Functional disorders in patients with chronic constipation: Review of the literature and personal experience

Most patients with constipation do not require surgical treatment unless the cause of their symptoms is organic, such as entero-sigmoidocele or rectal intussusception. This review focuses on patients whose constipation is functional, such as slow-transit constipation or anismus. Selecting the appropriate treatment can be challenging in such cases, and surgery may worsen symptoms. This is because a relevant psychological component may be present, in which case psychiatric or psychological treatme