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International audience; AIM: To compare defecographic abnormalities in symptomatic men and women and to analyze differences between men and age- and symptom-matched women. METHODS: Sixty-six men (mean age: 55.4 years, range: 20-81 years) who complained of constipation and/or fecal incontinence and/or pelvic pain underwent defecography after intake of a barium meal. Radiographs were analyzed for the diagnosis of rectocele, enterocele, intussusception and perineal descent. They were compared with age- and symptom-matched women (n = 198) who underwent defecography during the same period. RESULTS: Normal defecography was observed in 22.7% of men vs 5.5% of women (P < 0.001). Defecography in men compared with women showed 4.5% vs 44.4% (P < 0.001) rectocele, and 10.6% vs 29.8% (P < 0.001) enterocele, respectively. No difference was observed for the diagnosis of intussusception (57.6% vs 44.9%). Perineal descent at rest was more frequent in women (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: For the same complaint, diagnosis of defecographic abnormalities was different in men than in women: rectocele, enterocele and perineal descent at rest were observed less frequently in men than in women.

International audience; Several imaging modalities are available ranging from fluoroscopic techniques to ultrasonography and MRI for the evaluation of patients with pelvic floors disorders. High-resolution ultrasonography and MRI not only provide superior delineation of the pelvic floor anatomy but also reveal pathology and functional changes. This article focuses on standard imaging procedures including defecography, ultrasonography, and MRI and discusses its use in clinical practice by illustrating both normal and abnormal patterns.

International audience; Pelvic floor abnormalities often impact significantly the quality of life and result in a variety of symptoms, including chronic pelvic pain, fecal incontinence, and obstructed constipation. Fluoroscopic defecography and MR defecography enable identification of rectocele, rectal prolapse, enterocele, sigmoidocele with high prevalence in female patients with obstructed constipation, fecal incontinence, and chronic pelvic pain. In this manuscript, we describe the techniques and indications of the two techniques of defecography. We discuss the abnormalities of the posterior pelvic floor compartment at the origin of constipation, incontinence, chronic pelvic pain. Finally we compare the data obtained by clinical examination and defecography, remembering that 50% of enterocele and 100% of sigmoidocele are missed at clinical examination.