I know that this is the main worry when having LIS surgery therefore i thought i would post the NHS (UK) information showing their incontinence statistics following LIS. Basically they said that 1 in 10 people will suffer some mild incontinence in the first two months following surgery however this is only permanent in 1 in 200 (0.5%)
This is the quote:
"Around 1 in 10 people will experience bowel incontinence after having surgery due to damage to the anal muscles. This means that they will lose some control of their bowel movements. However, it is usually a mild type of incontinence where the person is unable to prevent themselves from passing wind, and they may also experience some mild soiling.
The symptoms of incontinence usually improve in the first few months after surgery and resolve with two months. However, in around 1 in 200 cases the incontinence is permanent"