title: Assessment of gastrointestinal motility in renal transplant recipients by alternate current biosusceptometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are common after renal transplantation, mainly owing to immunosuppressive therapy. Assessment of GI transit time can facilitate rational management of these disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluate the GI transit parameters in renal transplant recipients taking tacrolimus, azathioprine, and prednisone with the use of the alternate current biosusceptometry (ACB) technique and compared them with healthy volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten renal transplant recipients and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. After an overnight fast, patients and volunteers ingested a standard meal containing magnetic markers. The biomagnetic monitoring was performed at 10-minute intervals for at least 8 hours to obtain gastric emptying as well as the colonic arrival time-intensity curves. Mean gastric emptying time (MGET), mean colon arrival time (MCAT), and mean small intestinal transit time (MSITT) were quantified and compared between control and patient groups with results expressed as mean ± SD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MGET measured by the ACB technique was 48 ± 31 minutes and 197 ± 50 minutes for patients and healthy subjects, respectively. MSITT and MCAT values calculated for patients versus volunteers were 171 ± 71 minutes versus 197 ± 71 minutes and 219 ± 83 minutes versus 373 ± 52 minutes, respectively. Renal transplant recipients showed significantly faster; gastric emptying and colon arrival times (P < .001) compared with normal volunteers; however, small intestinal transit time was not significantly different (P = .44).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In stable renal transplant recipients, the GI transit parameters were significantly faster than in normal healthy volunteers. ACB sensors are versatile technologies that can be used for clinical research, because they offer an excellent opportunity to evaluate GI transit in a noninvasive manner without the use of ionizing radiation.
authors.affiliation: FAMED/Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas-UNCISAL, Maceió, Brazil.
authors.forename: M C B
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: P V M
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Galvão
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: J R A
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Corá
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003938:Diagnostic Techniques, Digestive System / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008280:Magnetics / Q000295:instrumentation; D059346:Magnets; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents