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RECRUITING

NCT05771597

Home Biofeedback Therapy for Dyssynergic Defecation, Fecal Incontinence and Urinary Incontinence

Sponsor: Augusta University

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

Biofeedback therapy is an effective treatment for the management of patients with dyssynergic defecation and constipation, urinary incontinence (UI), and fecal incontinence (FI). It is labor-intensive, costly, requires multiple office or hospital visits, is not easily available to the vast majority of patients in the community, and is not covered by many insurance companies. The purpose of this study is to 1. Evaluate home biofeedback therapy for patients with either constipation and dyssynergic defecation or urinary leakage or stool leakage by assessing the efficacy and safety of a wireless anorectal biofeedback device, and a cellphone app-based and voice guided home biofeedback training system 2. To compare the efficacy and safety of home biofeedback therapy system with the standard of care, office biofeedback therapy 3. To assess the cost-effectiveness of home biofeedback therapy.

Official title: Home Biofeedback Therapy for Dyssynergic Defecation, Fecal Incontinence and Urinary Incontinence: Randomized Study

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

18 Years - Any

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

Start Date

2023-03-27

Completion Date

2026-12-31

Last Updated

2023-03-16

Healthy Volunteers

Conditions

Fecal Incontinence Dyssynergic Defecation Urinary Incontinence

Interventions

OTHER

Home Biofeedback therapy

Patients will be given home biofeedback device to take home and practice biofeedback exercises at least twice a day for six weeks of therapy. 1. HBT for patients with constipation and dyssynergic defecation: Patients will attend one session of training on how to use the device followed by daily sessions at home for 6 weeks. After placing a probe into rectum, the patient sits on a commode, activates the smart phone app and follow the voice-guided instructions to perform diaphragmatic breathing exercises and push maneuvers with/without balloon distension. 2. HBT for patients with FI: Subject will receive training on how to use the home-trainer device and probe placement. The patient will be asked to follow a series of voice guided instructions consisting of performing short and long duration squeeze maneuvers over 25 minutes. 3. HBT for patients with UI: The instructions protocol as written above for patients with FI will be followed for UI patients as well.

OTHER

Office biofeedback therapy

Patients will receive traditional office biofeedback, once weekly, over six weeks. 1. OBT for patients with constipation and dyssynergic defecation: The patient will receive instructions on the diaphragmatic breathing techniques. Then the patient sits on a commode, coordination between push effort and the anal and pelvic floor relaxation is corrected by the therapist. The patients will receive visual and verbal feedback instructions from the therapist. 2. OBT for patients with FI: Patients will be taught Kegels and abdominal muscle exercises. Visual and verbal feedback techniques are used to reinforce the maneuvers. The patient is instructed to squeeze and to maintain this squeeze for as long as possible. 3. OBT for patients with UI: Biofeedback training is performed using the protocol and objectives as described above for FI training.

Inclusion Criteria: * Inclusion Criteria for patients with constipation and dyssynergic defecation 1. Minimum age of 18 years 2. Meet Rome IV criteria for functional constipation (≥ 2 of following 6 symptoms) with symptom onset of 6 months on prospective stool diary * Straining with 25% of bowel movements (BM) * Lumpy or hard stools (Form 1 of 2 on the Bristol Stool Scale) with 25% of BM * Sensation of incomplete evacuation with 25% of BM * Sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockage with 25% of BM * Manual maneuvers to facilitate defecation with 25% of BM * \< 3 Spontaneous bowel movements per week 3. Patients must demonstrate dyssynergic pattern of defecation (Types I-IV), during repeated attempts to defecate, and defined as a paradoxical increase in anal sphincter pressure (anal contraction), or less than 20% relaxation of the resting anal sphincter pressure, or inadequate propulsive forces during anorectal manometry. * Dyssynergic pattern of defecation on anorectal manometry plus one or more of the following criteria: * Inability to expel an artificial stool (50 mL water-filled balloon) within 1 minute. * Prolonged colonic transit time on wireless motility capsule (\>59 hours) or \>5 markers retained on a colonic transit study. * Inability to evacuate or ≥ 50% retention of barium during defecography. Inclusion Criteria for patients with fecal incontinence 1. Minimum age of 18 years 2. Recurrent episodes of fecal incontinence for six months 3. No colonic mucosal disease 4. On a two-week, prospective stool diary, patient reports at least one episode of fecal incontinence per week Inclusion Criteria for patients with urinary incontinence 1. Minimum age of 18 years 2. Recurrent episodes of urinary incontinence for three months 3. Stress, urge or mixed urinary incontinence, with at least 2 episodes of urinary incontinence on a 14-day urinary incontinence diary Exclusion Criteria: * Exclusion criteria for patients with constipation and dyssynergic defecation 1. Evidence of structural or metabolic disease that could cause constipation, as assessed by colonoscopy or barium enema and routine hematological, biochemical, and thyroid function tests 2. Use of opioids within the previous 2 weeks 3. Severe cardiac or renal disease 4. Neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis or stroke 5. Rectal prolapse or active anal fissures 6. Alternating pattern of constipation and diarrhea 7. Pregnant women or nursing mothers * Exclusion criteria for patients with fecal incontinence Severe diarrhea with Bristol Stool consistency ≥ Type 6 2. On opioids (except on stable doses \> 3months) 3. Active depression 4. Comorbid illnesses, severe cardiac disease, chronic renal failure or severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 5. Ulcerative and Crohn's colitis 6. Rectal prolapse or active anal fissure 7. Pregnant women or nursing mothers * Exclusion criteria for patients with urinary incontinence 1. Continuous urine leakage 2. Active depression 3. Comorbid illnesses, severe cardiac disease, chronic renal failure or severe COPD 4. Rectal prolapse or active anal fissure 5. Pregnant women or nursing mothers

Locations (1)

Augusta University

Augusta, Georgia, United States