A pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation programme for pediatric patients undergoing colorectal surgery with…

Cohort studyPediatric surgery international· Apr 2026

A pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation programme for pediatric patients undergoing colorectal surgery with sphincters involvement provides excellent results and more optimistic prognostic expectations.

E Cantone, R Raffo, S Camillo … A Pini Prato

Colon & Rectal SurgeryCohort studyTreatmentQ2IF 1.8

Fecal incontinence score fell from 6 to 2 after pediatric pelvic floor rehabilitation.

A pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation programme for pediatric patients undergoing colorectal surgery with sphincters involvement provides excellent results and more optimistic prognostic expectations.

E Cantone … A Pini Prato

Pediatric surgery international · Apr 2026 · Q2 in Surgery

Background

A high prevalence of patients operated on for Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and Anorectal Malformations (Anorectal Malformations) may suffer from faecal incontinence.

Methods

Were assessed with Wexner and Rintala scales at different timepoints (T0 enrolment, T1 after rehabilitation and T2 1 year post-rehabilitation).

n = 49 patients

Results

incontinence severity fell sharply, less soiling, better bowel control

T0

6score

T1

5score

T2

2score

More results

Median age was 10 years.

The worse was the score at the beginning, the more evident was the improvement at subsequent timepoints.

Similar results were achieved in HSCR and Anorectal Malformations.

One third of patients using TAI at T0, reduced or abandoned it after pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation.

“

Conclusion

We demonstrated safety, tolerability, and effectiveness for both HSCR and Anorectal Malformations and demonstrated that effects last in the long-term reducing the likelihood of symptoms recurrence.

A pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation programme for pediatric patients undergoing colorectal surgery with sphincters involvement provides excellent results and more optimistic prognostic expectations.

A pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation programme for pediatric patients undergoing colorectal surgery with sphincters involvement provides excellent results and more optimistic prognostic expectations.

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