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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Motility and Gut Wall Inflammation in Rodents: Analyses in a Standardized Model of Intestinal Manipulation
Published on: September 11, 2012
Laboratory assessment of gastrointestinal function
Jan S Suchodolski1, Jörg M Steiner
1Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4474, USA.
Abstract:
Over the past decade, several laboratory tests have been introduced to veterinary medicine that allow the minimally invasive assessment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas. Although some of those tests have limited clinical use in a practice setting and have more use as research tools, other tests, such as serum cobalamin and folate concentrations, find wide application in everyday veterinary practice. In some cases, definitive diagnosis requires invasive or expensive procedures, but these new laboratory tests have greatly aided veterinarians in diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases. This discussion provides an overview of new diagnostic tests that will allow the minimally invasive assessment of gastrointestinal function.
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