Summary of the article by Ines Kurze, Veronika Geng and Ralf Böthig published in Spinal Cord (2022) 60:435 – 443
What Is Neurogenic Bowel?
The symptoms of neurogenic bowel are fecal incontinence and constipation. In order to obtain a proper medical history to diagnose neurogenic bowel, the following signs and symptoms need to be checked:
- stool quantity and consistency using the Bristol stool scale
- perception of the need to evacuate (urge)
- triggering defecation through digital stimulation
- diet
- medication
- episodes of fecal incontinence
- unsuccessful attempts at voiding
Apart from the medical history, an assessment of the abdomen and an anorectal examination is needed. The guideline points out that medical history and assessment of anal sphincter tone are essential for initial diagnosis.
What Causes Neurogenic Bowel?
Neurogenic bowel dysfunction is due to the damage of, or disease affecting the nerves in the spinal cord. The nerve damage disturbs the sensory function, motility, and reflex control of the bowel. Change in bowel function after spinal cord injury or disease depends on the level of the lesion, the completeness of the injury, and the time since the onset of the disease. Clinically important factors are:
- the effect on the motility of the bowel (peristalsis)
- ability to empty the rectum
- the function of anal closure mechanisms
Can Neurogenic Bowel Be Cured?
The overall goal of bowel care in spinal cord injury defined by the group of experts is the following:
- Self-management leading to regular and predictable bowel emptying at a socially acceptable time and place
- Using minimal physical and pharmacological interventions to achieve complete bowel emptying within an acceptable time frame
- Prevention of bowel accidents, constipation, autonomic dysreflexia and other complications
A recommendation by the guideline is to determine the bowel emptying frequency, technique and the use of laxatives and aids for established bowel management. Following this one should assess continence, defecation time and subjective patient satisfaction for evaluation of bowel management.
Neurogenic Bowel Complications
A neurogenic bowel has a great impact on everyday life and complications can have serious health consequences, from life-threatening conditions, such as autonomic dysreflexia, to social
isolation due to lack of bowel control. Autonomic dysreflexia is a syndrome that can occur in spinal cord injuries above T6. It is a sudden increase in blood pressure commonly triggered by distension of the bladder and the bowel. Bowel management is therefore important to reduce distension of the bowel at the same time as bowel management may be a trigger of an autonomic dysreflexia episode. If the patient is at risk for autonomic dysreflexia, this must be considered in the selection of bowel management. Noted is that symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia occur less frequently and to a lesser degree with transanal irrigation than with digital evacuation.
How To Treat Neurogenic Bowel
Bowel management is individual and refers to all activities that help a person with NBD to achieve regular, planned and time-limited bowel evacuation, to avoid complications and unplanned defecations. There is limited evidence due to lack of clinical studies, but it is agreed that individual bowel management should be developed based on diagnosis and considering different lesion types.
Neurogenic bowel management usually requires more than one procedure to get control of the bowel after a spinal cord injury. In this guideline by Kurze et al you can find several recommendations concerning everything from when to manage the bowel to when it
is time to change bowel management, dietary advice, bowel evacuation techniques, and the use of pharmaceuticals for surgical treatments.