The Use of Colonic Motility and Transit Studies

ConclusionsAlthough problems with colonic motility and transit are a common cause of patient complaints, accurate assessment of these complaints remains limited by available assessment tools. Transit studies, including radiopaque markers and colonic scintigraphy, are able to provide a gross assessment of transit and are highly useful in the clinical management of the constipated patient. However, many symptomatic individuals will appear “normal” using one or all of these tests. In addition, these tests do not evaluate the underlying mechanisms for abnormal transit. Further information from research studies using measures of colonic pressure and activity hopefully will improve our understanding of both normal and pathologic colonic motility and transit and the clinical role of these specialized investigations in coloproctological practice.