• J Duelund-Jakobsen, B van Wunnik, S Buntzen, L Lundby, C Baeten, and S Laurberg.
• Surgical Research Unit, Department of Surgery P, Aarhus University Hospital, Tage-Hansens Gade, Aarhus C, Denmark. jakob_jakobsen@hotmail.com
• Colorectal Dis. 2012 Jun 1;14(6):753-9.

AimSacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is an established treatment for faecal incontinence (FI) when conservative modalities have failed to restore continence. This two-centre study aimed to document functional outcome and its relationship to patient satisfaction.MethodPatients treated with SNS for idiopathic FI in Aarhus (Denmark) and Maastricht (The Netherlands) were included. At the most recent follow-up appointment, 127 patients (80%) were identified as receiving active SNS therapy. A questionnaire considering bowel habits, quality of life, and self-reported satisfaction and a 3-week bowel-habit diary were mailed to these patients, and 85% responded.ResultsPatient satisfaction was clearly related to the number of FI episodes. Patients experiencing full continence were all satisfied, and although the satisfaction rate decreased as the number of FI episodes increased, 46% of the patients with more FI episodes at follow-up than at baseline were still satisfied. Per-protocol analysis resulted in a satisfaction rate of 57.3%. In total, 74.7% of the patients receiving active SNS therapy reported a reduction of ≥ 50% in FI episodes, 10.3% of whom were dissatisfied after a median of 46 months of follow-up.ConclusionThere is a clear relationship between patient satisfaction and improved continence. A total of 57.3% of the patients offered SNS therapy were satisfied at follow-up. However, 46% of the patients with more FI episodes at follow-up than at baseline were also satisfied. Therefore, functional outcome of SNS therapy cannot be based only on bowel-habit diaries and bowel scores.© 2011 The Authors. Colorectal Disease © 2011 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

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