Abstract
Twenty-eight patients who underwent the Bacon pull-through operation were evaluated for continence by clinical and radiologic means. Six patients were available for anal manometry. Eighty-three percent of those patients followed for function did not have the sensation to defecate spontaneously. They had normal functioning of the external sphincter, failure of reflex inhibition of the internal sphincter, and decreased rectal compliance secondary to fibrosis of the presacral space. These factors created a distal high-pressure zone which, when combined with sensory loss due to transection of the levators, rendered the patient continent but without the ability to defecate spontaneously unless an enema was administered.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bacon HE. Evolution of sphincter muscle preservation and reestablishment of continuity in the operative treatment of rectal and sigmoidal cancer. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1945;82:113–27.
Schuster MM. Diagnostic value of anal sphincter pressure measurements. Hosp Pract 1973;8:115–7.
Bacon HE. An 18-year experience with the pull-through operation for cancer with elimination of an abdominal colostomy. From: Symposium on Carcinoma of the Rectum, Anglo-American Conference on Proctology. Proc R Soc Med 1959;52(suppl):33–5.
Bacon HE. Cancer of the rectum: pull-through operation. Penn Med J 1963;66:33–8.
Iwai N, Hashimoto K, Yamane T, et al. Physiologic status of the anorectum following sphincter-saving resection for carcinoma of the rectum. Dis Colon Rectum 1982;25:652–9.
Pescatori M, Parks AG. The sphincteric and sensory components of preserved continence after ileoanal reservoir. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1984;158:517–21.
Cortesini C. Anorectal reflex following sphincter-saving operations. Dis Colon Rectum 1980;23:320–6.
Bennett RC, Buls J, Kennedy JT, Hughes ESR. The physiologic status of the anorectum after pull-through operations. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1973;136:907–13.
Kratzer GL, Matta M. Review of the pull-through operation for rectal cancer. Dis Colon Rectum 1979;22:120–2.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported in part by a grant from the Dorothy Rider Pool Health Care Trust.
About this article
Cite this article
Rosen, L., Khubchandani, I.T., Sheets, J.A. et al. Clinical and manometric evaluation of continence after the Bacon two-stage pull-through procedure. Dis Colon Rectum 28, 232–234 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02554039
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02554039