Can I do a digital rectal examination myself?

Digital rectal examination is a very important examination method in clinical practice and is very helpful in the examination of anorectal diseases. Digital rectal examination is a procedure in which the doctor inserts his fingers into the patient's anus for examination. This behavior makes many patients very uncomfortable and they have some psychological resistance, and they hope to be able to examine themselves. So, can I do a digital rectal examination myself? Let’s take a look below.

Generally, you cannot do a digital rectal examination on yourself, and you cannot properly check the condition inside the anus.

How to operate

Generally speaking, anorectal examination can be divided into two parts: external anal examination and internal anal examination. The method of external anal digital examination is: after wearing gloves, use the index finger to touch the area around the anus to see if there are any nodules, swellings, tenderness, or any fluctuations, and check for fistulas or cords under the skin outside the anus.

The digital anal examination is what we often call the anorectal examination. The inspection method is: after putting on gloves or finger cots, apply some lubricating oil on the index finger and anus, and insert the index finger into the rectum for inspection.

Classification

Anorectal examination can be divided into two parts: external anal examination and internal anal examination.

Digital anal examination

The method of external anal digital examination is: after wearing gloves, use the index finger to touch the area around the anus to see if there are any nodules, swellings, tenderness, or any fluctuations, and check for fistulas, cords, and their direction under the skin outside the anus.

Digital anal examination

Anal digital examination is an anorectal digital examination. The examination method is: after wearing gloves or finger cots, apply some lubricating oil on the index finger and anus, and insert the index finger into the rectum for examination.

Precautions

The following points should be noted during the inspection:

Be gentle, because if you insert your fingers into the anus suddenly and forcefully, the sphincter may be stimulated and spasm, causing pain. Be especially careful when there are fissures or wounds in the anal canal. At this time, you can let the person breathe through their mouth to reduce tension in the anus.

Pay attention to the tension of the anal canal. A normal anal canal has good contraction force and elasticity and can only accommodate one finger. If the anal sphincter relaxes, it loses its elasticity, allowing 2 to 3 fingers to pass through and causing fecal incontinence. If the tension of the anal canal increases, it often indicates an inflammatory reaction.

Check the anorectal ring, which is composed of the internal and external anal sphincters, the levator ani muscles, and the puborectalis muscles. The contraction ability of this muscle ring can partially reflect the function of the anal sphincter.

When examining the rectum, almost the entire 8 cm length of the lower rectum can be felt. The anterior, posterior, left and right walls of the rectum should be carefully checked for tenderness, masses, and stenosis, and attention should be paid to the size, hardness, and mobility of the masses.

After the examination, check the finger cot for any blood or mucus. Pay attention to whether the bloodstains are bright red or dark red; the color, properties, and smell of the mucus, etc., which can be used as a reference for diagnosis.