Colonic Function Investigations in Children

Abstract

Disorders of colonic motility, most often presenting as constipation, comprise one of the commonest causes of outpatient visits in pediatric gastroenterology. This review, discussed and created by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) Motility Working Group, is a practical guide, which highlights the recent advances in pediatric colonic motility testing including indications, technical principles of the tests, patient preparation, performance and basis of the results’ analysis of the tests. classical methods, such as colonic transit time (cTT) with radiopaque markers and colonic scintigraphy, as well as manometry and novel techniques, such as wireless motility capsule and electromagnetic capsule tracking systems are discussed.

Radiopaque marker colonic transit study in the pediatric population BSPGHAN Motility Working Group consensus statement

“…Colonic manometry (CM) remains at its infancy, regarding clinical use within pediatrics. However, Rybak et al 60 . review has described CM as a gold standard for assessing colonic neuromuscular function in children with FC 16,60 .…”

High amplitude propagated contractions with glycerin versus bisacodyl: Are we comparing apples to oranges?

“…4 On a separate note, in this study the doses of bisacodyl used were lower than the recommendation by consensus groups. 6…”

JPGN and the Year 2022

“…This review, endorsed by the ESPGHAN Motility Working Group, reviews the literature of the available techniques for the study of colonic motility function in children to offer a practical guide for physicians involved in their care (9). Various methods have been standardized to investigate colonic neuromuscular function with the last decade witnessing a number of technical advances, including the development of miniaturized probes, novel pressure recording systems, and devices (3,4).…”