RT Book, Section A1 Patel, Dipal A1 Emmanuel, Anton A2 Rogers, Rebecca G. A2 Sung, Vivian W. A2 Iglesia, Cheryl B. A2 Thakar, Ranee SR Print(0) ID 1105829901 T1 Anal Incontinence T2 Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery: Clinical Practice and Surgical Atlas YR 2014 FD 2014 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-175641-9 LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1105829901 RD 2024/10/03 AB Anal incontinence is defined as the involuntary loss of feces or flatus. It is a socially isolating, physically and psychologically disabling condition that often has profound consequences on all aspects of quality of life. The prevalence of fecal incontinence (FI) in the community-based adult UK population is between 2% and 3%,1 rising with age to approximately 6% to 7% in the elderly people in the community, and 10% of patients in elderly care homes.2,3 Because anal incontinence is a source of embarrassment, many patients do not volunteer these symptoms or seek medical advice, hence, it is thought that the condition is even more common than these figures suggest. Epidemiologic data suggest that men and women are equally affected,2,4,5 which is surprising given that most research is focused on anal incontinence in the female population. Simple, low-cost interventions can often improve symptoms in a large number of patients. For refractory patients, more sophisticated second-line investigations and treatments have become available in recent years. This chapter will review the etiology, pathophysiology, and management of anal incontinence, with particular attention focused on the evolving areas of our increased understanding in terms of investigation and management.