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Rectal compliance: a critical reappraisal

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Abstract

Compliance is a widely measured parameter of rectal function. Its value is determined clinically by recording pressure changes associated with volume infusion into a rectal balloon. This paper examines the inherent assumptions of the rectal balloon technique and discusses several of its shortcomings. A stricter definition of rectal compliance is needed, and in vivo compliance should be correlated with the directly measured mechanical properties of the rectal wall.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    R. D. Madoff

  2. Worcester Memorial Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    R. D. Madoff

  3. Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    W. J. Orrom, D. A. Rothenberger & S. M. Goldberg

Authors
  1. R. D. Madoff
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  2. W. J. Orrom
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  3. D. A. Rothenberger
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  4. S. M. Goldberg
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Madoff, R.D., Orrom, W.J., Rothenberger, D.A. et al. Rectal compliance: a critical reappraisal. Int J Colorect Dis 5, 37–40 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496148

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00496148

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