Implant in buttocks to stop constipation

PLACING a pacemaker in the buttocks is being tested as a treatment for slow transit constipation (STC), where poor communication between the nerves in the large intestine and the muscular layer of the intestinal walls leads to slow bowel movements.

Scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands are running a trial with 60 patients. The patients will have an electrode placed next to the sacral nerves (in the back); the electrode is attached to a matchbox-sized, pacemaker-like generator in the buttocks.

It’s thought electrically stimulating the nerves will start communication between the bowel and brain and, therefore, get the muscles moving more effectively.