Determination of Yield Pressures: A Method for Measuring Anal Sphincter Competence

Fatigability of the External Anal Sphincter in Anal Incontinence

“…A considerable overlap may be seen in the pressures of healthy volunteers and patients with AI, as demonstrated by Felt-Bersma et al 9 and Hiltunen, 10 and although manometry did show a difference between these two groups, this was less obvious than in previous reports. 11,12 In our study, manometry results alone did not discriminate between an anally incontinent group and controls (Fig. 2).…”

Distensibility of the anal canal in patients with idiopathic fecal incontinence: a study with the Functional Lumen Imaging Probe

“…The median Wexner fecal incontinence score of IFI patients was 12 (range [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. None of the controls had a history of FI or disorders affecting anorectal function.…”

“…Harris et al found that sphincters do not necessarily need to squeeze tightly to be competent. 17 Hence, they proposed that resistance to distension, and not pressure, is the main determinant of sphincter strength. 17 As the structures surrounding the anal canal are inhomogeneous along its longitudinal axis, 18 comprehensive evaluation of the competence of the anal sphincter complex should probably include segmental distensibility measures.…”

Closure Mechanism of the Anal Canal in Women: Assessed by Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging

“…4 Anal canal compliance, a measure of the pressure and cross-sectional area relationship (opening diameter), is also an important determinant of the continence barrier function because the flow across a tube or a sphincter is related to its luminal cross-sectional area. Anal canal pressure as measured by manometery measures the anal closure pressure but not the anal canal compliance.…”