• Giuseppe Chiarioni, Fabio Chistolini, Monica Menegotti, Lara Salandini, Italo Vantini, Antonio Morelli, and Gabrio Bassotti.
• Gastrointestinal Rehabilitation Division, Valeggio sul Mincio Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. chiarioni@tin.it
• Dis. Colon Rectum. 2004 Mar 1; 47 (3): 346-53.

BackgroundConstipation is a commonly reported symptom, and pelvic floor dyssynergia is frequently documented in constipated patients. The standard therapeutic approach for pelvic floor dyssynergia is biofeedback training, but long-term studies show that a significant percentage of patients remain symptomatic. Alternative or adjunctive therapeutic options are needed.AimsThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of electrogalvanic stimulation in patients with pelvic floor dyssynergia and severe constipation, to see whether this treatment may be of some benefit.Patients And MethodsThirty consecutive constipated patients with clinical and instrumental evidence of pelvic floor dyssynergia entered the study and were treated with a standard high-frequency galvanic electrostimulation protocol. Clinical and instrumental (colon transit time, anorectal manometry, defecography, rectal balloon expulsion) assessment evaluations were performed basally and one year after the treatment.ResultsOverall, approximately 50 percent of patients showed significant improvement after electrogalvanic treatment, from both a clinical and an instrumental point of view, as shown by the objective measurements obtained through manometry, defecography, and the balloon expulsion test. The benefit was limited to normal transit constipation patients.ConclusionsBecause of the relatively simple, painless and effective nature of electrogalvanic stimulation, we concluded that it may represent a useful adjunct to the therapeutic armamentarium for pelvic floor dyssynergia in normal transit constipation.

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