Shots of botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, can relieve constipation caused by inappropriate contraction or inability to relax the pelvic floor muscles during defecation, according to Italian researchers. "Traditional approaches, for example, fiber, laxatives, enemas, biofeedback training and surgery, have shown often conflicting or even disappointing results," senior investigator Dr. Guiseppe Brisinda, told Reuters Health. Brisinda and colleagues at University Hospital Agostino Gemelli, Rome, investigated the utility of ultrasound-guided local injections of Botox to relieve constipation in 24 sufferers. Follow-up at 2 months showed that the approach was successful in 19 patients. Five subjects required a second treatment to maintain clinical improvements. After 4 months of follow-up, four of the five underwent the procedure again. The procedure relieved the inappropriate contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, Brisinda said, "allowing resumption of normal rectal voiding." However, the duration of the effect after treatment needs to be assessed and the technique may require more precise injections, the researchers note.
