11.   The relevance of impaired function of the external anal sphincter in liquid stool incontinence has been suggested in previous studies and is confirmed by our data.

12.   Two recent controlled studies of biofeedback treatment v conventional medical treatment have cast doubts on the effectiveness of retraining, particularly in liquid stool incontinence in diarrhoea.

13.   We elected to study only patients with disabling liquid stool incontinence and urgency where conventional medical treatment had already failed.