What Is an Artificial Sphincter?

Anal incontinence means that the anal sphincter loses its ability to control feces and gas discharge to varying degrees. Although the incidence of anal incontinence is not very high and it is not directly life-threatening, it will bring huge physical and mental suffering to the patient, which will seriously affect the normal life and work of the patient. For the treatment of anal incontinence, different treatment methods should be selected according to the cause of the disease and the scope of the injury. Since 1989, Christiansen has used artificial anal sphincter to control fecal incontinence, which has opened a new way for the treatment of fecal incontinence. In 1996, Wong et al. Converted an artificial sphincter using the urinary sphincter AMS800 based on anal canal anatomy to treat patients with severe anal incontinence. The perfusion cannula is placed and wrapped around the anal canal, and the control pump can be implanted in the scrotum or labia.