ABSTRACT
Biofeedback has been used for the treatment of functional anorectal disorders. Functional defecation disorders are characterized by inadequate propulsive forces during attempted defecation or pelvic floor dyssynergia (PFD), a paradoxical contraction or inadequate relaxation of the puborectalis muscle during attempted defecation. In 1993, P. Enck’s critical review summarized that biofeedback has become widely accepted as the treatment of choice for PFD. S. Hyman’s critical review reports that, perhaps most importantly, there is no identified standard for training biofeedback clinicians to treat pelvic floor disorders. Biofeedback is a conservative treatment option for patients with idiopathic constipation, although some studies have shown to have less favorable results. In 2007, C. Byrne et al. published the largest retrospective review of 385 patients who completed the biofeedback treatment program and reported that more than 75% of the patients had clinically and statistically significant improvement in outcome, including incontinence scores, quality of life, and physiologic measure of sphincter function.
