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). Among 490 patients who received injection therapy for internal hemorrhoids, patients who received 10 ml of Xiaozhiling or more had a mild incontinence rate of 10.4%(27/259) and a moderate incontinence rate of 2.3%(6/259), and in those who received less than 10 ml of Xiaozhiling, the mild incontinence rate was 9.5%(22/231) and moderate incontinence rate was 4.3%(10/231). The differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). In 354 patients who underwent hemorrhoidectomy, the mild incontinence rate and moderate incontinence rate were both 14.1% in those who had excision of 3 or more hemorrhoids, and were 3.9%(11/283) and 2.1% (6/283) in those who had excision of less than 3 hemorrhoids, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). There was no difference in Incontinence rate was not associate with fistula or fissure procedure (P>0.05).

The incidence of incontinence is high after fistula procedures. Excision of hemorrhoids should not exceed 3 hemorrhoids. Wider adoption of injection therapy is encouraged.