Bowel Continence Across the Lifespan in People With Spina Bifida
Comparing Antegrade Versus Retrograde Enemas To Improve Bowel Continence Across the Lifespan in People With Spina Bifida
- Spina Bifida
- Neurogenic Bowel
- Bowel Incontinence
At a glance
- Phase
- Phase not stated
- Study type
- Observational
- Sponsor
- David Chu
- Enrolment target
- 943
- Started
- 1 April 2026
- Main results due
- 1 May 2030
- Study sites
- 24
- Registry updated
- 24 September 2026
Can you take part?
- Aged 5 years and over.
- Open to any sex.
- You need the condition being studied — healthy volunteers are not accepted.
These are the headline rules only. Every study has a longer list, and whether you are eligible is decided by the research team at the site — never by this page.
Read the full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Minimum age 5 years old * Myelomeningocele diagnosis * Starting a retrograde or antegrade enema program (or switching from one enema program to the other) * English or Spanish speaking/literate Exclusion Criteria: \- Other types of spinal dysraphism (e.g., lipomyelomeningocele, fatty filum)
What this study is about
In the sponsor’s own words, from the registry.
The goal of this observational study is to learn how different enema programs affect bowel control in children and adults with spina bifida. An enema program involves putting liquid into the large intestine (colon) to help someone poop. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. How well do different enema programs prevent bowel accidents? 2. How do these enema programs affect independence, bowel symptoms, and quality of life?
Researchers will compare two types of enema programs to see which works better and is easier for participants to manage.
Participants starting a new enema program will answer online survey questions at 3 different timepoints over the course of 1 year.
Study sites(24)
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Recruiting
Children's of Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Recruiting
Phoenix Children's Hospital
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Recruiting
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States
Recruiting
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Recruiting
Children's Hospital of Colorado
Denver, Colorado, United States
Recruiting
Children's National Hospital
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Recruiting
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Recruiting
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Recruiting
Riley Children's Hospital
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Recruiting
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Recruiting
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Recruiting
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Recruiting
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Recruiting
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Recruiting
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Recruiting
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Recruiting
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Recruiting
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Recruiting
Scottish Rite for Children
Dallas, Texas, United States
Recruiting
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston, Texas, United States
Recruiting
Primary Children's Hospital
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Not yet recruiting
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, Washington, United States
Recruiting
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States
Recruiting
Showing 24 of 24 sites. 23 of the 24 sites on this study are recruiting right now — a site can stop enrolling while the study as a whole is still open.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT07390318. Trialion does not run this study, is not paid to refer anyone to it, and cannot enrol you. Eligibility is always decided by the research team at the site.
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