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Medical Health Encyclopedia
Bowel incontinence
(Page 4)
The health care provider may ask the following medical history questions:
- Describe the problem. When does it occur?
- For how long has incontinence been a problem?
- How many times does this happen each day?
- Are you aware of the need to defecate before you leak?
- What is the consistency of the stool? Is it hard or soft liquid?
- Describe the amount of stool leakage (discharge with gas, a large amount of stool)?
- Has anything happened recently to cause emotional upset?
- Is the patient confused or disoriented?
- Was the child toilet trained? Did he or she have trouble with toilet training?
- What other symptoms are present?
- What surgeries have you had?
- What injuries have you had? Did you have a complicated delivery?
- What medications do you take?
- Do you drink coffee? How much?
- Do you drink alcohol? How much?
- Describe your usual diet.
Diagnostic tests may include:
-
Barium enema
- Blood tests
- Electromyography (EMG)
- Rectal or pelvic ultrasound
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Stool culture
- Test of anal sphincter tone (anal manometry)
- X-ray procedure using a special dye to evaluate how well the sphincter contracts (balloon sphincterogram)
- X-ray procedure using a special dye to see the bowel while you have a bowel movement (defecography)
Review Date: 11/23/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of
Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San
Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).
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