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Stimulation for Bowel Emptying

NCT06078176 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 12

Last updated 2026-04-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The investigators are testing the effect of electrical stimulation of the rectum on colonic motility. Most individuals with spinal cord injury develop neurogenic bowel dysfunction, which includes slowed colonic motility, which means that stools take longer than normal to pass through the colon. This slowed movement may result in chronic constipation and difficulty emptying the bowels. Individuals typically (without or without caregiver assistance) insert a gloved finger into the rectum and gently stretch it to improve colonic motility for a brief period to empty the bowels. The investigators hypothesize that electrically stimulating the rectum, instead of mechanically stretching it, will produce the same beneficial effect of improving colonic motility. Therefore, this study will compare the two methods. If electrical stimulation effectively improves colonic motility, then the investigator shall develop the approach as a therapeutic intervention in future studies.

Conditions

  • Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction

Interventions

OTHER

Electrical Rectal Stimulation

Electrical stimulation of the rectum will be applied to activate sensory afferent neurons of the rectum and evoke a recto-colonic reflex to improve colonic motility and facilitate bowel emptying. This intervention will compared to individuals' usual mechanical intervention of digital rectal stimulation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • VA Office of Research and Development

    lead FED

Principal Investigators

  • Cesar Colasante-Garrido, MD · Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY

  • Dennis Bourbeau, PhD · Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2024-05-01
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2026-12-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06078176 on ClinicalTrials.gov