Transanal Irrigation for Refractory Disordered Defecation: A Prospective Multicenter Clinical Study in Japan

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transanal irrigation (TAI) for the management of refractory disordered defecation. Method: This was a prospective multicenter clinical study. Patients with fecal incontinence and/or constipation who had not responded to standard conservative therapies were treated with TAI for 10 weeks. Its efficacy was evaluated with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, 0: unsatisfied - 10: satisfied) regarding their satisfaction about current bowel management as well as with the proportion of patients who wished to continue TAI after the study (success rate). Results: TAI was performed in 32 patients (median age: 55.5 yo; male: 19). Out of the 25 patients (78%) who completed the 10-week TAI therapy, 23 patients (success rate: 72%) wished to continue TAI after the study. The VAS of the satisfaction in the 23 success patients significantly improved from a median of 2.2 before TAI to 7.5 at the 10th week after its commencement (P