Can a weak sphincter be fixed?
Treating fecal incontinence may require surgery to correct an underlying problem, such as rectal prolapse or sphincter damage caused by childbirth. The options include: Sphincteroplasty. This procedure repairs a damaged or weakened anal sphincter that occurred during childbirth.
What is Sphincteroplasty surgery?
Anal sphincteroplasty is a procedure used to repair torn or weakened anal sphincter muscles, the muscles that control bowel movements. Damage to these muscles is a major cause of fecal incontinence, the loss of normal bowel control. There are two anal muscles that control bowel movements.
How long does a sphincterotomy surgery take?
The surgery itself usually takes less than 30 minutes. Many patients feel sore for the first 2 or 3 days after surgery. Some have a small amount of bleeding and drainage from the anus. This is normal.
Is sphincter repair successful?
The majority of sphincter repair operations are successful with 80% of people claiming to have a satisfactory outcome longer than 2 years following surgery. This operation consists of a cut in front of the anus. The surgeon will then overlap the damaged muscle ends to form a complete ring of muscle around the anus.
How long does sphincter repair last?
Conclusions. Our study shows that sphincteroplasty with separate suturing of the internal sphincter results in continence for stools maintained for at least 3 years among the majority of the patients and an improvement of anal continence in nearly two-thirds of the patients.
How painful is Sphincteroplasty surgery?
While pain tolerance is variable among patients, most patients report mild pain with sphincteroplasty. Overall recovery time includes six weeks with some activity restrictions, however patients are often able to return to a normal routine shortly after surgery.
How painful is a sphincterotomy?
A sphincterotomy is a surgical procedure used for treating chronic anal fissures. Fissure surgery or sphincterotomy is less painful than the fissure itself. This surgery causes mild pain and reduces pain and pressure resulting from fissures.
What happens if your sphincter doesn’t work?
The sphincters keep stool inside. When damaged, the muscles aren’t strong enough to do their job, and stool can leak out. In women, the damage often happens when giving birth.