assessment of colon transit time in idiopathic chronic constipation

introduction: treatment in chronic constipation is highly dependent on colon transit time (ctt), which not only determines the cause but also determines the correct treatment policy. the aim of this study was evaluation of ctt in constipated patients. methods: 43 patients with chronic constipation who did not respond to high fiber diet were enrolled in the study. patients with history of drug induced constipation, parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular accident, hypothyroidism, diabetic mellitus, opium addiction or previous abdominal surgery were excluded from the study. the subjects were administered 30 radio opaque markers orally (capsule form) in the morning and x.ray was done 120 hours later. in normal patients we expect only 20% of markers (6 markers) to be retained in the colon lumen after 120 hours. patients with more than 6 markers in colon lumen after 120 hourswere defined as abnormal ctt and were classified as colon inertia or abnormal defecation according to the position of the retained markers in the colon lumen. results: 40 patients completed the study. 16 patients were male and 24 were female. 22(55%) patients had normal ctt. 7 patients (17.5%) had colon inertia and 3 (7.5%) had abnormal defecation, while 8 patients (20%) had both of them. no significant difference was observed between males and females. conclusion: the pattern of ctt in constipated patients can be determined cost effectively.