Goals – Manometric testing of the anal canal and rectum provides information about the strength, function and tone of the anal sphincter muscles. In most cases it is painless and well-tolerated by patients. Information from this test may be used to help identify the nature of an anorectal disorder, or may be used to measure function before treatment which may then be compared to a repeated test following treatment.

Cancer describes a set of diseases in which normal cells in the body lose the ability to control their growth and to respect their neighbors. These cells will grow with little restraint and invade the surrounding tissues. Many cancers develop into tumor masses as they grow. Cells may also break off from the primary tumor and spread through the blood vessels or lymphatic channels to distant sites where they may implant and grow. Thes ...

Goals – Ultrasound examination of the anal sphincter muscles may identify areas of the muscle that have been injured during childbirth, from surgery or by trauma. Ultrasound works much like radar by sending sound waves through the tissues and measuring the reflected waves. No radiation is used. A circular image of the sphincter muscle is generated.

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Most cancers of the colon and rectum begin as single cells that loose their ability to control their growth and to respect their neighbors. They start in the inner lining or mucosal layer of the bowel wall. They will usually develop into a polyp or overgrowth of glandular mucosal tissue before becoming true cancers. These polyps may be pedunculated (mushroom shaped on a stalk) or sessile (flatter with a broad base). Removing these p ...

Constipation feels different for different people. Most often, constipation means that a person is having infrequent bowel movements. Other symptoms include the need to strain when going to the bathroom, bloating, abdominal pain, or incomplete evacuation. There is no set number of bowel movements a person must have per day in order to be normal. The average person may have a bowel movement anywhere from three times per day to three ...

Goals – Defecography is a radiological test of the rectum and pelvic structures which demonstrates anatomy and function. It is an excellent way of finding and measuring internal or complete rectal prolapse, rectoceles, enteroceles, pelvic relaxation and rectal emptying. This test is particularly useful when evaluating complaints of constipation and difficult evacuation. Occasionally, this test will be combined with a cystogram ...

Goals – The pudendal nerves are the main nerve fibers leading from the brain and spinal cord to anal sphincter muscles. There is one on the right and one on the left. These nerves may be damaged by direct trauma, age or by stretching during childbirth or prolonged straining with bowel movements. When a nerve has been injured, it conducted impulses at a lower rate than normal. The conduction speed of the pudendal nerve is teste ...

A rectocele us a bulge of the front wall of the rectum into the vagina. The rectal wall may become thinned and weak, and it may balloon out into the vagina when you push down to have a bowel movement. Most rectoceles occur in women where the front wall of the rectum is up against the back wall of the vagina. This area is called the rectovaginal septum and may be a weak area in the female anatomy. Other structures may also push into ...

Goals – The Transit Time study is a test of intestinal function. It is designed to determine the time it takes for markers to pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Each dissolvable gelatin capsule contains 24 small markers. The capsules dissolve in the intestine and the markers travel through the intestinal tract with the food. These markers are visible on x-rays of the abdomen and may be counted. The Transit Time is calcul ...