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Defecography and Related Radiologic Imaging Techniques

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Colonic Diseases

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Abstract

The patient with pelvic floor and anorectal dysfunction may present with a variety of symptoms such as urinary or defecatory dysfunction, urogenital or anorectal prolapse, pelvic or abdominal pain, and dyspareunia (1–5). Occasionally, rectal bleeding may eventually be found to be due to rectal prolapse. Physical examination of these patients will frequently identify the underlying anatomical abnormality that results in these clinical presentations (5–7). However, various radiological imaging techniques may be appropriately called upon to complement the workup of these patients to confirm the clinical suspicion as well as to identify unsuspected findings and defects that may impact upon the management decisions (5,7–10). This chapter will review the current range of imaging techniques available to assess the pelvic floor either anatomically or functionally and discuss aspects of radiologic interpretation, strengths, and weaknesses of each modality.

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Authors
  1. Vincent H. S. Low
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Timothy R. Koch MD

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© 2003 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Low, V.H.S. (2003). Defecography and Related Radiologic Imaging Techniques. In: Koch, T.R. (eds) Colonic Diseases. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-314-9_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-314-9_21

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9740-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-314-9

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