November 17, 2009

British Man Has ‘Bionic Bottom’

By Kelley Luckstein

Ged Galvin keeps a cell phone-sized remote control in his pocket at all times…

 

It helps him control his bowels. In a devastating motorcycle accident two years ago, the 55-year-old from South Yorkshire, England, suffered major internal injuries…

 

To Galvin's dismay, however, they couldn't repair the muscles in his bottom responsible for controlling bowel movements…

 

Dr. Robert Cima, a colorectal surgeon with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, estimated that about half a dozen centers in the United States have performed similar operations involving the gracilis and a stimulator since the late 1990s. But though they found that it was a feasible treatment for fecal incontinence, it led to a number of post-operative downsides. It is estimated that about a third of patients will have some type of complication, he said.

 

ABC News by Ki Mae Heussner, 11/17/09

Tags: bowel movements, fecal incontinence, GI

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