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In patients complaining of fecal incontinence, physicians commonly assess sphincter strength at rest and with maximum squeeze by digital examination. In chronic constipation, patients with pelvic floor dyssynergia can demonstrate failure to relax the puborectalis and pelvic floor with simulated defecation during digital rectal examination. Anorectal manometry is often considered to be more accurate than digital rectal examination in assessing these disorders.
In the current study, investigators compared the digital rectal examination with high-resolution anorectal manometry and the balloon expulsion test in evaluating 268 patients with chronic constipation and 41 patients with fecal incontinence.
Compared with manometry, the sensitivity, spec…