Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J F Erckenbrecht

Publications and source records attributed to J F Erckenbrecht.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Sensory and motor function in the maintenance of anal continence.

Anorectal function was prospectively evaluated in 43 consecutive patients with fecal incontinence and in 19 healthy volunteers using manometry and electrical stimulation of the anoderm. Both anorectal motor and sensory function was impaired in incontinent patients as compared with healthy controls. Further statistical analysis identified four subgroups of patients showing different pathomechanisms of fecal incontinence: severe combined anorectal motor and sensory dysfunction, isolated anal sphincter dysfunction, isolated anorectal sensory dysfunction, and combined dysfunction of the internal anal sphincter and impaired anorectal sensitivity. These data support the hypothesis that sensory function of both the rectum and the anal canal is an important and independent factor in the preservation of continence.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Motility changes in primary achalasia following pneumatic dilatation.

The changes in esophageal motility after pneumatic dilatation were evaluated prospectively in 51 patients with achalasia. The patients were evaluated for a median of 14 months. Pneumatic dilatation led to a clinical improvement in 41 patients. On manometric evaluation, a significant decrease in lower esophageal sphincter pressure was observed (28.4 +/- 14.9 mmHg vs. 13.5 +/- 7.2 mmHg; p = 0.001); the resting pressure of the esophageal body dropped from 4.8 +/- 4.2 mmHg above gastric baseline to 0.1 +/- 3.9 mmHg below gastric baseline. After therapy, peristaltic activity was present in 10/51 (20%) patients; in 1 case, complete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter was recorded. Treatment-induced motility changes could not be predicted by clinical history or the lower esophageal sphincter pressure before or after therapy. However, the resting pressure of the esophageal body before and after therapy was significantly lower in these patients in whom peristalsis recurred after therapy than in patients with an unchanged motility pattern. The reappearance of peristaltic activity after pneumatic dilatation was unrelated to lower esophageal sphincter pressure. In conclusion, motility disturbances of the esophageal body in patients with achalasia do not simply reflect the functional obstruction of the lower esophageal sphincter. These findings support the hypothesis that achalasia is not a distinct motility disturbance but should be regarded as part of a broad spectrum of different interrelated esophageal motility disorders.

Air↗
PubMed1990

[Pneumonia in AIDS: pathogen spectrum and diagnostic value of various fiberoptic bronchoscopy methods for the detection of pathogens].

39 fibre-bronchoscopic examinations were performed prospectively in 29 AIDS-patients with pneumonia. Specimens were obtained from the central bronchial system with a protected brush and by suction, from the infiltrated peripheral area by catheter suction, protected brush, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and transbronchial biopsy in randomized order. In patients with non-bacterial pneumonia, pneumocystis carinii (n = 20) was the most frequent pathogen. In this group BAL had a significantly higher rate of pathogen detection than other techniques. In patients with bacterial pneumonia (n = 10) the pathogens were found in all cases by suction from the central bronchial system. Fibre-bronchoscopy in patients with AIDS and pneumonia should include specimens from the central bronchial system and a bronchoalveolar lavage.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

[Radiologic diagnosis of anal incontinence].

Defaecography was performed in 47 consecutive patients with faecal incontinence. A gap in the anal canal with spontaneous leakage of contrast medium was observed in 19 patients and demonstrated a severe disturbance of sphincteric function. In 13 cases, an anorectal angle of more than 120 degrees that did not change during voluntary sphincter contraction and the missing dorsal impression of the anorectal junction indicated a damage of the puborectalis muscle. A rectocele was detected in 18 patients, an intussusception in 14 patients, and a complete rectal prolapse in 3 patients. Thus, mechanisms of faecal incontinence can be elucidated radiologically in more than one half of the patients examined. However, the high prevalence of a rectocele or an intussusception in patients with faecal incontinence causes doubt whether these alterations of rectal morphology are functionally relevant in the majority of patients with faecal incontinence.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence of lactose malabsorption among patients with functional bowel disorders.

To investigate the prevalence of lactose malabsorption among patients with functional gastrointestinal disturbances we prospectively evaluated all patients referred to a gastrointestinal outpatient clinic over a period of 18 months. All patients had a breath hydrogen test following oral lactose in addition to the standard diagnostic procedures. In 37 of the total of 64 patients no organic cause of the gastrointestinal complaints was found. In 9 of these 37 patients (24%) the breath hydrogen test indicated lactose malabsorption. Three to 6 month later most of the patients with lactose malabsorption showed a significant reduction of gastrointestinal complaints after they had maintained a lactose-poor diet. In comparison, patients with functional disturbances but without lactose malabsorption reported nor or only minor improvement of symptoms; most of these patients had consulted another physician since the last visit in the clinic.

Breath Tests↗
PubMed1989

[Rectal stenosis due to long-term therapy with ergotamine].

Two patients (a woman aged 39, a man aged 46 years) had developed severe distal rectal stenoses after 20 years of anti-migraine treatment with ergotamine-containing suppositories. The woman required several bougie and laser treatments. In the man a megacolon had developed due to increasing, finally complete, rectal stenosis and this required a double colostomy (transverse colon) as an emergency. Ergotamine-containing suppositories are widely used in the treatment of migraine, but they should not be administered for prolonged periods.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Age and sex and anorectal manometry in incontinence.

Although the prevalence of fecal incontinence is greater in women compared with men and in elderly subjects compared with younger subjects, data regarding the influence of age and sex on anorectal performance in continent and incontinent patients are conflicting. The authors, therefore, investigated age- and gender-related changes in anal resting and squeeze pressure as well as in sphincter relaxation after rectal balloon distention in 75 patients with fecal incontinence of different pathogenesis and in 99 continent patients by multichannel anorectal manometry. As a group, incontinent patients usually exhibit lower pressure profiles than do continent patients regardless of age and gender; however, both the resting pressure of the internal anal sphincter and the voluntary contractile pressure of the external anal sphincter are decreased with age, and both are lowered in women compared with men. Sphincter relaxation and perception of gastrointestinal events are not altered in incontinent patients, and they are not different between men and women or between elderly and younger patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Intestinal motor activity in experimental hyperthyroidism in conscious dogs.

The small intestinal motor effects of experimental hyperthyroidism were studied in 8 conscious dogs to reveal possible mechanisms of accelerated small bowel transit in hyperthyroidism. Six strain gauge transducers were implanted on the small intestine of each dog. Long-term hyperthyroidism was induced by subcutaneous administration of 100 and 200 micrograms/kg.day of thyroxin. Application of thyroxin did not interrupt the cyclic fasting motor activity. Thyroxin (100 micrograms/kg.day) caused a slight increase in the period of the migrating motor complex (p less than 0.05). The maximum contractile frequency rose dose-dependently up to 11% (p less than 0.05). During phase 2 and the digestive state the contraction frequency increased up to 29% and 27%, respectively (p less than 0.05). More contractions occurred in groups during the digestive state in hyperthyroidism. Half of the dogs showed giant migrating contractions during thyroxin administration, whereas those contractions were not observed during the control period. We conclude that fasted and postprandial intestinal motility is changed in experimental hyperthyroidism. Acceleration of small bowel transit may be caused by changes in contractile pattern of phase 2 and the digestive state or by the increased frequency of giant migrating contractions.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effects of cisapride on ano-rectal sphincter function.

To investigate the effects of cisapride, a motility-inducing agent, on ano-rectal sphincter functions, standard manometry was performed in 10 healthy male volunteers after 5 days on a 20-mg dose of cisapride in a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized crossover fashion. All subjects kept stool diaries during the experiment. Cisapride significantly increased stool frequency by adding soft and liquid stools; in addition, anal resting pressure was reduced with cisapride in seven of the 10 subjects; mean resting pressure decreased by 16%, while all other measurements were not altered. This suggests that cisapride may act directly on the smooth muscle of the internal anal sphincter. It also supports the view that enhanced defaecation in chronic constipation induced by cisapride may not be achieved by propulsive motor activity in the colon but also by a decreased anal sphincter tone.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Stress effects on gastrointestinal transit in the rat.

Previous investigations of stress effects on gastric emptying, orocaecal, and colonic transit in rats have produced conflicting results. Here one type of stressor, a 'passive avoidance' situation, was used to investigate its effects on gastric emptying, orocaecal and colonic transit. After the rats had been trained to eat a standard amount of semisolid food, gastric emptying was determined (n = 12) by the food remaining in the stomach after various periods of rest, or stress exposure. Orocaecal transit (n = 14) was determined by breath hydrogen measurements after the food had been labelled with 1 g lactose. Colonic transit (n = 18) was measured as the arrival time of coloured faeces after infusion of a carmine red solution into the caecum through a chronically implanted catheter. The stressor had differential effects on transit through the stomach, small bowel and colon: gastric emptying was delayed (p less than 0.05) after stress (t1/2 = 2.66 h after stress, 1.97 h at rest). Orocaecal transit was accelerated (p less than 0.05) after stress; transit time decreased from 124.3 min at rest to 86.2 min after stress. Colonic transit was accelerated (p less than 0.01) under stress, from 15.5 h to 1.29 h. It is concluded that gastrointestinal transit in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract is differently affected by central nervous stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

[Biofeedback training in fecal incontinence].

In 19 patients with incontinence of various causes a treatment programme was instituted in which by biofeedback training they would learn how to increase the force of contraction of the external anal sphincter in response to balloon distension of the rectum. The degree of incontinence was objectified by anorectal manometry before and after training, as well as 3-6 months after the end of training. This programme significantly increased the force of contraction of the sphincter and pelvic-floor musculature. Twelve patients became continent and have remained so at follow-up. The training regimen was especially successful in patients with an organic cause of the incontinence and those most highly motivated. The investigation also demonstrated that anorectal manometry is a suitable method for the diagnosis of and monitoring the response to treatment of anal incontinence.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Faecal incontinence in diabetes mellitus: is it correlated to diabetic autonomic or peripheral neuropathy?

Faecal incontinence is a frequent manifestation of diabetic enteropathy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether faecal incontinence in diabetes mellitus correlates with manifestations of diabetic autonomic or peripheral neuropathy at other organ sites. In 12 incontinent and 15 continent diabetics stool frequency and stool continence, basal and squeeze anal sphincter pressures, and continence to rectally infused isotonic saline solution (1500 ml) were prospectively evaluated. These data were correlated to quantitative measures of autonomic neuropathy as assessed by heart rate variation and pupillary reflex response to light, and to quantitative measures of peripheral neuropathy as assessed by nerve conduction velocity and sensitivity to vibration. Incontinent diabetics exhibited decreased basal and squeeze anal sphincter pressures, and reduced continence for fluid compared to their continent controls. The degree of incontinence correlated well with the maximal volume of retained rectally infused saline solution, but neither with basal and squeeze anal sphincter pressures, nor with the severity of autonomic or peripheral neuropathy at other organ sites. It is concluded that a generalized dysfunction of the autonomic or peripheral nervous system does not play a major role in the pathogenesis of faecal incontinence in diabetes mellitus. The great overlap of basal and squeeze anal sphincter pressures in incontinent and continent diabetics raise evidence for disturbances of additional extrasphincteric factors as part of the pathomechanism of faecal incontinence in diabetes mellitus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Effect of L-tryptophan on fasting intestinal motility and intestinal transit time in the human].

Since previous experiments in dogs suggested L-tryptophan to disturb the migrating motor complex (MMC) we set out to study its effects in man. In six healthy volunteers intraduodenal instillation of 50 mmol L-tryptophan did not disrupt the interdigestive motility pattern. In comparison to saline L-tryptophan caused a brief and local increase of motor activity in the upper small bowel. There was no change in small bowel transit time. The oral intake of 560 kcal liquid formula diet produced a typical digestive pattern for 160-209 min. The increase and the maximum of serum gastrin levels did not correspond to the changes of motor activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Anal sphincter function and recto-anal continence].

Recto-anal continence results from a complex interplay of motor, sensory and anatomical continence mechanisms. Accordingly, fecal incontinence may be due to motor defects, sensory defects, neurological defects, or defects of the reservoir function of the ano-rectum. In a study in 16 patients with fecal incontinence and 16 continent controls the question was examined, to which extent disturbances of the motor function of the internal and external anal sphincter contribute to the pathogenesis of fecal incontinence. Basal and squeeze anal sphincter pressures were not different in incontinent and continent patients. However, 8/16 incontinent patients showed no or only an insufficient increase of external anal sphincter function while squeezing. It is concluded that disturbances of the motor function of the anal sphincters contribute to fecal incontinence in only about one half of the patients. In addition, the pressure increase of the sphincters during squeezing is of more importance for recto-anal continence than the absolute height of the muscular force of the anal sphincters.

Adult↗