Biofeedback for chronic constipation works for at least a year, study shows.(Clinical Rounds)

HONOLULU -- Biofeedback proved superior to standard therapy for long-term management of patients with the most common cause of chronic constipation in the first-ever randomized trial featuring a full year of follow-up.

Previous short-term randomized trials have demonstrated that biofeedback is effective in patients with dyssynergic defecation. But this form of constipation is a long-term problem--and although uncontrolled studies have suggested good long-term maintenance of efficacy with biofeedback, it was important to establish in a more rigorous randomized trial setting whether this nonpharmacologic therapy maintains its effectiveness over time.

The answer--at least through 1 year of formal follow-up--is clearly yes, Satish S.C. Rao, M.D., of the University of Iowa, Iowa City, said at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

He reported on 52 patients, 47 of whom were women, who were randomized to a 3-month biofeedback program or standard therapy. All met strict manometric diagnostic criteria for dyssynergic defecation. Patients with the other two common types of chronic constipation--irritable bowel syndrome and slow-transit constipation--were excluded.

The biofeedback program entailed biweekly hour-long treatment sessions in which participants learned techniques aimed at increasing ...