Toward more accurate measurements of anorectal motor and sensory function in routine clinical practice: Validation of High‐Resolution Anorectal Manometry and Rapid Barostat Bag measurements of rectal function

Background Measurements of anorectal function using high‐resolution anorectal manometry (HR‐ARM) and rectal barostat technology provide more reliable results than standard ARM with an elastic balloon; however, HR‐ARM results have not been compared to ARM and standard barostat protocols are impractical in routine clinical practice. The aim of this study was to validate HR‐ARM against standard ARM and standard barostat against a novel Rapid Barostat Bag (RBB) measurement and elastic balloon measurements of rectal function. Methods Twenty‐six healthy volunteers (15 female, 11 male, 19–52 years) were studied. Measurements of anal function and simulated defecation were compared for 12‐sensor HR‐ARM and 6‐sensor standard ARM using line plots from the same recording. Rectal capacity, compliance, and sensation (volume threshold) were measured by elastic balloon, standard barostat, and RBB methods using stepwise inflation of a 700‐mL polyethylene bag to 40 mmHg distension by electronic barostat and handheld syringe monitored by sphygmo‐manometer, respectively. Results are reported as mean ± SD. Bland–Altman plots and correlation coefficients (r) for measurements were calculated. Key Results There was excellent agreement between HR‐ and standard ARM measurements (r > 0.86,