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Measurement of Gastrointestinal Transit

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Abstract

An abnormality in transit is commonly considered to account for unexplained gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Since the symptoms of delayed transit overlap with those of accelerated transit, direct measurement of GI transit is needed to establish an accurate diagnosis. Similarly, since symptoms originating from one part of the gut may overlap with symptoms from another, localizing transit abnormality to one organ vs. another using direct measurement is an important part of diagnostic evaluations. Consequently, noninvasive tests of GI transit should be done early in the evaluation to guide therapy. We now have tools to measure transit accurately; results of transit tests often depend on the conditions selected for the test, so test results will match clinical expectations most closely when test conditions are selected to reproduce the circumstances for symptom production. This review describes the most commonly used methods for the measurement of GI transit including the gastric emptying test for some dyspeptic symptoms, small bowel transit test for dyspeptic symptoms and diarrhea, colonic transit test for constipation, and factors that influence the result of these studies. As we make progress in our understanding of the pathophysiology of transit disorders, the clinical usefulness of these diagnostic tests will be further enhanced.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, USA

    Henry C. Lin MD

  2. School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, USA

    Charlene Prather MD

  3. Temple University Hospital, USA

    Robert S. Fisher MD

  4. University of California, Los Angeles

    James H. Meyer MD

  5. University of Iowa Health Care, USA

    Robert W. Summers MD & Vera Loening-Baucke MD

  6. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USA

    Mark Pimentel MD

  7. Medical Center, University of Kansas, USA

    Richard W. Mccallum MD & Louis M. A. Akkermans PhD

  8. European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, University Hospital Utrecht, USA

    Louis M. A. Akkermans PhD

  9. Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2011 Zonal Avenue, HMR 101, Los Angeles, California, 90033

    Henry C. Lin MD

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  1. Henry C. Lin MD
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Ams Task Force Committee on Gastrointestinal Transit

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Ams Task Force Committee on Gastrointestinal Transit., Lin, H.C., Prather, C. et al. Measurement of Gastrointestinal Transit. Dig Dis Sci 50, 989–1004 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-005-2694-6

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