XXXX treated with acupuncture--a pilot study.

@entity1 @entity1241 @entity29 @entity1494
OBJECTIVES: Acupuncture has been used successfully for the treatment of urinary @entity1494 . The aim of this study was therefore to investigate if manual acupuncture might also affect @entity1241 favorably. METHODS: The study comprises 15 female @entity1 , median age 60 years (39 -75). Before treatment and at regular intervals after acupuncture sessions the defects of anal continence were assessed. Ano-rectal function was assessed by means of recto anal manovolumetry. Each @entity1 was submitted to one acupuncture treatment per week for a ten-week period. Subsequently, a control session was repeated once per month up to 7 months for six @entity1 . A final functional assessment was performed at 18 months. RESULT: @entity1 experienced a significant improvement in anal continence, the overall continence score which changed from 10 (3 -21) estimated before treatment to zero (0 - 7) (p<0.05) at 10 weeks. @entity1 with irregular bowel habits and/or loose stools reported significant improvement. On the manovolumetric variables a limited increase of resting from 25 (17-35) mmHg to 36 (20-42) mmHg, (p=0.05) and sustained squeeze anal pressure, changing from 41 (32-68) mmHg to 60 (40-100) mmHg (p<0.05) were reported. Rectal sensory function remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture offers good opportunities for improving @entity1241 . The mechanism of action is obscure but might be an effect of the "neuromodulation" of the recto-anal function similar to that explaining the favorable results achieved by sacral nerve stimulation. The concomitant regulation of @entity29 may also contribute to the satisfactory results.
