The impact of antegrade continence enemas on bladder function in patients with neurogenic bladder and bowel.

INTRODUCTION: In neurologically intact children with constipation and lower urinary tract symptoms, treatment of constipation frequently results in improved or resolved lower urinary tract symptoms. The impact of treatment of constipation on bladder function in children with a neurogenic bowel and bladder is not well studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of antegrade continence enemas (ACE) via Chait tube on urodynamic study (UDS) parameters and urinary continence in patients with neurogenic bowel and bladder (NGB). We hypothesized that following ACE some patients would demonstrate improved UDS parameters and improved urinary continence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of patients with NGB who underwent a cecostomy was performed. Inclusion criteria required UDS within 12 months before and after Chait tube placement and no change in clean intermittent catheterization or anticholinergic medications. UDS parameters assessed included bladder capacity, bladder compliance, and bladder stability. In addition, the frequency of antegrade continence enemas and encopresis were reviewed as was the frequency of UTIs before and after the surgery. RESULTS: 8 children met inclusion criteria, including 5 girls and 3 boys, with a mean (range) age of 8.5 years (5-13). All children were on clean intermittent catheterization and 7 were on anticholinergic medications. The patients demonstrated a significant improvement in constipation and encopresis (p < 0.05). All but 1 patient had resolution of encopresis, and 6 of 7 patients who had constipation before ACE management had a resolution of constipation. 2 patients (25%) developed urinary continence (i.e., dry between CIC), and 2 others had improvement in continence. 3, 2, and 2 patients had urodynamic improvement in bladder capacity, compliance, or stability, respectively. However, no significant improvement in urinary incontinence or UDS parameters was demonstrated for the group overall. DISCUSSION: Our data demonstrate that some children with neurogenic bowel and bladder will have improvement in continence and UDS parameters following the initiation of ACE. Despite significant improvement in constipation and encopresis, the frequency of bladder improvement in this population appears less than that reported in neurologically intact children following treatment of constipation. Confirmatory studies with a larger number of children are needed. However, since constipation appears to negatively impact bladder function in some children with neurogenic bowel and bladder, it is reasonable to try to eliminate significant constipation in these patients before increasing pharmaceutical management of their neurogenic bladder.

Comparing quality of life improvement after antegrade continence enema (ACE) therapy for patients with organic and functional constipation / encopresis.

BACKGROUND: We compared patient- and family-reported overall and stool-related quality of life (QoL) before and after an antegrade continence enema (ACE) procedure (cecostomy tube insertion) for refractory chronic constipation or fecal incontinence (CCFI). We hypothesized that patients with functional diagnoses experience similar improvements in QoL compared to those with organic diagnoses. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of patients undergoing cecostomy tube insertion for CCFI at a tertiary pediatric hospital from 2012 to 2019. Patients and/or primary caregivers completed validated stooling and overall QoL surveys based on three time points: before surgery, three months after surgery, and at the time of survey / date of last follow-up. Repeated measures analyses compared scores over time between subjects and within the diagnostic groups. RESULTS: The response rate was 65% (22/34 patients, 12 organic and 10 functional diagnoses). Mean age was 8.3 years and 32% of the participants were female. Organic diagnoses were: spina bifida (6), anorectal malformation (5), and Hirschsprung Disease (1). There was substantial improvement in stool-related and overall QoL at three months post-ACE procedure (both p<0.001) for all patients; both scores continued to improve significantly until the date of last follow-up (median 4.1 years, IQR 2.3-5.6, p<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in scores between patients with organic and functional diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers perceive a significant, sustainable improvement in stooling habits and QoL following ACE therapy. The improvement is comparable between patients with a functional diagnosis and those with an underlying organic reason for their CCFI.

Long-term outcomes of antegrade continence enema in children with chronic encopresis and incontinence: what is the optimal flush to use?

PURPOSE: Severe constipation and encopresis are significant problems in the pediatric population. Medical management succeeds in 50-70%; however, surgical considerations are necessary for the remainder such as the antegrade continence enema (ACE). The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term outcomes following the ACE procedure. METHODS: All patients undergoing an ACE over a 14-year period were included. Data on clinical conditions, treatments, and outcomes were collected. A successful outcome was defined as remaining clean with ≤ 1 accident per week. Comparative data were analyzed using the Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, or Student's t test. RESULTS: There were 42 ACE patients, and overall, 79% had improvement in their bowel regimens. Encopresis rates decreased from 79 to 5% (P < 0.001). Admissions for cleanouts decreased from 52 to 19% (P = 0.003). All cases of Hirschsprung's, functional constipation and spina bifida were successful. Rates of success varied for other diseases such as slow-transit constipation (60%) and cerebral palsy (33%). A majority (85%) required a change in the enema composition for improvement. CONCLUSION: In our study, ACE reduced soiling, constipation, and need for fecal disimpaction. Higher volume saline flushes used once a day was the optimal solution and most preferred option. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4 (retrospective case series or cohort).

[Home training as a treatment of faecal incontinence and sphincter dyssynergia]. / Entrenamiento anorrectal domiciliario como tratamiento de la encopresis y disinergia esfinteriana.

OBJECTIVE: The defecation disorders represents the 3% of consultations in pediatrics patients. Our goal was to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the reeducation of the defecation maneuver through home training in patients with encopresis and sphincter dyssynergia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Study of patients with fecal incontinence treated with home training at our center between 2014-2015. Anorectal manometry was performed and was valued defecation maneuver by expulsion of rectal probe with or without the ball. Daily sessions were performed using a Foley catheter (18-20Fr.) with progressive filling of the balloon, maximum 20cc. The response to the treatment was assessed in terms of episodes of soiling. RESULTS: Seven patients (6 males and 1 female) with a mean age of 9.7 years (range, 5-15) were included; two patients with anorectal malformation history, 1 Hirschsprung disease, 1 sacrococcygeal teratoma and 3 functional encopresis. Three patients had soiling episodes daily and 4 patients frequently. The mean basal pressure of anal channel was 32.34mmHg (range, 11.74-50.75) with negative defecation maneuver in 2 cases, deficient in 3 and dyssynergic in 2 patients. The mean time of biofeedback therapy to be asymptomatic was 5.14 months (range, 2-11), with a mean of 16.14 months (range, 3-24), with the 7 patients currently maintained clean. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that re-education of defecation maneuver through home training, seems to be an effective and efficient therapy, achieving excellent results in medium term.

OBJETIVO: Los trastornos de la defecación representan el 3% de las consultas en pediatría. Nuestro objetivo fue demostrar la eficacia y eficiencia de la reeducación en la maniobra defecatoria mediante el entrenamiento domiciliario en los pacientes con encopresis y disinergia esfinteriana. MATERIAL Y METODOS: Estudio de los pacientes con encopresis tratados mediante entrenamiento domiciliario en nuestro centro entre 2014-2015. Se realizó manometría anorrectal y fue valorada la maniobra defecatoria mediante la expulsión o no de la sonda rectal con o sin balón. Se realizaron sesiones diarias de forma domiciliaria empleando una sonda de Foley (18-20 Fr.) con llenado progresivo del balón, máximo 20 cc. Se evaluó la respuesta al tratamiento en función de la presencia de manchado. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 7 pacientes (6 varones y 1 mujer) con edad media de 9.7 años (rango, 5-15); dos con antecedente de malformación anorrectal, una enfermedad de Hirschsprung, 1 teratoma sacrococcígeo y 3 encopresis funcionales. Tres pacientes presentaban manchado diario y 4 de forma frecuente. La media de presión basal del canal fue de 32,34 mmHg (rango, 11,74-50,75) con maniobra defecatoria negativa en 2 casos, deficiente en 3 y disinérgica en 2. La media de tiempo realizando el entrenamiento intestinal hasta lograr estar asintomáticos fue 5.14 meses (rango, 2-11), con un seguimiento medio de 16,14 meses (rango, 3-24), manteniéndose limpios actualmente los 7 pacientes. CONCLUSIONES: El presente estudio sugiere que la reeducación de la maniobra defecatoria mediante entrenamiento domiciliario parece ser una terapia eficaz y eficiente, logrando excelentes resultados a medio plazo.

Antegrade continence enemas improve quality of life in patients with medically-refractory encopresis.

PURPOSE: Fecal incontinence is a socially debilitating problem for many children. We hypothesized that in selected patients with medically-refractory encopresis, placement of an appendicostomy or cecostomy tube for administration of antegrade continence enemas (ACE) would improve quality of life (QOL). METHODS: We reviewed all patients with encopresis who underwent appendicostomy or cecostomy placement from 2003 to 2014 at our institution. We contacted subjects' parents by phone and administered 3 surveys: a survey reflecting current stooling habits, a disease-specific QOL survey, and the PedsQL™ QOL survey. QOL surveys were completed twice by parents, once reflecting pre-operative QOL, then again reflecting current QOL. Pre-procedure and post-procedure scores were compared by paired t-test. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent appendicostomy/cecostomy for encopresis. Eight completed phone surveys. All procedures were performed laparoscopically. All patients experienced fecal soiling pre-operatively, whereas 5/8 surveyed patients (63%) noted complete resolution of soiling post-procedure (p<0.01). General and disease-specific QOL improved from pre-procedure to post-procedure in the following domains: social habits, physical activity, ability to spend the night elsewhere, feeling, and overall QOL (p<0.05). PedsQL™ scores improved significantly in physical functioning, social functioning, and overall functioning (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Antegrade continence enemas significantly improve quality of life in patients with medically-refractory encopresis, likely related to resolution of soiling. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

An 8-Year-Old Boy With Treatment-Resistant Encopresis.

CASE: Paul is an 8-year-old boy with a long-standing history of encopresis and enuresis. Potty training was initiated when he was 2 years old. At this time, his mother was absent from the home for 6 weeks when she cared for her ill father in a different city. The process of teaching Paul to use the bathroom was described as "inconsistent" due to multiple caretakers.Paul never successfully mastered bowel and bladder control. He continues to wet and soil his clothes on a daily basis at home and school. According to his parents, he does not accept responsibility and comments about his soiling such as, "I didn't do it; someone else must have put it there." One of Paul's teachers commented that she could tell at the beginning of the school day whether he would maintain bowel and bladder control. If he was "agitated and talkative" in the early morning, he would often soil that day.He had a pediatric gastroenterological evaluation at the age of 5 years when he was having daily episodes of stool soiling. Physical examination revealed normal anal tone, normal placement of the anus, and moderate stool in the rectal vault. An abdominal radiograph revealed moderate stool throughout the colon. He was treated with Miralax and instructed to sit on the toilet twice daily. Paul did not respond to these interventions and was diagnosed with "overflow incontinence secondary to stool withholding." When he was taking Miralax, he had a normal barium enema radiograph. He was admitted to the hospital for a cleanout with a polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution.Although abdominal radiographs demonstrated absence of colonic stool for the following 5 months, he continued to soil his clothing. Play therapy and biofeedback did not change the chronic soiling and wetting pattern. An evaluation at the Continence Clinic resulted in a rigorous program including stooling after each meal, wearing a vibrating watch reminding him to void every 2 hours, drinking 60 ounces of water per day, tracking elimination patterns on a calendar, and a daily laxative (polyethylene glycol). A neuropsychological evaluation revealed a superior aptitude associated with unresolved early childhood issues of self-control, self-care, and frustration tolerance. Family therapy was initiated. However, daily fecal soiling and wetting persisted.Paul was born full-term without prenatal or perinatal complications. He was breast fed for 1 year and described as an easy baby. He achieved motor, social, and language milestone on time. Paul had difficulty with separation and aggression in preschool (e.g., biting). In school, teachers report inattention, fidgetiness, and difficulty following directions. He has been obese since age 3 years; his current body mass index is 29.

Identifying Underlying Emotional Instability and Utilizing a Combined Intervention in the Treatment of Childhood Constipation and Encopresis-A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Childhood constipation is a common ailment that in certain cases can lead to encopresis or fecal incontinence. The literature suggests that standard care varies in effectiveness, especially in the long term. Fecal incontinence can lead to frustration, guilt, and shame for both the child and family and has untold long-term psychological and physical consequences. OBJECTIVE: To address alternative treatment options for pediatric constipation and encopresis by using acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Patient and Setting: This is a case study of a 6-year-old girl seen in a private practice acupuncture clinic in the northwestern United States. INTERVENTION: Treatment involved acupuncture, massage, and Chinese herbal medicine. RESULTS: The patient in this study began to have regular bowel movements on her own, from a type 5 on the modified Bristol Stool Form Scale for Children to a type 3, with no laxative use and few to no fecal accidents. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional stability and support seem to play an important role in pediatric constipation and encopresis. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment option in the integrative care model to address both the emotional and physical components of childhood constipation.

Quality of life in pediatric patients with unremitting constipation pre and post Malone Antegrade Continence Enema (MACE) procedure.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to determine if there is a change in the quality of life in pediatric patients with unremitting functional constipation and/or encopresis after undergoing a MACE procedure. METHODS: Patients, ages 5 to 18 years with unremitting constipation and a normal evaluation, including anorectal manometry and colonic manometry, who opted to undergo a MACE procedure were contacted to participate in the study. Patients with congenital anorectal malformations as well as spinal cord disorders were excluded from the study. The patient's parent/guardian completed the PedsQL(TM) Generic Core Scales QOL survey prior to the operation, 6 months, and 12 months after the procedure. RESULTS: A total of 15 consecutive patients meeting protocol criteria were recruited within a period of 20 months. The mean age at the MACE procedure was 9.8 years (range 7.0-11.1). 5 patients were female. The mean QOL score pre-MACE was 64.1. At 6 months post-MACE the mean overall QOL score was 90.2, and it was 92.0 at 12 months. All 15 patients at the 6 month follow up had significant improvement in their QOL (p=1.9 × 10(-7)) and all subcategories of QOL were significantly improved as well. CONCLUSIONS: A MACE procedure is of benefit to otherwise normal pediatric patients who have unremitting functional constipation with failure of medical treatment. Our patients had a significant improvement in all QOL categories and overall QOL.

Long-term effects of transabdominal electrical stimulation in treating children with slow-transit constipation.

AIMS: Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) was used to treat children with slow-transit constipation (STC) for 1 to 2 months in a randomized controlled trial during 2006 to 2008. We aimed to determine long-term outcomes, hypothesizing that TES produced sustained improvement. METHODS: Physiotherapists administered 1 to 2 months of TES to 39 children (20 minutes, 3 times a week). Fifteen continued to self-administer TES (30 minutes daily for more than 2 months). Mean long-term follow-up of 30 of 39 patients was conducted using questionnaire review 3.5 years (range 1.9-4.7 years) later. Outcomes were evaluated by confidence intervals or paired t test. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of patients perceived improvement, lasting more than 2 years in 33% and less than 6 months in 25% to 33%. Defecation frequency improved in 30%. Stools got wetter in 62% after stimulation and then drier again. Soiling improved in 75% and abdominal pain in 59%. Laxative use stopped in 52%, and 43% with appendicostomies stopped washouts. Soiling/Holschneider continence score improved in 81% (P = .0002). Timed sits switched to urge-initiated defecations in 80% patients. Eighty percent of relapsed patients elected to have home stimulation. CONCLUSION: TES holds promise for STC children. Improvement occurred in two thirds of children, lasting more than 2 years in one third, whereas symptoms recurred after 6 months in one third of children.

Behavioural and cognitive interventions with or without other treatments for the management of faecal incontinence in children.

BACKGROUND: Faecal incontinence is a common and potentially distressing disorder of childhood. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of behavioural and/or cognitive interventions for the management of faecal incontinence in children. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group Specialised Trials Register (searched 28 October 2011), which contains trials identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and CINAHL, and handsearching of journals and conference proceedings, and the reference lists of relevant articles. We contacted authors in the field to identify any additional or unpublished studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials of behavioural and/or cognitive interventions with or without other treatments for the management of faecal incontinence in children. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Reviewers selected studies from the literature, assessed study quality, and extracted data. Data were combined in a meta-analysis when appropriate. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty one randomised trials with a total of 1371 children met the inclusion criteria. Sample sizes were generally small. All studies but one investigated children with functional faecal incontinence. Interventions varied amongst trials and few outcomes were shared by trials addressing the same comparisons.Combined results of nine trials showed higher rather than lower rates of persisting symptoms of faecal incontinence up to 12 months when biofeedback was added to conventional treatment (OR 1.11 CI 95% 0.78 to 1.58). This result was consistent with that of two trials with longer follow-up (OR 1.31 CI 95% 0.80 to 2.15). In one trial the adjunct of anorectal manometry to conventional treatment did not result in higher success rates in chronically constipated children (OR 1.40 95% CI 0.72 to 2.73 at 24 months).In one small trial the adjunct of behaviour modification to laxative therapy was associated with a significant reduction in children's soiling episodes at both the three month (OR 0.14 CI 95% 0.04 to 0.51) and the 12 month assessment (OR 0.20 CI 95% 0.06 to 0.65). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence that biofeedback training adds any benefit to conventional treatment in the management of functional faecal incontinence in children. There was not enough evidence on which to assess the effects of biofeedback for the management of organic faecal incontinence. There is some evidence that behavioural interventions plus laxative therapy, rather than laxative therapy alone, improves continence in children with functional faecal incontinence associated with constipation.

An 8-year-old boy with treatment-resistant encopresis.

CASE: Paul is an 8-year-old boy with a long-standing history of encopresis and enuresis. Potty training was initiated when he was 2(1/2) years old. At this time, his mother was absent from the home for 6 weeks when she cared for her ill father in a different city. The process of teaching Paul to use the bathroom was described as "inconsistent" due to multiple caretakers.Paul never successfully mastered bowel and bladder control. He continues to wet and soil his clothes on a daily basis at home and school. According to his parents, he does not accept responsibility and comments about his soiling such as, "I didn't do it; someone else must have put it there." One of Paul's teachers commented that she could tell at the beginning of the school day whether he would maintain bowel and bladder control. If he was "agitated and talkative" in the early morning, he would often soil that day.He had a pediatric gastroenterological evaluation at the age of 5 years when he was having daily episodes of stool soiling. Physical examination revealed normal anal tone, normal placement of the anus, and moderate stool in the rectal vault. An abdominal radiograph revealed moderate stool throughout the colon. He was treated with Miralax and instructed to sit on the toilet twice daily. Paul did not respond to these interventions and was diagnosed with "overflow incontinence secondary to stool withholding." When he was taking Miralax, he had a normal barium enema radiograph. He was admitted to the hospital for a clean out with a polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution. Although abdominal radiographs demonstrated absence of colonic stool for the following 5 months, he continued to soil his clothing. Play therapy and biofeedback did not change the chronic soiling and wetting pattern. An evaluation at the Continence Clinic resulted in a rigorous program including stooling after each meal, wearing a vibrating watch reminding him to void every 2 hours, drinking 60 ounces of water per day, tracking elimination patterns on a calendar, and a daily laxative (polyethylene glycol). A neuropsychological evaluation revealed a superior aptitude associated with unresolved early childhood issues of self-control, self-care, and frustration tolerance. Family therapy was initiated. However, daily fecal soiling and wetting persisted.Paul was born full-term without prenatal or perinatal complications. He was breast fed for 1 year and described as an easy baby. He achieved motor, social, and language milestone on time. Paul had difficulty with separation and aggression in preschool (e.g., biting). In school, teachers report inattention, fidgetiness, and difficulty following directions. He has been obese since age 3 years; his current body mass index is 29.

Update on pediatric faecal incontinence.

PURPOSE: Faecal incontinence represents a devastating problem; it is often a barrier to social acceptance. It can affect many children including those with prior surgery (for anorectal malformations and Hirschsprung's disease) as well as those with spinal problems or injuries. Management involves distinguishing between true and pseudo-incontinence, and then determining the proper protocol of treatment. METHODS: An extensive review of the authors' series of over 500 patients who presented with soiling was undertaken with the goal of determining helpful algorithms of treatment. RESULTS: Treatment begins first with proper categorisation of patients. Pseudo-incontinence (encopresis) can be treated with disimpaction followed by laxative therapy. True incontinence requires an enema programme, with treatment tailored to either hypo or hyper-motile colons. Surgery for pseudo-incontinence, rarely required, takes the form of colonic resection but only for patients with a demonstrated ability to have voluntary bowel movements, albeit with enormous laxative requirements. Removal of the rectosigmoid in this situation can reduce or eliminate the need for laxatives. Surgery for true faecal incontinence involves changing the route for a successfully demonstrated enema programme to an antegrade, i.e., a Malone appendicectomy. CONCLUSION: The keys to success in helping a fecally incontinent child are dedication and sensitivity on the part of the medical team. The basis of the bowel management programme is to clean the colon (either with medical treatment for patients with the potential for bowel control, or artificially with enemas for patients with true faecal incontinence), and then keep the colon quiet for 24 hours until the next treatment, thereby ensuring that the patient is clean and no longer soiling. The programme is an ongoing process of trial and error that responds to the individual patient and differs for each child. We carry out this programme over the course of one week with daily abdominal radiographs as we tailor the regimen. More than 95 % of the children who follow this programme are clean and dry. The clinician must embrace the philosophy that it is unacceptable to send a child with faecal incontinence to school in diapers when their classmates are already toilet trained. Proper treatment to prevent this is perhaps more important than any surgical procedure.

Aprendizagem vicária de treino de toalete através de filme de animação: estudo de caso em ludoterapia comportamental / Vicarious learning in toilet training through an animated film: Case study of behavioral play therapy

Este trabalho consiste no relato do atendimento, em ludoterapia comportamental, de Lara (4 anos e 5 meses), que apresentava encoprese secundária retentiva, o que acarretava um intervalo entre as defecações superior a 72 horas. Método: a avaliação consistiu em entrevista com pais e babás, observação na escola, sessões lúdicas e sessões lúdicas familiares; as intervenções enfatizaram o uso de filme de animação, atividades lúdicas e brinquedos para obter a habituação comportamental e realizar o treino do toalete. Resultado: após a intervenção, utilizando filme de animação, Lara defecou no consultório, manteve o comportamento diário de defecação durante 18 meses de acompanhamento e apresentou três acidentes críticos nesse período. Discussão: o filme de animação é sugerido como a principal intervenção para a mudança de comportamento de Lara. Provavelmente, após observar os personagens do filme de animação realizando o treino de toalete e obterem adesivos, Lara foi reforçada vicariamente e aprendeu a relação entre o comportamento dos personagens (treino do toalete) e a conseqüência obtida por eles (adesivo). A brincadeira com as bonecas utilizadas no filme é concebida como um tipo de mediação lúdica.

This paper is a report of the treatment of Lara (4 years and 5 months old) who was experiencing secondary retentive encopresis, with an interval of over 72 hours between defecations. Methods: the evaluation was conducted through interviews with the parents and the nannies, observation at school, individual play sessions and family play sessions; the interventions focused on the use of animated films, play activities and toys to develop behavioral habits and toilet training. Results: after the intervention with the animated film, Lara defecated in the office and had daily defecations during the next 18 months of treatment; she had three serious accidents in this period. Discussion: most likely, after watching the characters’ toilet training and the stickers they got in the animated film, Lara was vicariously reinforced and learned the relationship between the behavior of the characters (toilet training) and the consequent reward (sticker). The game with the dolls used in the film is considered a type of play mediation.

Aprendizagem vicária de treino de toalete através de filme de animação: estudo de caso em ludoterapia comportamental / Vicarious learning in toilet training through an animated film: Case study of behavioral play therapy

Este trabalho consiste no relato do atendimento, em ludoterapia comportamental, de Lara (4 anos e 5 meses), que apresentava encoprese secundária retentiva, o que acarretava um intervalo entre as defecações superior a 72 horas. Método: a avaliação consistiu em entrevista com pais e babás, observação na escola, sessões lúdicas e sessões lúdicas familiares; as intervenções enfatizaram o uso de filme de animação, atividades lúdicas e brinquedos para obter a habituação comportamental e realizar o treino do toalete. Resultado: após a intervenção, utilizando filme de animação, Lara defecou no consultório, manteve o comportamento diário de defecação durante 18 meses de acompanhamento e apresentou três acidentes críticos nesse período. Discussão: o filme de animação é sugerido como a principal intervenção para a mudança de comportamento de Lara. Provavelmente, após observar os personagens do filme de animação realizando o treino de toalete e obterem adesivos, Lara foi reforçada vicariamente e aprendeu a relação entre o comportamento dos personagens (treino do toalete) e a conseqüência obtida por eles (adesivo). A brincadeira com as bonecas utilizadas no filme é concebida como um tipo de mediação lúdica.(AU)

This paper is a report of the treatment of Lara (4 years and 5 months old) who was experiencing secondary retentive encopresis, with an interval of over 72 hours between defecations. Methods: the evaluation was conducted through interviews with the parents and the nannies, observation at school, individual play sessions and family play sessions; the interventions focused on the use of animated films, play activities and toys to develop behavioral habits and toilet training. Results: after the intervention with the animated film, Lara defecated in the office and had daily defecations during the next 18 months of treatment; she had three serious accidents in this period. Discussion: most likely, after watching the characters’ toilet training and the stickers they got in the animated film, Lara was vicariously reinforced and learned the relationship between the behavior of the characters (toilet training) and the consequent reward (sticker). The game with the dolls used in the film is considered a type of play mediation.(AU)

Cecostomy button for antegrade enemas: survey of 29 patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the Trap-door button use (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IL) for antegrade enemas in children. METHODS: Since 2002, patients with fecal incontinence or encopresis and constipation underwent percutaneous cecostomy under laparoscopy using a button. Technical details are described. Age at surgery, operative time, hospital stay, diagnosis, indications for cecostomy, and duration of follow-up were recorded. A survey was proposed via a questionnaire that was sent to the patients. Patients wearing the button for less than 1 month were excluded from this evaluation. The survey concerned volume and frequency of enemas, difficulties encountered, benefits and disadvantages of this method, and assessment of the antegrade enemas in continence. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients, 18 males and 11 females, aged 3 to 21 years (mean, 8.5 years) underwent laparoscopic Trap-door button placement. The indications for all the patients were intractable fecal incontinence in 24 cases and constipation with encopresis in 5 cases. Incontinence was because of myelomeningocele (n = 10), anorectal malformations (n = 11), caudal regression syndrome (n = 1), 22q11 syndrome (n= 1), and Hirschsprung disease with encephalopathy with convulsions (n = 1). Constipation with encopresis was because of sacrococcygeal teratoma (n = 1), cerebral palsy (n = 1), and acquired megarectum with psychiatric and social disorders (n = 3). A total of 26 cecostomy button placements and 3 sigmoidostomy button placements were successful with no intraoperative complication. The mean operative time was 25 minutes (10-40 minutes), and the hospital stay was 2.5 days (1-4 days). Twenty-two parents or patients answered the questionnaire. At the time of this survey, 2 patients had improved their fecal continence and had had the button removed. A mean of 4 weekly enemas was enough to improve fecal continence troubles (range, 1 daily to 1 for 2 weeks). The volume for enemas was 250 to 1000 mL (mean, 700 mL). The time required for the irrigation of the bowel by gravity took from 5 to 60 minutes (mean, 25 minutes) for 20 patients. Before surgery, 14 patients needed a diaper, day and night, and 6 needed sanitary protection. Soiling was a very significant inconvenience for all the patients. After surgery, only 5 patients needed a diaper (cerebral palsy, 22q11, cloacal malformation, myelomeningocele, bladder exstrophy) because of moderate results or urinary incontinence and continued soiling. Patients were asked to give an assessment (null = 0, bad = 1, fair = 2, good = 3, very good = 4). None of the patients felt there had been no changes or a bad result. There were 5 patients who felt they had an average result, 5 a good result, and 12 a very good result. The mean grade was 3.44 (17.2/20). A total of 3 patients had hypertrophic granulation tissue formation around the cecostomy button, and 12 had tiny leakage. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous placement of a cecostomy button under laparoscopic control is an easy and major complication-free procedure. The use of the Trap-door device by the patients or with the help of the parents for antegrade enemas is effective and satisfactory. It improves the quality of life and is reversible.

Ingresos hospitalarios en adolescentes con enfermedades psicosomáticas / Hospital admissions in adolescents with psychosomatic illnesses

Objetivos: Determinar la prevalencia de ingresos hospitalarios por enfermedades psicosomáticas en la edad adolescente. Definir la sintomatología más frecuente que acompaña a estos trastornos, los factores desencadenantes, las pruebas complementarias realizadas y la posible existencia de patología psiquiátrica en las figuras parentales. Pacientes y método: Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo de tipo retrospectivo, durante el período comprendido entre enero de 2002 y agosto de 2006, en pacientes de 10 a 18 años ingresados en el Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús cuyo diagnóstico al alta incluía patología de origen psicosomático. Resultados: El número de historias recogidas fue de 33, lo que representa una prevalencia del 2,6 %. Se encontró un predominio de pacientes con sexo femenino, con edad media de 11,5 años, cuyo síntoma más frecuente fue el dolor abdominal aislado o acompañante de otra patología. La duración del síntoma antes de acudir al hospital fue de 11 días. En 13 de los 33 casos (39,4 %) existían síntomas previos de etiología psicosomática. El estudio complementario fue negativo en todos los casos. La media de ingreso fue de 5 días. Se encontraron factores desencadenantes en 21 de los 33 (63,6 %), de los cuales los problemas escolares fueron los más frecuentes. En 7 de los 33 (21 %) existían antecedentes de patología psiquiátrica familiar. Conclusiones: El síntoma somatomorfo más frecuente de ingreso en adolescentes fue el dolor abdominal, y existieron factores desencadenantes estresantes en la mayoría de los pacientes. El estudio complementario para descartar patología somática no encontró alteraciones significativas. En un caso de cada cinco existe patología psiquiátrica familiar. Es recomendable la atención al enfermo de forma multidisciplinaria desde el inicio del ingreso mediante técnicas de interconsulta y enlace

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hospital admissions due to psychosomatic diseases in the adolescents. To define the most frequent symptomatology that accompanies these disorders, the triggering factors, the complementary tests made and the possible existence of psychiatric illness in the parents. Patients and method: A retrospective study was carried out with patients of 10 to 18 years who were admitted to the Niño Jesús Children's Hospital during the period from January 2002 to August 2006, whose discharge diagnosis included symptomatology of psychosomatic origin. Results: The number of medical histories was 33. In this period the frequency of admissions due to psychosomatic diseases was 2.6 %. We found a predominance of female patients, with an average age of 11.5 years; the most frequent symptom was abdominal pain, isolated or accompanied by other pathology. The duration of the symptom before going to the hospital was 11 days. In 13/33 (39.4 %) of the cases previous symptoms of psychosomatic aetiology existed. The complementary study to discard organic disease was negative in all cases. The average stay was 5 days. The existence of triggering factors was found in 21/33 (63.6 %), school problems being the most common. In 7/33 (21 %) there was a family history of psychiatric disease. Conclusions: The most frequent somatic symptom was abdominal pain, being the triggering factor in most of the patients. The complementary study did not find significant abmormalities. In one out of five cases there was a family history of psychiatric disease. It is recommended to give these patients multidisciplinary care from the beginning of the stay, using consultation and link technique

When the going gets tough: pediatric constipation and encopresis.

Constipation and encopresis are two common conditions seen in the pediatric gastroenterology setting. Organic causes cannot be excluded although they are rarely diagnosed in infants and children with defecation disorders. To successfully treat these disorders, a combination of family education, disimpaction and maintenance medications, a well-balanced diet, and behavior management is essential.

Integrative approaches to childhood constipation and encopresis.

Constipation and encopresis (fecal soiling) are common childhood disorders that may lead to significant functional impairment. The etiology and course of constipation and encopresis are increasingly conceptualized from a broad biopsychosocial perspective, and therefore a holistic approach to assessment and treatment is indicated. Many children experience symptoms of chronic constipation and/or encopresis that are only partially responsive to conventional medical therapy. Complementary/alternative therapies can often help in the treatment of constipation/encopresis and are well accepted by patients and families.