title: [Spinal cord injury and bowel function].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spinal cord injury (SCI) often causes permanent disruptions of gastrointestinal function, which exacerbates functional disablement.
  
  
  METHODS
  The article is based on the authors' own clinical experience at tertiary level in the specialist health service and literature searches in PubMed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurogenic gastrointestinal dysfunction is a common sequela of injury to the spinal cord. Obstipation and faecal incontinence entail treatment that is often time- and resource-consuming. It is not yet possible to treat the cause of the condition. New treatment methods with retrograde and antegrade irrigation of the rectocolon, transanally or by means of appendicostomy, result in a greater degree of self-sufficiency and faster evacuation procedures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurogenic gastrointestinal dysfunction following a spinal cord injury should be assessed and treated in a tertiary level rehabilitation department. The function loss is permanent, and the treatment must be systematically tested and regularly evaluated. The decision as to which treatment is appropriate has to be taken by the patient and the healthcare system. Individual and personal factors must be taken into account. The newly established international consensus, with standardised data sets for evaluating function loss due to spinal cord injuries, paves the way for new and greater possibilities for multi-centre cooperation on quality assurance and research.
authors.affiliation: Avdeling for ryggmargsskader, Klinikk for fysikalsk medisin og rehabilitering, St. Olavs hospital. erik.sigurdsen@stolav.no
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sigurdsen
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tørhaug
mesh_terms: D001065:Appendix / Q000601:surgery; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004733:Enema / Q000379:methods; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D055496:Neurogenic Bowel / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D010030:Ostomy / Q000379:methods; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods