title: Gastrointestinal transit times and motility in patients with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) often suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction including obstructive symptoms, malabsorption and pain, but the underlying pathophysiology remains obscure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare GI motility and transit times in CF patients and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten CF patients (five women, median age 23) with pancreatic insufficiency were studied. Total gastrointestinal transit time (GITT) and segmental colonic transit times (SCTT) were assessed by radiopaque markers. Gastric emptying and small intestinal transit were evaluated using the magnet-based motility tracking system (MTS-1). With each method patients were compared with 16 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Basic contraction frequencies of the stomach and small intestine were normal, but the pill reached the cecum after 7 h in only 20% of CF patients while in 88% of controls (p = 0.001). Paradoxically, velocity of the magnetic pill through the upper small intestine tended to be faster in CF patients (median 1.1 cm/min, range 0.7-1.7) compared with controls (median 1.0 cm/min, range 0.6-1.7) (p = 0.09). No statistically significant differences were found in median gastric emptying time (CF: 58 min, range 6-107 vs. healthy: 41 min, range 4-125 (p = 0.24)), GITT (CF: 2 days, range 0.5-3.3 vs. healthy: 1.5 days, range 0.7-2.5 (p = 0.10)), right SCTT (CF: 0.5 day, range 0-1.1 vs. healthy: 0.4 day, range 0-1.0 (p = 0.85)), or left SCTT (CF: 1.0 day, range 0-2.2 vs. healthy 0.6 day, range 0.2-1.2 (p = 0.10)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In spite of normal contraction patterns, overall passage through the small intestine is significantly delayed in CF patients while upper small intestinal transit may be abnormally fast.
authors: Neurogastroenterology Unit, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. caroline.hedsund@studmed.au.dk
authors: Caroline
authors: C
authors: Hedsund
authors: Tine
authors: T
authors: Gregersen
authors: Iben Moeller
authors: IM
authors: Joensson
authors: Hanne Vebert
authors: HV
authors: Olesen
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Krogh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003106:Colon / Q000503:physiopathology; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003672:Defecation; D004386:Duodenum / Q000503:physiopathology; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000503:physiopathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult