Efficacy of Stimulation of the Efferent Loop and Rehabilitation of the Pelvic Floor in the Quality of Life of Patients Who Underwent Anterior Resection of the Rectum (ENESP): Randomized Clinical Trial (ENESP)

Efficacy of Stimulation of the Efferent Loop Prior to the Closure of the Ileostomy Along With Rehabilitation of the Pelvic Floor After the Closure of the Ileostomy, in the Quality of Life of Patients Who Underwent Anterior Resection of the Rectum(ENESP): Randomized Clinical Trial

Many of the patients operated with sphincter preservation will present an alteration of bowel function and defecation. This dysfunction is variable in its symptoms and severity, and manifests itself in the form of urgency, incontinence and fragmentation of faeces, with repeated, incomplete or difficult evacuations. The set of these symptoms constitutes what is known as anterior resection syndrome (ARS), which can negatively influence the quality of life of the operated patients and constitutes the main objective of the study to be investigated.

From this study, the investigators want to evaluate the efficacy of stimulation of the efferent loop prior to the closure of the ileostomy along with rehabilitation of the pelvic floor after the closure of the ileostomy, in the quality of life of patients who underwent anterior resection of the rectum. A non-pharmacological randomized clinical trial will be conducted, comparing a control group (usual clinical practice), with respect to the experimental group where stimulation of the efferent loop will be performed prior to the closure of the ostomy along with pelvic floor rehabilitation after the closure of the latter. The main dependent variable will be the quality of life evaluated according to the QLQ CR-29 questionnaire, and secondary dependent variables will be evaluated postoperative paralytic ileus and the previous resection syndrome using the LARS scale.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Rectal Cancer
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Stimulation of efferent loop; Procedure: Rehabilitation pelvic floor

Detailed Description

Many of the patients operated with sphincter preservation will present an alteration of bowel function and defecation. This dysfunction is variable in its symptoms and severity, and manifests itself in the form of urgency, incontinence and fragmentation of faeces, with repeated, incomplete or difficult evacuations. The set of these symptoms constitutes what is known as anterior resection syndrome (ARS), which can negatively influence the quality of life of the operated patients and constitutes the main objective of the study to be investigated.

From this study, the investigators want to evaluate the efficacy of stimulation of the efferent loop prior to the closure of the ileostomy along with rehabilitation of the pelvic floor after the closure of the ileostomy, in the quality of life of patients who underwent anterior resection of the rectum. A non-pharmacological randomized clinical trial will be conducted, comparing a control group (usual clinical practice), with respect to the experimental group where stimulation of the efferent loop will be performed prior to the closure of the ostomy along with pelvic floor rehabilitation after the closure of the latter. The main dependent variable will be the quality of life evaluated according to the QLQ CR-29 questionnaire, and secondary dependent variables will be evaluated postoperative paralytic ileus and the previous resection syndrome using the LARS scale.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 25
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Barcelona
    • Manresa, Barcelona, Spain, 08243
      • ALTHAIA Xarxa Assistencial de Manresa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients undergoing scheduled rectal cancer surgery, carriers of a protective ileostomy with a scheduled surgery date for ileostomy closure
• Patients over 18 years of age
• Patients with absence of cognitive deficit (Pfeiffer: 0-2 errors)
• Patients who agree to participate in the study and sign the informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• End ileostomy patients
• Patients with active treatment of Qt or Rt
• Patients with some stoma complication such as mucosal prolapse or peristomal hernia
• Patients with fecal incontinence prior to anterior rectal resection surgery (Wexner scale: greater than 3 points)
• Patients who do not agree to participate in the study
• Patients with cognitive deficit

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; Patients undergoing anterior rectal resection with protective ileostomy will follow routine clinical practice. During hospital admission for ileostomy closure surgery, the stoma therapist reinforces the information on the possibility of anterior resection syndrome (ARS) and hygienic-dietary measures. At the level of the ARS, the patient is informed of the possibility of increased frequency of bowel movements, evacuation dysfunction, such as urgency to defecate or feeling of incomplete emptying. At the level of diet, an astringent diet is recommended during the first week after ileostomy closure to avoid liquid stools. It is also recommended at the level of perineal hygiene to use a cleanser with a pH similar to that of the skin, applying the least possible force on the skin, dry gently after each bowel movement and apply a skin protection product to avoid dermatitis associated with incontinence.
Experimental: Stimulation of efferent loop and rehabilitation pelvic floor; Stimulation of efferent loop: 3 weeks before the ileostomy closure surgery, efferent loop will be stimulated with 250 ml of water and thickened every 48-hours the first two weeks and once daily the thrid week. Rehabilitation of pelvic floor: 3 months after the ileostomy closure surgery, patient will be referred to the pelvic floor unit for pelvic floor rehabilitation.	Procedure: Stimulation of efferent loop; Stimulation of efferent loop: 3 weeks before the ileostomy closure surgery, efferent loop will be stimulated with 250 ml of water and thickened. This procedure consists of introducing through the light efferent loop ileostomy 250 ml of water with thickener every 48-hours during the first two weeks and once daily the thrid week with a Foley catheter. Patient will be provided with all the material and the procedure sheet for all the stimulation of the efferent loop sessions. This technique will be performed at patient's home until the day before the ostomy patient closure surgery.; Procedure: Rehabilitation pelvic floor; 3 months after the closure of the ileostomy, you will be referred to the pelvic floor rehabilitation unit,where will start 15 individual sessions, 2 days a week (8 weeks of sessions), with reeducation of defecatory habits and hygienic-dietary measures, defecation record where assess stool consistency using the Bristol Scale and number of bowel movements that take place in 24 hours, muscle toning exercises (Exercises Kegel), Biofeedback (BF), rectal balloon work to improve sensitivity and accommodation, reeducation of the expulsive maneuver, and perineal block in situations hyperpressive.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quality of life related to health (European Organization for the Research and treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-CR29).	The EORTC QLQ CR-29 questionnaire consists of 29 items (Likert scale), with a response scale for each of them from 1 to 4, with the following structure: 1 = Not at All 2 = A little; 3 = Quite a Bit; 4 = Very much. The QLQ-CR29 has five functional and 18 symptom scales. It contains four subscales (urinary frequency (UF), blood and mucus in stool (BMS), stool frequency (SF), and body image (BI)) and 19 single items (urinary incontinence, dysuria, abdominal pain, buttock pain, bloating, dry mouth, hair loss, taste, anxiety, weight, flatulence, fecal incontinence, sore skin, embarrassment, stoma care problems, sexual interest (men), impotence, sexual interest (women), and dyspareunia). Patients are asked to indicate their symptoms during the past week(s). Scores can be linearly transformed to provide a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores represent better functioning on the functional scales and a higher level of symptoms on the symptom scales.	1 month post closure of the ileostomy
Quality of life related to health (European Organization for the Research and treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-CR29).	The EORTC QLQ CR-29 questionnaire consists of 29 items (Likert scale), with a response scale for each of them from 1 to 4, with the following structure: 1 = Not at All 2 = A little; 3 = Quite a Bit; 4 = Very much. The QLQ-CR29 has five functional and 18 symptom scales. It contains four subscales (urinary frequency (UF), blood and mucus in stool (BMS), stool frequency (SF), and body image (BI)) and 19 single items (urinary incontinence, dysuria, abdominal pain, buttock pain, bloating, dry mouth, hair loss, taste, anxiety, weight, flatulence, fecal incontinence, sore skin, embarrassment, stoma care problems, sexual interest (men), impotence, sexual interest (women), and dyspareunia). Patients are asked to indicate their symptoms during the past week(s). Scores can be linearly transformed to provide a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores represent better functioning on the functional scales and a higher level of symptoms on the symptom scales.	3 month post closure of the ileostomy
Quality of life related to health (European Organization for the Research and treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-CR29).	The EORTC QLQ CR-29 questionnaire consists of 29 items (Likert scale), with a response scale for each of them from 1 to 4, with the following structure: 1 = Not at All 2 = A little; 3 = Quite a Bit; 4 = Very much. The QLQ-CR29 has five functional and 18 symptom scales. It contains four subscales (urinary frequency (UF), blood and mucus in stool (BMS), stool frequency (SF), and body image (BI)) and 19 single items (urinary incontinence, dysuria, abdominal pain, buttock pain, bloating, dry mouth, hair loss, taste, anxiety, weight, flatulence, fecal incontinence, sore skin, embarrassment, stoma care problems, sexual interest (men), impotence, sexual interest (women), and dyspareunia). Patients are asked to indicate their symptoms during the past week(s). Scores can be linearly transformed to provide a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores represent better functioning on the functional scales and a higher level of symptoms on the symptom scales.	6 month post closure of the ileostomy
Quality of life related to health (European Organization for the Research and treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-CR29).	The EORTC QLQ CR-29 questionnaire consists of 29 items (Likert scale), with a response scale for each of them from 1 to 4, with the following structure: 1 = Not at All 2 = A little; 3 = Quite a Bit; 4 = Very much. The QLQ-CR29 has five functional and 18 symptom scales. It contains four subscales (urinary frequency (UF), blood and mucus in stool (BMS), stool frequency (SF), and body image (BI)) and 19 single items (urinary incontinence, dysuria, abdominal pain, buttock pain, bloating, dry mouth, hair loss, taste, anxiety, weight, flatulence, fecal incontinence, sore skin, embarrassment, stoma care problems, sexual interest (men), impotence, sexual interest (women), and dyspareunia). Patients are asked to indicate their symptoms during the past week(s). Scores can be linearly transformed to provide a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores represent better functioning on the functional scales and a higher level of symptoms on the symptom scales.	12 month post closure of the ileostomy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS)	Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score The LARS questionnaire consists of 5 questions which include: gas incontinence, fluid incontinence, stool frequency, fractionation of defecation and defecation urgency. Each question is scored based on the answer; the total can range from 0 to 42 points. According to the score, the patients are classified into two groups: without LARS, which correspond to scores between 0 and 20 points, and with LARS, which range from 21 to 42 points; Furthermore, this second group is subdivided into mild LARS (21 to 29 points) and severe LARS (30 to 42 points).	1 month post closure of the ileostomy
Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS)	Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score The LARS questionnaire consists of 5 questions which include: gas incontinence, fluid incontinence, stool frequency, fractionation of defecation and defecation urgency. Each question is scored based on the answer; the total can range from 0 to 42 points. According to the score, the patients are classified into two groups: without LARS, which correspond to scores between 0 and 20 points, and with LARS, which range from 21 to 42 points; Furthermore, this second group is subdivided into mild LARS (21 to 29 points) and severe LARS (30 to 42 points).	3 month post closure of the ileostomy
Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS)	Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score The LARS questionnaire consists of 5 questions which include: gas incontinence, fluid incontinence, stool frequency, fractionation of defecation and defecation urgency. Each question is scored based on the answer; the total can range from 0 to 42 points. According to the score, the patients are classified into two groups: without LARS, which correspond to scores between 0 and 20 points, and with LARS, which range from 21 to 42 points; Furthermore, this second group is subdivided into mild LARS (21 to 29 points) and severe LARS (30 to 42 points).	6 month post closure of the ileostomy
Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS)	Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score The LARS questionnaire consists of 5 questions which include: gas incontinence, fluid incontinence, stool frequency, fractionation of defecation and defecation urgency. Each question is scored based on the answer; the total can range from 0 to 42 points. According to the score, the patients are classified into two groups: without LARS, which correspond to scores between 0 and 20 points, and with LARS, which range from 21 to 42 points; Furthermore, this second group is subdivided into mild LARS (21 to 29 points) and severe LARS (30 to 42 points).	12 month post closure of the ileostomy

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentatge of patients with postoperative paralytic ileus	Auscultation of intestinal peristaltism and emission of gases and depositions.	In the first 48 hours postoperatively after the closure of the ileostomy

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Althaia Xarxa Assistencial Universitària de Manresa
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cristina Vidal Morral, Althaia Xarxa Assitencial Universitària de Manresa

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 15, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 13, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): December 13, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): September 29, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): February 1, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: quality of life; ileostomy; rectal cancer; anterior resection syndrome
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Colorectal Neoplasms; Rectal Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: CEI 19/26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No