Short-term effects of sacral nerve stimulation for idiopathic slow transit constipation

Abstract

This study assessed the short-term clinical and physiological effect of continuous sacral nerve stimulation in patients with slow transit constipation. Some patients with idiopathic slow transit constipation are unresponsive to conservative treatments, while colectomy has a variable and poorly predictable outcome. Sacral nerve stimulation is a less invasive and reversible procedure that enables direct neuromodulation of the pelvic floor and hindgut. It has been used successfully in the treatment of urologic disorders and fecal incontinence, and some of these patients with concurrent constipation have also noted improved stool frequency and rectal evacuation. Eight women (median age 47 years,..