ABSTRACT
Electrostimulation as a treatment for fecal incontinence is widely used among physicians and physiotherapists. Myogenic fecal incontinence is caused by either an external sphincter dehiscence or pelvic floor denervation. Patients with a sphincter rupture without denervation have normal muscle fibers that are able to contract normally. Electrostimulation could be an important contribution in the treatment of neurogenic fecal incontinence and its related disorders. The degree of continence and external sphincter function improved in two patients but neither of them showed a steady increase of squeeze pressures. It is unlikely that these effects can be ascribed to electrostimulation; they are probably, rather, an effect of the course of the disorder, a result of a temporary spontaneous reinnervation. A 3-month course of daily electrostimulation does not improve internal or external sphincter function. There is no indication that it will do so in the long term either.
