Causes and Diagnoses

Causes and Diagnoses of Fecal Incontinence

Fecal Incontinence can be caused by a number of conditions, including:

• Congenital (present at birth) abnormalities 
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Infections, injuries or diseases of the nervous system
• Damage to the colon, rectum or anus from injury or surgery
• Tumors
• Vaginal childbirth
• Pelvic floor weakness
• Rectal prolapse (rectum bulging down into the anus)
• Rectocele (rectum pushing into the vagina)
• Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis
• Side effect of medication and food additives
• Stress
• Stroke
• Alzheimer's disease
• Diabetes
• Hemorrhoids

Diagnosing fecal incontinence

Diagnosis of fecal incontinence begins with a thorough physical exam and description of your symptoms. To determine the cause of the fecal incontinence, your physician may use: 

• Anal manometry: A pressure-sensitive tube is passed through your rectum to measure pressure inside your anus and rectum.
• Multi-resonance imaging (MRI): This test uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create pictures of your anus and rectum.
• Anorectal ultrasound: Ultrasound testing uses reflected sound waves to create images of the inside of your body. Unlike an X-ray or CT scan, there is no ionizing radiation exposure.
• Proctography: This type of X-ray determines how much stool you can store in your rectum and how your body handles stool.
• Proctosigmoidoscopy: An endoscope (long, flexible tube) with a lighted camera is inserted in your rectum and lower intestine, allowing your physician to view any scars or inflammation.
• Anal electromyography: This tests looks for nerve damage in the  rectum and pelvic floor.