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Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Feb 2022Changes in bowel movements (BMs) are an important clinical sign in many diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the purpose of this study was to collect...
OBJECTIVES
Changes in bowel movements (BMs) are an important clinical sign in many diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the purpose of this study was to collect information on BMs and fecal scores in both apparently healthy and CKD cats. A secondary aim was to assess owner awareness of BM frequency.
METHODS
Owners were asked to complete an initial online questionnaire about their cat's health and litter box habits (including predicted BM frequency and fecal scores) and were then asked to clean the box daily for 7 days and report results (observed frequency of BMs and fecal scores) daily. Differences in BM frequency and fecal scores between apparently normal and CKD cats were compared using the Mann-Whitney test, and predicted vs observed data were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Difference in percentage of cats defecating more or less than once daily were assessed with Fisher's exact test.
RESULTS
Survey data from 124 owners of apparently healthy cats and 43 owners of CKD cats who submitted two or more days of daily observations (in addition to the initial questionnaire) were analyzed. Eighty-five percent of apparently healthy cats were observed to defecate one or more times per day and 15% defecated less than once per day. Fifty-eight percent of CKD cats defecated one or more times per day and 42% defecated less than once per day. A significantly higher percentage of CKD cats defecated less than once per day in comparison with apparently healthy cats ( <0.0001). Observed BM frequency was significantly less in CKD cats compared with healthy cats ( = 0.02). Observed fecal scores were not significantly different between healthy and CKD cats.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The observed BM frequency of cats with CKD was less than apparently healthy cats and represents a clinically important variation from normal.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cat Diseases; Cats; Defecation; Feces; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34013812
DOI: 10.1177/1098612X211012684 -
Physiological Measurement Mar 2021Fecobionics was used to assess pressures, orientation, bending, shape, and cross-sectional area (CSA) changes during defecation. This study aimed to evaluate the device...
OBJECTIVE
Fecobionics was used to assess pressures, orientation, bending, shape, and cross-sectional area (CSA) changes during defecation. This study aimed to evaluate the device feasibility and performance in swine.
APPROACH
Twelve pigs had wired or wireless Fecobionics devices inserted in the rectum. The bag was distended to simulate feces in the rectum. Fecobionics data were acquired simultaneously during the whole experiment. Six pigs were euthanized immediately after the procedure for evaluation of acute injury to anorectum (acute group). The remaining pigs lived two weeks before euthanasia for evaluation of long-term tissue damage and inflammation (chronic group). Signs of discomfort were monitored.
MAIN RESULTS
All animals tolerated the experiment well. The chronic animals showed normal behavior after the procedure. Mucosal damage, bleeding, or inflammation was not found in either group. Fecobionics was defecated 1 min 35 s-61 min 0 s (median 8 min 58 s) after insertion. The defecation lasted 0 min 20 s-4 min 25 s (median 1 min 52 s). The device was almost straight inside rectum (160°-180°) but usually bended 5°-20° during contractions. The three pressure sensors showed simultaneous and identical increase during rectal or abdominal muscle contractions, indicating the location inside rectum. During defecation, the maximum rear pressure was 114.1 ± 14.3 cmHO whereas the front pressure gradually decreased to 0 cmHO, indicating the front passed anus. CSA decreased from 1017.1 ± 191.0 mm to 530.7 ± 46.5 mm when the probe passed from the rectum through the anal canal.
SIGNIFICANCE
Fecobionics provides defecatory measurements under physiological conditions in pigs without inducing tissue damage.
Topics: Anal Canal; Animals; Bionics; Defecation; Muscle Contraction; Rectum; Swine
PubMed: 33508807
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/abe100 -
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology Mar 2000
Topics: Anal Canal; Biofeedback, Psychology; Constipation; Defecation; Gastrointestinal Transit; Humans
PubMed: 10730916
DOI: 10.1097/00004836-200003000-00003 -
Physiological Reports Jun 2022Several technologies have been developed for assessing anorectal function including the act of defecation. We used a new prototype of the Fecobionics technology, a...
Several technologies have been developed for assessing anorectal function including the act of defecation. We used a new prototype of the Fecobionics technology, a multi-sensor simulated feces, to visualize defecatory patterns and introduced new metrics for anorectal physiology assessment in normal subjects. Fourteen subjects with normal fecal incontinence and constipation questionnaire scores were studied. The 10-cm-long Fecobionics device provided measurements of axial pressures, orientation, bending, and shape. The Fecobionics bag was distended to the urge-to-defecate level inside rectum where after the subjects were asked to evacuate. Physiological evacuation parameters were assessed. Special attention was paid to the Fecobionics rectoanal pressure gradient (F-RAPG) during evacuation. Anorectal manometry (ARM) and balloon expulsion test (BET) were done as references. The user interface displayed the fine coordination between pressures, orientation, bending angle, and shape. The pressures showed that Fecobionics was expelled in 11.5 s (quartiles 7.5 and 18.8s), which was shorter than the subjectively reported expulsion time of the BET balloon. Six subjects did not expel the BET balloon within 2 min. The F-RAPG was 101 (79-131) cmH O, whereas the ARM-RAPG was -28 (-5 to -47) cmH 0 (p < 0.001). There was no association between the two RAPGs (r = 0.19). Fecobionics showed paradoxical contractions in one subject (7%) compared to 12 subjects with ARM (86%). Fecobionics obtained novel physiological data. Defecatory patterns and data are reported and can be used to guide larger-scale studies in normal subjects and patients with defecatory disorders. In accordance with other studies, this Fecobionics study questions the value of the ARM-RAPG.
Topics: Anal Canal; Defecation; Feasibility Studies; Humans; Manometry; Rectum
PubMed: 35656707
DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15338 -
Nature Reviews. Gastroenterology &... Dec 2015
Topics: Colectomy; Constipation; Defecation; Female; Humans
PubMed: 26577347
DOI: 10.1038/nrgastro.2015.191 -
Clinical Gastroenterology and... Mar 2023Evacuation disorders are common among chronically constipated (CC) patients who fail to respond to laxatives and are typically diagnosed by anorectal manometry (ARM)...
Evacuation disorders are common among chronically constipated (CC) patients who fail to respond to laxatives and are typically diagnosed by anorectal manometry (ARM) and/or balloon expulsion testing (BET). Recently, there has been emerging interest in the use of defecation posture-modifying devices (DPMDs) to improve constipation symptoms, presumably by replicating the physiologic benefits of squatting on stool evacuation, such as straightening of the anorectal angle and relaxing the pelvic floor. However, the ability of DPMDs to normalize anorectal function in adult patients with CC has not been studied.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Defecation; Manometry; Constipation; Rectum; Anal Canal; Posture
PubMed: 34998994
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2021.12.048 -
Singapore Medical Journal Mar 1998Problems of continence and defecation are encountered in all facets of medical practice. Yet, the anorectum is cloaked by misunderstanding. Recent research has shed new... (Review)
Review
Problems of continence and defecation are encountered in all facets of medical practice. Yet, the anorectum is cloaked by misunderstanding. Recent research has shed new light on this subject and newer concepts based on systematic investigations have paved the way to a rational approach. Motor function of the anorectum can now be delineated by manometry, electromyography and nerve stimulation. More complex functions like the coordination for continence and defecation are measured using other studies including defecating proctography, scintigraphic balloon topography, scintigraphic evacuation and colonic transit. The amalgamation of data from these studies have led to a logical sequence for the maintenance of normal continence and defecation that is developed in this manuscript based on our current understanding of anorectal motility and physiology. This allows patients who are resistant to straightforward diagnosis to be selected for specialised tests resulting in categorisation and a rational management strategy for their problems.
Topics: Anal Canal; Colon; Defecation; Defecography; Electric Stimulation; Electromyography; Fecal Incontinence; Gastrointestinal Motility; Gastrointestinal Transit; Humans; Intestinal Mucosa; Manometry; Motor Neurons; Radionuclide Imaging; Rectum; Sensation
PubMed: 9632975
DOI: No ID Found -
Biomechanics and Modeling in... Oct 2022Fecobionics is an integrated device that has shown promise for assessment of anorectal function. We used a wireless Fecobionics prototype to visualize defecatory...
Fecobionics is an integrated device that has shown promise for assessment of anorectal function. We used a wireless Fecobionics prototype to visualize defecatory patterns and to compute volume-pressure, contraction work, and flow. Twelve normal subjects were studied. The probe was 10 cm-long and contained pressure sensors and electrodes for impedance planimetry. Pressures, diameters, and volume data during defecation were analyzed. The bag was distended inside rectum to the urge-to-defecate level where after the subjects were asked to evacuate. The contraction work and defecatory flow were computed from the volume changes during expulsion. The minimum anal diameter during the evacuation was 17.6 ± 1.5 mm. The middle diameter recording was 10-20% lower than the front diameter channels and 10-20% bigger than the rear channels. The bag volume at urge correlated with the minimum diameter (r = 0.63). The diameter-pressure and volume-pressure loops were counterclockwise with phases of bag filling, isometric contraction, ejection and anal passage. The defecatory contraction work was 3520 ± 480 mL × cmHO. The maximum flow during defecation was 302 ± 33 mL/s. The flow was associated with the anal diameter (r = 0.84) but not with the rectoanal pressure gradient (r = 0.14). Volume-pressure loops have a tremendous impact on the understanding of cardiopulmonary pathophysiology. Future studies will shed light on potential clinical impact in defecatory pathophysiology.
Topics: Humans; Defecation; Manometry; Anal Canal; Rectum; Isometric Contraction
PubMed: 35908095
DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01610-4 -
Primates; Journal of Primatology Mar 2021Increasing population density can increase infectious disease risk and thus reduce population growth and size. Host-parasite interactions of threatened animals that...
Increasing population density can increase infectious disease risk and thus reduce population growth and size. Host-parasite interactions of threatened animals that remain in small protected forest fragments therefore need to be monitored carefully. Due to extreme conservation efforts, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) population in the 450-km Virunga Massif has more than doubled since 1973, reaching 604 individuals in 2016. To better understand changes in the transmission risks of soil-borne and other enteric pathogens for mountain gorillas, we determined defecation outputs of different age-sex classes and the diurnal variation in feces deposition. We weighed 399 wet fecal samples deposited at nest sites and on trails between nest sites by gorillas of varying age and sex, determined by lobe diameter, from five social groups (n = 58 gorillas) that range in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. We found increasing daily average defecation outputs with increasing age-sex class (infants, 435 g; juveniles, 1346 g; medium-sized gorillas, 2446 g; silverbacks, 3609 g). Gorillas deposited two- to threefold the amount of feces at nest sites compared to on trails, suggesting that nest sites may function as hotspots for enteric pathogen infections through direct contact or when gorillas ingest foods contaminated with infectious larvae during site revisits in intervals matching the maturation period of environmentally transmitted gastrointestinal parasites. In combination with ranging and demographic data, these findings will enable the modeling of spatiotemporal variation in soil contamination and infectious disease risk for Virunga gorillas as their population density continues to increase.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Defecation; Feces; Female; Gorilla gorilla; Male; Nesting Behavior; Rwanda
PubMed: 33221967
DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00874-7 -
Techniques in Coloproctology Jun 2015
Topics: Ataxia; Biofeedback, Psychology; Constipation; Defecation; Humans
PubMed: 25962632
DOI: 10.1007/s10151-015-1314-5