How well does stool form reflect colonic transit?
BACKGROUND
Watery stools are equated with rapid and hard stools with slow intestinal transit; however, the relation between stool form and transit through specific regions of the gut is not clear cut. In addition, more information is needed on interindividual variability of these measurements.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relations between stool form and gastric emptying, small bowel and colonic transit.


METHODS
Regional gut transit was assessed scintigraphically and segmental colonic transit was also quantified by radio-opaque markers. On two occasions, 32 healthy volunteers (12 men, 20 women) were studied, women during the follicular and luteal phases of menstruation, men twice within a similar four week period. Diets were standardised and stool form was recorded on a seven point scale.


RESULTS
Women had significant harder stools; hard stools were correlated significantly with slow transit and loose stools with fast transit through the colon.


CONCLUSIONS
Stool form could not be related to gastric emptying or small bowel transit.
Degen
L P
LP
Division of Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Phillips
S F
SF
D003106:Colon / Q000502:physiology; D003287:Contrast Media; D005243:Feces; D005260:Female; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012588:Scintillation Counting; D017556:Technetium Compounds; D013997:Time Factors
D003287:Contrast Media; D017556:Technetium Compounds