title: [Anorectal manometry and ultrasound in the study of patients with fecal incontinence].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fecal incontinence is a complex disease that affects the quality of life of patients suffering from it. Anorectal manometry and endoanal ultrasound 360 grades are included among the studies used. There are no clear agreement about the relevance and usefulness of this studies and their role as apart of diagnostic procedures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the relationship between the clinical severity score in patients with fecal incontinence and the findings of anorectal manometry and endoanal ultrasound. Another objective of this study is to describe the degree of agreement of both methods of study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population includes 74 patients who underwent endoanal ultrasonography and anorectal manometry for fecal incontinence. The presence or absence of ultrasound injury, the pressures obtained by anorectal manometry and its relationship with clinical severity of patients were described. An analysis of the degree of agreement between both methods was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 53 years old (range 19-84 years). Pressures of anorectal manometry were reduced in 59 patients (79.7%) and normal in 15 (20.3%). The assessment of the degree of agreement or concordance between ultrasound and anorectal manometry yielded a kappa coefficient of 0.25 (acceptable) (P = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a level of acceptable agreement between endoanal ultrasound findings and anorectal manometry when patients with fecal incontinence are evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Centro Privado de Cirugía y Coloproctología, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. miguelumi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Carlos Miguel
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lumi
authors.forename: Omar Rubén
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Miravalle
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: Ubaldo Alfredo
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Gualdrini
authors.forename: Jorge Héctor
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lueso
authors.forename: Pablo Antonio
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: Juan Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaingurt
authors.forename: Fernando Daniel
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019160:Endosonography; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult