Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze methods of bowel emptying among Germans living with spina bifida. We also analyzed relationships between age, sex, level of spinal bifida anomaly, and methods of bowel elimination.
Design: A quantitative, descriptive study.
Subjects And Setting: The sample comprised 88 persons (56 women and 32 men) residing anywhere in the Federal Republic of Germany. Their mean age was 17.5 years (SD 13.64 years), range 0 to 55 years.
Methods: Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire developed for the urological follow-up protocol for patients with spina bifida. Parents completed the questionnaire for participants younger than 18 years.
Results: Twenty participants (22.7%) reported normal defecation and 68 (77.3%) reported neurogenic bowel dysfunction requiring regular bowel management. Participants requiring bowel management predominately used rectal irrigation (40.9%) and digital rectal stimulation (27.3%) to enhance bowel evacuation. Age emerged as the only factor related to the bowel management techniques. Younger participants (≤20 years) were more likely to use rectal irrigation for bowel evacuation (P = .001, Fisher's exact test), whereas older respondents (≥21 years) were more likely to use digital rectal stimulation (P = .015, Fisher's exact test). Analysis revealed no differences in methods of bowel evacuation based on sex or level of spina bifida anomaly (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral).
Conclusions: Rectal irrigation was the most common method for bowel evacuation. Participants were less likely to employ potentially effective and more conservative measures for intestinal emptying, such as toilet training/timed evacuation associated with Valsalva maneuvers, abdominal press, abdominal massage, and digital rectal stimulation. Additional comparative studies with more participants and other countries with intestinal emptying methods are needed to better understand the needs of individuals with spina bifida and their families and to improve the health-related quality of life of these people.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WON.0000000000000741 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Cognitive, Behavioral and Educational Outcomes in Children Aged 5-11 Years With Spina Bifida in Northern Ireland.
Birth Defects Res
January 2025
School of Nursing, Ulster University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Introduction: While improved medical and surgical care for children with pina bifida has improved their survival, some may have lower cognitive, behavioral and educational performance. The paper assesses the effect of spina bifida on cognitive, behavioral, and educational outcomes in 5-11 year olds.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used where data were collected from parents/guardians and teachers using Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, second edition (BRIEF2), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Teacher Academic Attainment Scale (TAAS).
Prune belly syndrome (PBS), or Eagle-Barrett syndrome, is a rare congenital disorder marked by abdominal wall muscle deficiency, urinary tract anomalies, and cryptorchidism, causing significant abdominal wall laxity and functional impairment. This case report discusses an innovative approach to abdominal wall reconstruction in a 19-year-old male patient with PBS and associated conditions, including chronic renal failure and spina bifida. Previously, he underwent distal ureterectomy and vesicoureteral reimplantation at the age of two years to correct urinary tract dilation and bilateral orchiopexy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmotional well-being in transition-age adults with pediatric-onset disabilities: A cross-sectional study.
Rehabil Psychol
January 2025
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Children's Hospital Colorado.
Purpose/objective: The transition from childhood to adulthood often involves emotional challenges. These problems may be especially prominent for transition-age adults (TAA) with pediatric-onset disabilities, although there are currently few studies that speak to this. The aim of this study is to characterize depressive symptoms and the association with family functioning in a sample of TAA with pediatric-onset disabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacteristics of upper lumbar spondylolysis in children.
Spine J
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Japan.
Background: Pediatric lumbar spondylolysis (LS) is common in junior and senior high school athletes. Lower LS (L4-L5 level) is more common in children, and upper LS (L1-L3 level) is relatively rare; therefore, the pathogenesis of upper LS remains unclear.
Purpose: To elucidate the mechanisms of upper LS by identifying and comparing characteristics between upper and lower LS cases.
Altered Connectome Topology in Newborns at Risk for Cognitive Developmental Delay: A Cross-Etiologic Study.
Hum Brain Mapp
January 2025
Center for MR Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
The human brain connectome is characterized by the duality of highly modular structure and efficient integration, supporting information processing. Newborns with congenital heart disease (CHD), prematurity, or spina bifida aperta (SBA) constitute a population at risk for altered brain development and developmental delay (DD). We hypothesize that, independent of etiology, alterations of connectomic organization reflect neural circuitry impairments in cognitive DD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!