Characteristics of recoanal inhibitory reflex in patients with functional constipation: analysis of 100 cases
Objective:To explore the characteristics of anorectal dynamics, rectal sensory function, and nerve reflex function in patients with functional constipation by high-resolution anorectal manometry.Methods:One hundred functional constipation patients and 100 healthy volunteers were selected to compare their differences in anal resting pressure, maximum compressive pressure, rectal defecation pressure, anal residual pressure, initial sensory threshold, initial defecation threshold, maximum volume sensory threshold, and recoanal inhibitory reflex (RAIR) related parameters by high-resolution anorectal manometry. The differences in RAIR related parameters among patients with different subtypes of functional constipation were also compared.Results:Compared with healthy volunteers, patients with functional constipation had significantly higher initial sensory threshold, initial defecation threshold, maximum volume sensory threshold, RAIR, RAIR residual pressure, RAIR relaxation rate, and RAIR relaxation time [(37.74±20.89) mmHg vs (24.45±11.55) mmHg, (68.31±25.53) ml vs (52.22±19.02) ml, (152.32±55.87) ml vs (138.22±41.28) ml, (16.90±8.12) ml vs (11.90±4.42) ml, (31.08±18.84) mmHg vs (20.30±12.13) mmHg, (34.61±18.81)% vs (57.41±20.28)%, and (8.30±5.41) s vs (14.89±3.73) s, respectively, P<0.05], while there was no significant difference in anal resting pressure, maximum compressive pressure, rectal pressure, or anal residual pressure [(70.62±22.28) mmHg vs (69.80±15.19) mmHg, (132.61±39.94) mmHg vs (141.41±39.91) mmHg, (46.24±24.10) mmHg vs (51.51±44.61) mmHg, and (81.29±27.34) mmHg vs (77.55±25.25) mmHg, P>0.05] between them.Conclusion:Rectal hypoesthesia and abnormal RAIR are common in patients with functional constipation, suggesting that abnormal neural pathway is one of the main mechanisms of functional constipation.