How is Dyssynergic Defecation Diagnosed?
General Issues – The doctor will begin with a history as well as an examination of the abdomen and the area around the anus and rectum. He or she will want to rule out other conditions that can cause constipation, such as disease, injury, or inflammation.
Many conditions, like an anal fissure, hemorrhoid, stricture, spasm, or tenderness can be diagnosed by examination in the doctor’s office. If the doctor suspects dyssynergic defecation, he or she may suggest one or more tests before making a definitive diagnoses.
Conditions may also co-exist with dyssynergic defecation. Examples of common tests to identify other conditions include blood tests, sigmoidoscopy (examination of the inside of the sigmoid colon and rectum using a thin, flexible, lighted tube), and colonic transit time tests.
A colonic transit time test is a simple way to study how quickly stool matter moves through the colon. Capsules containing small markers are swallowed and x-rays taken over several days. Transit time is measured based on the progress of the markers, which eventually pass out of the body. Slow or delayed transit time leads to infrequent bowel movements, straining, and hard stools.
But dyssynergic defecation can make stool passage much more difficult regardless of whether stool transit in the colon is normal or delayed.
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