The American journal of gastroenterology
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jul 1991
Validation of the digital rectal examination as an estimate of anal sphincter squeeze pressure.
Although digital examination is commonly used to assess anal sphincter tone and maximal squeeze pressure, the accuracy of this test has never been adequately validated. A total of 27 patients with a spectrum of subjectively assessed anal sphincter tones were studied. ⋯ Simultaneous objective anal sphincter pressure measurements, when compared with these subjective values, revealed a correlation coefficient of 0.97 (p less than 0.05). Therefore, the clinician can reliably use the digital rectal examination to judge anal sphincter strength.