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Abstract Faecal incontinence (FI) and obstructed defecation (OD) are anorectal disorders which are common in the community. Proper management of FI and OD depends on proper diagnosis. Pelvic floor electrophysiological studies are essential in the diagnosis and management of FI and OD. The present study was conducted to determine the patterns of pelvic floor electrophysiology that are associated with FI and OD. The present study included 65 patients. There were 40 patients (61.5 %) with FI and 25 patients (38.5 %) with OD. A control group of 20 apparently healthy subjects were included. All patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, proctosigmoidoscopy, lateral proctography (evacuation proctography), dynamic pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (both lateral proctography and dynamic pelvic MRI was performed for patients with OD), anal manometry and electrophysiological studies. Electrophysiological studies included pudendal nerve motor conduction study, pudendoanal reflex (PAR), needle electromyography (EMG) of external anal sphincter (EAS) and puborectalis (PR) muscles during rest, squeezing, cough and straining, and mapping of the external anal sphincter muscle; pudendal somatosensory evoked potential and tibial somatosensory evoked potential. The control group was subjected to electrophysiological studies including pudendal nerve motor conduction study, PAR, pudendal somatosensory evoked potential and tibial somatosensory evoked potential. The mean age of FI patient was 35.4±14.1 years (ranged from 18 to 70 years). The mean age of OD patients was 37.8±16.5 years (ranged from 21 to 80 years). The mean age of control group was 39±15.6 years (ranged from 20 to 65 years). There were no statistically significant differences between patients and control group as regards gender (p = 0.881) and age (p = 0.210). The most common type was liquid FI (60%). The most common etiologies of FI were rectal prolapse (37.5%) and traumatic perineal injury (20%). The mean duration of FI was 4.1±4.2 years (ranged from 0.2 to 15 years) and the median of clinical scaling of the voluntary contraction of the EAS muscle using Modified Oxford Scale (MOS) was 3 (ranged from 1 to 5). |