Can The Sphincter Muscle Be Repaired

sphincterotomy

Sphincter repair surgery, also called sphincteroplasty, is a surgical technique for the repair of weak or damaged anal sphincter muscles which regulate your bowel movements. In this procedure, the injured or torn surface area of the sphincter muscles is removed, and the healthy ends are sutured together to strengthen them. Information technology provides relief to people with bowel incontinence, too chosen faecal incontinence, a status where the person cannot command bowel movements leading to involuntary leakage from the rectum.

What are the Causes of Bowel/Faecal Incontinence?

Bowel/faecal incontinence develops when your anal sphincter muscles become weak or damaged. This may happen due to:

Rectal prolapse: a condition where your rectum slides downwards or outside the anus
Childbirth
Haemorrhoids
Injury to the fretfulness supplying the rectum
Chronic constipation or diarrhoea
Advancing age
Previous surgery

Pre-Operative Preparation for Sphincter Repair Surgery

Your surgeon will review your medical history and symptoms. Y'all will be recommended imaging tests such as an endo-anal ultrasound for an accurate diagnosis. An endo-anal ultrasound involves the insertion of a probe within the anus which generates internal images to chart a suitable programme for your handling.

You will be given an oral bowel preparation 24 hours before your surgery to clear your bowels of faecal matter, and so your surgeon has a clear view to piece of work. You should consume only clear liquids such every bit water, lemonade, or free energy drinks before your surgery.

Procedure of Sphincter Repair Surgery

Surgery is recommended when bourgeois treatment of bowel/faecal incontinence is unsuccessful, and the status is adversely affecting the patient's quality of life. A sphincter repair surgery is performed under general anaesthesia in a prone jack-pocketknife position where the patient is placed on their tum and the head and legs are positioned at a lower angle with the hips raised by placing a roll underneath. The dissimilar types of sphincter repair surgeries include:

Sphincteroplasty, besides chosen Sphincter Reconstruction: In this process, an incision is fabricated in the perineal area, between the rectum and the vulva in females or between the rectum and scrotum in males, to admission to the anal sphincter. Once the sphincter is identified, the torn muscles and damaged tissues are removed. The remaining ends of the anal sphincter are stitched together in an overlapping way to strengthen the sphincter muscles and tighten the sphincter. Upon completion, the incision is airtight.

Dynamic Graciloplasty: In this procedure, your surgeon will take a patch of the gracilis musculus around the anus and wrap information technology around the sphincter to restore the muscle tone to the sphincter. Sometimes the musculus patch can be taken from the inner thigh.

Sphincter Replacement:In this process, your surgeon will supersede the damaged anal sphincter with an artificial anal sphincter. The artificial sphincter is an inflatable device that is implanted effectually your anal canal. It comes with an external pump which is manually operated when needed.

The artificial sphincter remains inflated while it collects stools. This keeps the anal sphincter shut tightly closed. Once you become the urge to defecate, you utilise the pump to deflate the device and this releases the stool. Then, the device re-inflates itself.

Sphincter repair surgery usually lasts for about xl-60 minutes.

Recovery and Postal service-Operative Care subsequently Sphincter Repair Surgery

You may be required to stay at the hospital overnight or 24 hours. You may experience mild pain and discomfort which will subside gradually. Later your sphincter repair surgery, yous volition be given specific instructions to regain normal bowel movements.

Y'all will be trained on pelvic floor exercises to restore muscle strength and improve sphincter control.
You lot will be recommended to follow a detail schedule for defecation to improve your bowel control.
Y'all will be instructed to amend your dietary habits to avoid constipation and diarrhoea.
Complete recovery may have vi weeks.

Avoid the following until complete recovery:

Straining during defecation to prevent force per unit area on your sphincter muscles
Heavy lifting of more than 10 lbs
Sexual intercourse
Tub baths

What are the Risks and Complications of Sphincter Repair Surgery?

As with any surgical procedure, sphincter repair surgery may also exist associated with certain risks and complications. These include:

Infection
Bleeding
Formation of blood clots
Injury to the surrounding organs such as the bladder, the ureter
Tear in the incision and demand for revision surgery