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"What do I need to know about the function
of the rectum?"
The function of the rectum is to store the stool until
it is socially convenient to eliminate it. The rectum, therefore,
needs to have a capacity (volume), and a compliance (easily distendable).
If it does not have a capacity and compliance, then the stool cannot
easily wait, and the pressures in the rectum are high, often higher
than the anal canal pressures. This can result in urgency to bowel
movements and incontinence.
The anal muscles function as an outlet resistance
and a plug. In recent years, the function of these muscles has been
more clearly characterized and the relationship between the reservoir
function of the rectum and the outlet obstruction of the anal canal
has been identified as being the primary mechanisms of bowel control.
It is a complex relationship and one that may be important during
the removal of rectal cancers. Growths or abnormalities in the most
distal 15 centimeters are called rectal (rectal polyp, rectal cancer),
and those above are called colonic.
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