ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03898778Updated Aug 22, 2025Results posted

Effects of an Anal Insert Device in Fecal Incontinence

An interventional study of Minnesota Medical Technologies Anal Insert Device in Fecal Incontinence, sponsored by Minnesota Medical Technologies. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-08-22.

Sponsored by Minnesota Medical Technologies · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
124
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this research is to test the effects of an inserted anal device on fecal incontinence (accidental bowel leakage) in patients who have persistent symptoms despite other conservative therapy.

Read the detailed description

This is a prospective, open label study designed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the Minnesota Medical Technologies Anal Insert Device in participants with Fecal Incontinence (FI).

02

Conditions studied

  • Fecal Incontinence

Keywords

  • bowel incontinence
  • accidental bowel leakage
  • rectal diseases
  • intestinal diseases
  • gastrointestinal diseases
  • digestive system diseases
  • diarrhea
  • loose stool
  • stool leakage
  • watery stool
  • involuntary bowel leakage
03

In context

Fecal Incontinence

283 studies on the registry are indexed under Fecal Incontinence; 52 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 124 is above the median of 50 across 203 interventional studies indexed under Fecal Incontinence.

Browse Fecal Incontinence studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Minnesota Medical Technologies as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Able to provide signed (written)
  • Diagnosis of fecal incontinence, with duration of symptoms six months or longer with a history of at least one fecal incontinence (FI) episode per week or at least four episodes per month
  • Subject comprehends study meaning and is capable of carrying out study duties
  • Patient is fluent in English as study questionnaires have been validated using English
  • If female and of , patient has had a negative urine pregnancy test within 21 days of the first day of the baseline visit
  • If applicable, patient agrees to use acceptable (surgical sterilization, abstinence, approved hormonal contraceptives such as birth control pills, barrier methods such as condom or diaphragm used with a spermicide, or an intrauterine device (IUD)). If not applicable, the reason why shall be documented on the screening log.
  • Subject is at least 18 years of age at time of consent
  • Patients has failed conservative medical therapy (i.e., the use of bulking agents, anti-diarrheal agents (e.g., loperamide) and biofeedback therapy as appropriate) for Fecal Incontinence

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

  • Unable or unwilling to provide or to comply with study procedures
  • History of anorectal pathology in the past 6 months (perianal abscess or fistula, fecal impaction, or rectocele).
  • History of inflammatory bowel disease with active proctosigmoiditis
  • History of rectal surgery in past 6 months where the Investigator determines that the use of the study device may be associated with an increased risk of complications.
  • History of acute or chronic illness or history of illness or any other reason which in the opinion of the Investigator, could pose a threat or harm to the subject or obscure interpretation of laboratory test results or interpretation of study data such as frequent angina, Class III or IV congestive heart failure, etc. The reason for exclusion of any enrolled subject shall be documented on the screening log.
  • Patient has known clinically-significant immune deficiency state (e.g., infection).
  • Patient is taking drugs with a low therapeutic index, such as warfarin, digoxin, and anti-seizure medications
  • If patient has clinically suspected upper or lower gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, they must be excluded or have been evaluated per standard of care and obstruction ruled out before screening. Determination of obstruction shall be documented on the screening log.
  • History of fecal impaction with overflow diarrhea in the past 6 months
  • History of Ileo-anal pouch
  • History of allergy to silicone or one of its components
  • Patient is pregnant and/or nursing
  • Any other reason, which in the opinion of the Investigator, would confound proper interpretation of the study
  • Patient whom, after training from a healthcare provider, cannot insert or expel the device themself or with assistance from a caregiver
  • History of anal or rectal pain and/or rectal bleeding in the past month
  • Subject cannot retain either device (10 or 13 mm) while ambulating at the screening visit
  • Post baseline anoscopy examination, presence of an anal fissure, Grade III-IV internal hemorrhoids, or thrombosed external hemorrhoids.

In addition, subjects will not be eligible to participate in the Treatment Period if during the baseline period or at the anorectal manometry visit:

  • Used rescue medications beyond those allowed by the protocol
  • demonstrated lack of compliance (for e.g., did not complete bowel diaries for 3 days in any week during the baseline diary period).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
124 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Subjects with fecal incontinence

    Male and female subjects aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of fecal incontinence who have failed conservative medical therapy (i.e., the use of bulking agents, anti-diarrheal agents (e.g., loperamide and biofeedback therapy as appropriate) for fecal incontinence will be treated with an anal insert device.

    Device: Minnesota Medical Technologies Anal Insert Device

Interventions

  • DeviceMinnesota Medical Technologies Anal Insert Device

    Non-sterile soft, flexible, liquid-filled anal insert either 10 mm size or 13 mm size, meant for single use only

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary Effectiveness Endpoint

    Percent treatment responders (proportion of subjects with percent relative change of Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL) ≥ 50%) for the modified Intent to Treat (mITT) population.

    Time frame: Baseline (Weeks 1-4) through Treatment period (Weeks 9-12)

07

Results

Posted Aug 22, 2025

Participant flow

Recruitment for the study was initiated in May 2019 and completed in October 2023. Potential subjects were approached by advertising, letter, phone, in person, or by e-mail.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneSubjects With Fecal Incontinence
Started124
Completed59
Not completed65

Outcome measures

PrimaryPrimary Effectiveness Endpoint

Percent treatment responders (proportion of subjects with percent relative change of Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL) ≥ 50%) for the modified Intent to Treat (mITT) population.

Time frame:
Baseline (Weeks 1-4) through Treatment period (Weeks 9-12)
Reported as:
Number · percentage of treatment responders
Primary Effectiveness Endpoint
percentage of treatment respondersSubjects With Fecal Incontinence
Primary Effectiveness Endpoint75.9 (62.83 to 86.13)

Adverse events

Collected over Through study completion, an average of 16 weeks.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Subjects With Fecal Incontinence0/124 (0%)1/124 (0.8%)12/124 (9.7%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventSubjects With Fecal Incontinence
Diastolic dysfunction and relative chronotropic insufficiencyCardiac disorders1/124
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 14
Most frequent other events
EventSubjects With Fecal Incontinence
Leg painInjury, poisoning and procedural complications1/124
Cough and nasal congestionInfections and infestations1/124
Anorectal irritation, pain, sorenessGastrointestinal disorders1/124
Perianal irritation and anorectal discomfort (worsening)Gastrointestinal disorders1/124
Nausea and vomitingGastrointestinal disorders1/124
Perianal pruritus and sorenessGastrointestinal disorders1/124
Device over-insertion or device migration into anal canal or rectumGastrointestinal disorders1/124
chest and extremity painInjury, poisoning and procedural complications1/124
DysuriaGastrointestinal disorders1/124
Abdominal crampingGastrointestinal disorders1/124

Baseline characteristics

ITT population

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Subjects With Fecal Incontinence
<=18 years0
Between 18 and 65 years21
>=65 years38
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Subjects With Fecal Incontinence
Female55
Male4
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Subjects With Fecal Incontinence
American Indian or Alaska Native0
Asian1
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1
Black or African American0
White57
More than one race0
Unknown or Not Reported0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Subjects With Fecal Incontinence
United States59
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
    Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from May 2019 to primary completion in Feb 2024, 57 months.

Results were first posted in Aug 2025, 1 year 6 months after primary completion. A results delay was requested in Jan 2025.

Of 86 interventional studies with no phase under Fecal Incontinence, half reached primary completion within 36 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 20 and three quarters within 57. This study's 57 months is above that.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 30, 2019
First posted
Apr 2, 2019
StartActual
May 16, 2019
Primary completionActual
Feb 20, 2024
CompletionActual
Feb 20, 2024
Results delay requested
Jan 24, 2025
Results first posted
Aug 22, 2025
Last update
Aug 22, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 22, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03898778
Lead sponsor
Minnesota Medical Technologies
Collaborators
Mayo Clinic
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 2, 2019
Start date
May 16, 2019
Primary completion
Feb 20, 2024
Completion
Feb 20, 2024
Results posted
Aug 22, 2025
Last update
Aug 22, 2025

Study contacts

Adil E Bharucha, MD
principal investigator · Mayo Clinic

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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