Electromyography and nerve latency studies

Pelvic floor disorders (Table 1) are a common cause of disability and distress often resulting in faecal incontinence especially in women, but hitherto their pathogenesis has not been well understood. We have found that these disorders are associated, in varying degree, with clinical, electrophysiological and histological features of chronic partial denervation in the muscles of the pelvic floor, especially in the puborectalis and levator ani muscles, and in the external anal and periurethral striated sphincter muscles [1–7]. These studies have led us to develop a unifying approach to understanding the pathogenesis of this group of disorders that has implications for diagnosis, investigation and management, and also for prevention.