A PILOT-STUDY OF MOTILITY AND TONE OF THE LEFT COLON IN PATIENTS WITHDIARRHEA DUE TO FUNCTIONAL-DISORDERS AND DYSAUTONOMIA

Objective: Our aim was to identify qualitative or quantitative colonic motor patterns induced postprandially in a pilot study of patients wi th diarrhea due to functional disease or dysautonomia to identify obje ctive endpoints for future studies. Methods: In patients with function al diarrhea (n = 5) or dysautonomia (n = 4) in whom GI transit was doc umented by scintigraphy, we studied colonic motility by combined manom etry and barostat measurements for 1 h fasting and 2 h postprandially (1000-kcal meal). Data were compared with those of healthy control sub jects. Results: There were no differences in compliance, overall phasi c motility of the left colon, fasting tone, or maximal change in postp randial tone in the diarrhea group as compared with the control group. The diarrhea group showed more high amplitude propagated contractions 4.4 +/- 3.6 (SD)/2 h, p < 0.05) compared with the control group (0.7 +/- 1.4/2 h); the mean postprandial tonic response (12 +/- 14%, p < 0. 05) and its duration were reduced in the diarrhea group compared with the control group (27 +/- 17%). Two dysautonomic patients showed a par adoxical relaxation of the colon postprandially. Conclusion: Reduced d uration of increased colonic tone postprandially and increased number of high amplitude propagated contractions seem to be useful objective endpoints for future studies.