Interstim® for Fecal Incontinence

Hello, my name is Dr. Brian Stork and I am a Urologist or a physician who specializes in diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. For many years I have been performing a procedure called InterStim for patients with Symptoms of Urinary Urgency, Frequency and Urge Incontinence.

Recently, InterStim has been approved for the treatment of Fecal Incontinence. There are numerous patients that suffer daily from symptoms of fecal incontinence. Unfortunately, there are not currently a lot of good treatment options for the condition.

Standard treatment options include increasing fiber within the diet and dietary changes, medications and pelvic floor exercises. When these standard treatments fail, patients really do not have a lot of other treatment options.

I have been performing InterStim Therapy now for Patients with Fecal Incontinence with quite a bit of success. The procedure is performed at the Surgery Center or the hospital in two stages. The first stage is simply placing a wire underneath the skin next to the nerves that control the rectum. For approximately two weeks we test patients with fecal incontinence to see if by stimulating these nerves we can help them enjoy complete (or significantly improved) continence.

We have patients keep a diary or a log of their bowel movements before and after treatment. If patients have a significant improvement in their treatment following testing then we go ahead and implant a small device about the size of 2 or 3 silver dollars underneath the skin overlying the buttocks. Once this has been done, the patients will have a handheld programer that they can use to communicate with and adjust the device.

I am very excited about the possibility of using InterStim therapy for patients with fecal incontinence. I have seen a considerable amount of improvement in the patients that we have treated with this therapy already. If you have symptoms of fecal incontinence, I really look forward to offering you this treatment option at the time that I see you in our office.

For additional information on Fecal Incontinence and Interstim, please review the following Permamarks List.