title: [Use of radionuclides in the evaluation of intestinal transit time in children with idiopathic constipation].
abstract: Colonic transit times, in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation, in the past were estimated using radiopaque markers. Currently they are evaluated with colonic scintigraphy, which employs 111In DTPA orally, added to the usual children's breakfast in a 0.05 mCi dose. Anterior views of the abdomen are obtained at 6th, 24th, 30th, 48th, 54th, 72nd hour using a gamma camera on a 128 x 128 matrix and stored on hard disk. These images are processed in successive times, and the colon is divided in three main segments: right-, left- and recto-sigmoid-colon. Total and segmental percentage retentions are evaluated in each interval time. 58 children (35 males and 23 females), aged 1-12 years (mean 8.13), referred for chronic idiopathic constipation at Pediatric Surgery Department of Siena, were studied between January 1990 and September 1996. This group was compared with a control group formed by 15 patients (9 males and 6 females) aged 3-14 years (mean 8.53). Cutoff values, obtained in this control group, allowed us to distinguish, among the 58 children with idiopathic constipation, 6 symptomatic patients with normal colonic transit times and 52 symptomatic patients with pathologic ones. In this last group the evaluation of segmentary colonic transit times allowed us to identify 13 patients (25%) with increased right colonic transit time, 19 (36.5%) with increased left colonic transit time and 20 (38.5%) with increased recto-sigmoidal colonic transit time. Statistical survey allowed to distinguish significantly pathological subjects from control group ones.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Chirurgia Pediatrica, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tota
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meucci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Maggio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garzi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nocentini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zingaro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002614:Chelating Agents; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003248:Constipation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002614:Chelating Agents; D004369:Pentetic Acid
vernacular_title: Impiego dei radionuclidi nella valutazione dei tempi di transito intestinale in bambini affetti da stipsi idiopatica.