Quality of life in patients treated with sacral neuromodulation for fecal incontinence

Fecal incontinence, the uncontrolled loss of liquid or solid stool, is a common problem whose prevalence ranges from 2% to 17% in the US. Patients with this condition may suffer from severe embarrassment, shame, or depression, which, in turn, may severely impede daily activities. Sacral neuromodulation/stimulation (SNS) was first employed for the treatment of fecal incontinence in 1995. Since that time, over 100 case series have been conducted to assess SNM efficacy for the treatment of fecal incontinence. Most of these studies have shown significant improvement in fecal incontinence severity over short- and long-term follow-up. A more limited number of studies have assessed the effect of SNM on patient quality of life. This article broadly reviews these studies and concludes that SNM improves patient quality of life for both short- and long-term therapy.