[Condition of the anal sphincter in patients with anorectal anomalies based on electromyographic data]

The condition of the sphincter ani externus muscle was studied on basis of electromyographic examination of 130 patients with anorectal developmental anomalies who were treated at the clinic during the period between 1984 and 1988. It is noted that electromyography allows the electrical activity of the muscle to be appraised authentically. The authors emphasize that malposition of the sphincter ring and its anomalous relationship with the surrounding structures was encountered in the preoperative period in 47.4% of children with developmental anomalies of the anorectal zone. This circumstance must be taken into account in choosing the site to which the rectum will be brought down during the operative intervention. Examination of 54 patients with clinical functional disorders in the late-term periods after surgical correction showed pathology of the sphincter ani externus muscle to be the principal etiological factor in the development of these disorders; it was revealed in 87.3% of cases.