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Chronic Constipation

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Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Pelvic Surgery in the Elderly

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Abstract

Constipation is a common medical disorder, experienced intermittently by 40 % of people older than 65. Chronic constipation is defined as more than 3 months of infrequent stools, hard/lumpy in character, and/or difficulty with defecation. When presenting for evaluation, all patients should have a complete blood cell count, but further testing need only be pursued if clinical suspicion exists or screening for colon cancer has not been previously performed. Chronic constipation is most often treated successfully with conservative measures such as increasing dietary fiber and laxatives. If patients do not respond to basic measures, diagnostic testing for defecation disorder should be pursued, which is best treated with biofeedback/pelvic floor retraining.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Erica N. Roberson

  2. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Centennial Building, Suite 4000, 1685 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, USA

    Arnold Wald

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  1. Erica N. Roberson
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  2. Arnold Wald
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Correspondence to Arnold Wald .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pelvic NeuroScience, Department of Surgery, The Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    David A. Gordon

  2. Sinai Center for Geriatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Mark R. Katlic

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Roberson, E.N., Wald, A. (2017). Chronic Constipation. In: Gordon, D., Katlic, M. (eds) Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Pelvic Surgery in the Elderly. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6554-0_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6554-0_25

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