Utilization of Rectal Examinations Before Magnetic Resonance Defecography Studies

Importance More information is needed to guide referring subspecialists on the appropriate patient evaluation before magnetic resonance defecography (MRD). Objectives This study aimed to evaluate how often health care providers perform digital rectal examination (DRE) before ordering MRD to investigate causes of bowel and pelvic floor complaints. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort review, including MRD performed on female patients at an integrated health care system from 2016 through 2020. The primary outcome was the presence or absence of documented rectal examination in the year before defecography by the referring provider or 6 months prior by a primary care physician or pelvic floor physical therapist. We hypothesized that the overall rate of rectal examination would be high and unaffected by the referring provider's subspecialty. Results Three hundred-four defecography tests were performed, with 209 patients (68.8%) referred by gastroenterology providers and 95 (31.2%) from other specialties. Gastroenterologists performed DRE in 32.8% of patients, in contrast to 84.4% of patients referred by other specialties (P < 0.001). When comparing subspecialties that most commonly refer patients for MRD (gastroenterology, colorectal surgery and urogynecology), there was a statistically significant difference between gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons (P < 0.001) as well as urogynecologists (P < 0.001) but no difference in the rate of rectal examination between colorectal surgeons and urogynecologists (P = 1.00). Conclusions At our single integrated health system, the rate of DRE before MRD testing varied significantly by specialty. Our findings highlight the need for better understanding of DRE utility in the algorithms for evaluation of bowel and pelvic floor disorders.