ABSTRACT
Faecal incontinence has been defined by the International Continence Society as the involuntary loss of solid or liquid faeces, with the term anal incontinence reserved for patients that additionally have involuntary loss of flatus. It is a debilitating and often overlooked condition which can have a detrimental effect on an individual’s self-esteem and quality of life. Despite this, due to the stigma and embarrassment of symptoms, patients often fail to seek medical opinion and instead opt to live in silence with their condition. Patients may experience different types of incontinence. Some subjects have symptoms of urgency with the inability to defer defecation. This often leads to frequent and severe symptoms of urge faecal incontinence. Soiling leads to a small volume of faeces, which can lead to perianal uncleanliness and soiling of underwear. The embryological formation of the bowel can be seen as early as the third week of gestation, where ventral folding of yolk sac to form gut tube occurs.
