[Functional colonic pain. An important clinical and sonographic differential diagnosis]

Functional abdominal pain may often be sonographically attributed to the colon. Typically a segment of the colon is painful at direct palpation, but the wall is not thickened. The contractions between the haustra are often marked. The haustra are clearly outlined and cast acoustic shadows. If the patient also experiences spontaneous pain in this region, functional colonic pain, explained as spasms of the muscle coat, may be assumed. Clinically there are often other symptoms of the irritable bowel disease or a spastic constipation. In daily practice functional colonic pain is as frequent as dyspepsia. Differential diagnosis includes intestinal (peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, appendicitis, diverticulitis, colon cancer) and extraintestinal diseases (e.g. of the gallbladder, pancreas and female adnexes).