Abstract
Objectives : In Oriental Medicine, the improvement of constipation is very important for patients at the acute stage of cerebrovascular accident. For constipation, oral medicine has usually been used but is not available to stroke patients with dysphagia and mental disorder, and may bring about side effects on the gastrointestinal tract. In such cases, general enema has been used for assistant therapy, We needed to develop a more effective enema technique on constipation of stroke patients. Methods : Sixty-three patients were researched. We treated 29 patients with Bo-Ryu enema and 34 patients with general enema. To compare the effect of the Bo-Ryu enema group with that of the general enema group, we analyzed general characteristics, bowel movement, abdominal examination and related symptoms. Results : Sixty-three patients comprised the Bo-Ryu (n=29) and general (n=34) enema groups. Between the Bo-Ryu and general enema groups, the Bo-Ryu enema was more effective than the general enema in the number of bowel movements, total and corrected amount of stool, tonus of rectus abdominis muscle and abdominal discomfort. However, there were not significant differences in the power of abdominal muscle, digestion and physical power. Among the subgroups, Bo-Ryu enema group was most effective in the number of bowel movements, total amount of stool and tonus of rectus abdominis muscle, and Bo-Ryu enema group was best in the corrected amount of stool and abdominal discomfort. Conclusions : Bo-Ryu enema should be considered as an effective and safe treatment for patients with constipation during the acute stage of cerebrovascular accident.
