Fecal Incontinence Stimulator / Accidental Bowel Leakage

Bowel incontinence or Accidental Bowel Leakage is the inability of a person to control their bowel movements. It is a common problem, and anyone can suffer from it, but it is most common in older adults. This condition is also more likely to affect women as a result of childbirth.

Don’t let accidental leakage take control of your life.

If you experience accidents, a simple nerve study could be right for you.

Introducing InterStim Therapy

What is InterStim Therapy?

InterStim Therapy is a minimally invasive treatment used when other therapies have failed. InterStim is much simpler, and recovery time is significantly reduced compared with other major surgical options. InterStim Therapy is proven to eliminate or reduce substantially accidental bowel or bladder leakage. Studies of patients followed for one year found that 7 out of 10 patients experienced at least a 50% reduction in weekly accidents compared to before starting InterStim Therapy.

How Does InterStim Therapy Work?

Your rectum leaks through a coordinated group of muscles and nerves; conservative therapies very rarely affect this complex system. Often, conservative therapy can only affect one part of either the bowel affecting the nerves or muscles associated with only the rectum and colon. InterStim Therapy works by affecting the whole system at once.

The “nerve study” is a test to check if the network of muscles and nerves are the cause of your leakage. The test will check the coordination of muscles and nerves to see if we can provide relief; if it is effective, we will know in seven to ten days. The doctor will set up an appointment where he will place an InterStim lead with just a needle to stick right next to the nerve that helps control these systems. This lead will enhance the system’s ability to control bowel movements while blocking abnormal signals that cause leakage.

Hemorrhoidectomy

Hemorrhoids are vascular cushions that line the internal and external anal canal. A person may develop internal or external hemorrhoid disease. Internal hemorrhoid disease can present with painless bleeding or prolapse, or protrusion, of the internal hemorrhoids through the anal canal. External hemorrhoid disease can present with pain and swelling around the anal canal.

The causes of hemorrhoids can range from straining while passing stool caused by constipation or diarrhea, which can put pressure on vascular cushions that can cause hemorrhoidal disease. Also, pregnancy and being overweight can cause additional strain on the pelvic region cause hemorrhoidal disease.

The most common symptoms of hemorrhoids are:

• Bright red bleeding during bowel movement
• Itching, and
• Rectal pain

A typical treatment of hemorrhoids is hemorrhoidectomy. Hemorrhoidectomy is an effective outpatient procedure during which your physician will remove internal or external hemorrhoids through small incisions around the rectum or anus – depending on where the hemorrhoids are located.

There are two kinds of hemorrhoidectomy:

1. Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids (PPH): During this procedure, your physician will reposition the hemorrhoids and cut off their blood supply with a special tool, causing them to dry up and fall away. The hemorrhoids are repositioned to a place in the rectum with fewer nerve ending allowing for less pain and a faster recovery than other hemorrhoidectomy procedures.
2. Hemorrhoid Artery Ligation and Recto Anal Repair: This procedure involves your physician using a small Doppler sensor inserted into the anus to detect the arteries that are supplying blood flow to the hemorrhoids. Your surgeon can tie them off to stop blood flow and cause the hemorrhoid to dry up and fall off.

Hemorrhoid surgery is conventional and considered safe. However, there are few risks which patients should be aware of, including bleeding, infection, and adverse reaction to anesthesia.