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CompletedNCT04409054Updated Feb 18, 2022

The Guarding Reflex Anal, Study of the Modulation Function of Rectal Distension

An observational study in Anorectal Disorder, sponsored by Gérard Amarenco. Completed at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-02-18.

Sponsored by Gérard Amarenco · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
10
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The term Guarding Reflex refers to a progressive, involuntary increase in the external urethral sphincter activity during bladder filling.This is a mechanism of continence, preventing from unwanted urine leakage in situation of stress.

Anal continence is essential, and any impairment of this function can have a severe impact on quality of life. Anal continence at rest is mainly insured by the tone of the internal anal sphincter. The external anal sphincter activity during gradually rectal filling is continuous and varies according to the volume of rectal distension.

During an effort, or a cough, the increasing intra-abdominal pressure is transmitted to the rectum. Increased intra-abdominal pressure during an expiratory against resistance effort proportionally increases the response of the external anal sphincter. The reflex contraction of the EAS is an active mechanism under spinal control, and result in a stronger contraction than a voluntary one. This reflex contraction is the equivalent of "Guarding Reflex" and provides part of the continence in situation of stress.

The main purpose of this study is to research a correlation between the ano rectal distension volume and the external anal sphincter response to a stress.

Patient over eighteen years old, consulting for anorectal manometry examination in order to explore anorectal disorders are included.

Age, sex, ano rectal symptoms, treatments, past history, manometrics data, area under the curve for electromyography activity of the EAS and intercostal muscles during cough with a Valsalva effort are recorded. Slope curve representing the EAS response to stress according to the intercostal activity reflecting cough (intensity response curve) effort are calculated.

The protocol consists in distending the rectum at four different volumes. For each volume, the patient is asked to cough three times gradually, and perform a Valsalva effort three times gradually.

Primary outcome is the difference in curve slope (intensity response curves) between empty rectum and maximal tolerable volume at cough Secondary outcomes are the differences in curve slope between each volume of distension at cough, and Valsalva type effort.

Read the detailed description

The term Guarding Reflex refers to a progressive, involuntary increase in the external urethral sphincter (EUS) activity during bladder filling. Situations increasing intra-abdominal pressure, as cough, or Valsalva effort, increases this EUS activity. This is a mechanism of continence, preventing from unwanted urine leakage in situation of stress.

Anal continence is essential, and any impairment of this function can have a severe impact on quality of life. The anal canal is composed of the internal anal sphincter (IAS) at the top, with smooth musculature and the external anal sphincter (EAS) at the bottom, with striated musculature. The activity of the external anal sphincter is controlled by sympathetic and somatic innervation. Anal continence at rest is mainly insured by the tone of the internal anal sphincter. The external anal sphincter activity during gradually rectal filling is continuous and varies according to the volume of rectal distension.

During an effort, or a cough, the increasing intra-abdominal pressure is transmitted to the rectum. Increased intra-abdominal pressure during an expiratory against resistance effort proportionally increases the response of the external anal sphincter. The reflex contraction of the EAS is an active mechanism under spinal control, and result in a stronger contraction than a voluntary one. This reflex contraction is the equivalent of "Guarding Reflex" and provides part of the continence in situation of stress.

Previous studies focused on the search of segmental or supra segmental control of this reflex. Few studies have examined factors affecting the modulation of the EAS response during stress.

The main purpose of this study is to research a correlation between the ano rectal distension volume and the external anal sphincter response to a stress.

Patient over eighteen years old, consulting for anorectal manometry examination in order to explore anorectal disorders are included.

Age, sex, ano rectal symptoms, treatments, past history, manometrics data, area under the curve for electromyography activity of the EAS and intercostal muscles during cough with a Valsalva effort are recorded. Slope curve representing the EAS response to stress according to the intercostal activity reflecting cough (intensity response curve) effort are calculated.

The protocol consists in distending the rectum at four different volumes : empty rectum, volume for first sensation of filling, volume for desire to defecate and maximal tolerable volume. For each volume, the patient is asked to cough three times gradually, and perform a Valsalva effort three times gradually.

Primary outcome is the difference in curve slope (intensity response curves) between empty rectum and maximal tolerable volume at cough

Secondary outcomes are the differences in curve slope between each volume of distension at cough, and the differences in curve slope between each volume of distension at Valsalva type effort.

02

Conditions studied

  • Anorectal Disorder

Keywords

  • Anal Canal
  • Reflex
  • Anorectal Manometry
  • Fecal incontinence
  • Electromyography
03

In context

Rectal Diseases

65 studies on the registry are indexed under Rectal Diseases; 14 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 10 is below the median of 194 across 20 observational studies indexed under Rectal Diseases.

Browse Rectal Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Gérard Amarenco is the lead sponsor of 9 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

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
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

All patients over eighteen years old consulting in the neuro urology departement for ano rectal disorders, undergoing ano rectal manometry examination

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

  • Over 18 years old
  • Ano rectal disorders

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to understand simple orders
  • Anal hypotonia
  • Peripheral neurological disorder
  • Anal incontinence
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
10 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Patients undergoing the cough and Valsalva protocol

    Patients over 18 years old, consulting in neuro urology departement, undergoing ano rectal manometry in order to explore ano rectal disorders

    Other: Cough and Valsalva effort

Interventions

  • OtherCough and Valsalva effort

    Three increasingly cough effort and three Valsalva type effort at four different volumes of rectal distension (empty rectum, volume for a first sensation of filling, volume for desire to defecate and maximal tolerable volume) while recording the external anal sphincter activity

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Difference in curve slope between empty rectum and maximal tolerable volume at cough

    The area under the curve of EAS response to stress is recorded three times (at each cough effort) for each volume of distension. Curve representing the intensity response is build for each volume of rectal distension. Then, the curve slopes are compared.

    Time frame: 1 day

Secondary outcomes

  1. Difference in curve slope between each volume of distension at cough

    The area under the curve of EAS response to stress is recorded three times (at each cough effort) for each volume of distension. Curve representing the intensity response is build for each volume of rectal distension. Then, the curve slopes are compared.

    Time frame: 1 day

  2. Difference in curve slope between each volume of distension at Valsalva type effort.

    The area under the curve of EAS response to stress is recorded three times (at each Valsalva type effort) for each volume of distension. Curve representing the intensity response is build for each volume of rectal distension. Then, the curve slopes are compared.

    Time frame: 1 day

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Department of neuro-urology, hôpital Tenon
    Paris, 75020, France
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Feb 2020 to primary completion in Jun 2020, 3 months.

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

Registered
May 26, 2020
First posted
Jun 1, 2020
StartActual
Feb 17, 2020
Primary completionActual
Jun 2, 2020
CompletionActual
Jun 30, 2020
Last update
Feb 18, 2022
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 Feb 18, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04409054
Lead sponsor
Gérard Amarenco
Responsible party
Gérard Amarenco (Head of Neuro-Urology department, Tenon Hospital, Pierre and Marie Curie University) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Jun 1, 2020
Start date
Feb 17, 2020
Primary completion
Jun 2, 2020
Completion
Jun 30, 2020
Last update
Feb 18, 2022

Study contacts

Gérard Amarenco, PhD
principal investigator · Sorbonne Université, GRC 001, GREEN, AP-HP,Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France

Oversight

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

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This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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