ABSTRACT
Fecal incontinence (FI) is a common problem of varying severity, which may have a substantial negative impact on a person's life. Anal incontinence may range from mild leakage of gas causing social embarrassment to complete daily loss of control of feces and avoidance of all social activities. It is important to have an approach to quantifying the severity of fi when speaking with a patient, as this may impact their desire to undergo therapy and allow the physician to recommend the most appropriate treatment. There are many scoring systems and scales that have been developed to qualify the severity of fi; the cleveland clinic/wexner incontinence score (CCIS) is the most commonly cited scoring system. The CCIS ranges from 0 to 20 and measures incontinence to gas, liquid, and solid stool, the need to wear a protective pad, and the impact of fi on daily activities [1]. Patients with a CCIS of greater than 10 have been shown to have significantly lower quality of life and are more likely to seek medical attention for their fi than individuals with scores less than 10 [2,3].
