Fecal Incontinence Outcomes Following Transvaginal Posterior Vaginal Wall Repair.

Introduction and hypothesis: Knowledge regarding rates of improvement of fecal incontinence (FI) after repair of posterior compartment prolapse is limited. We aimed to estimate the rate of resolution or improvement of fecal incontinence postoperatively following transvaginal posterior compartment repair.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study including patients with diagnosis of fecal incontinence who underwent transvaginal posterior repair at a single academic institution between 1/2016 and 1/2022. Patients who underwent concomitant anal sphincteroplasty served as controls. The primary outcome was resolution of FI symptoms within 6-weeks postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included improvement of FI symptoms and preoperative anorectal manometry characteristics. Univariate and bivariate analysis were performed to describe and compare outcomes between groups with multivariable regression performed to address potential confounders.

Results: Of 179 patients included, 91 had posterior repair alone, while 88 had concomitant anal sphincteroplasty. Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between groups. Overall, 143 (80%) patients did not report any FI symptoms at their 6-week postoperative visit. An additional 28 (16%) reported improvement in FI symptoms. Among patients who underwent posterior repair alone, 76 (84%) had resolution of their FI compared to 67 (76%) in patients with concomitant anal sphincteroplasty (P = 0.6); 71 patients underwent anorectal manometry preoperatively. There were no significant differences in mean average resting pressures or mean maximum squeeze pressures between groups.

Conclusions: Posterior compartment repair resulted in resolution or improvement of fecal incontinence symptoms within 6-weeks postoperatively. The mechanism for FI symptoms in women with rectoceles may be independent of the anal sphincter complex.