Comparison of anorectal function measured using wearable digital manometry and a high resolution manometry system

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Urology
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Assessing anorectal function is crucial for diagnosing conditions like chronic constipation and fecal incontinence.
• Existing high-resolution manometry systems are costly and may be inaccessible in primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a lower-cost, index finger-based "digital manometry" system for anorectal function assessment.
• To compare the efficacy and patient comfort of digital manometry against a high-resolution manometry system.

Main Methods:

• Digital manometry was developed using an index finger-based approach.
• Anorectal pressures and puborectalis myoelectric activity were measured in 16 participants.
• Data was compared with a 23-channel high-resolution anorectal manometry system using Bland-Altman analysis.

Main Results:

• Digital manometry showed acceptable limits of agreement with high-resolution manometry for resting, squeeze, and defecation maneuvers.
• Puborectalis myoelectric activity changes correlated with anal sphincter pressure increases during maximum squeeze.
• The digital system demonstrated an order of magnitude lower cost and similar patient comfort.

Conclusions:

• Digital manometry is a simple, inexpensive, point-of-service tool for evaluating anorectal function.
• It offers a viable alternative for assessing patients with chronic constipation and fecal incontinence.
• This technology can improve accessibility to manometry in diverse clinical settings.