[General motility disorders of the small bowel]

Gastroenterologists are displaying increasing interest in small-bowel motility disorders. This paper reports on the investigation of motility disorders of the small bowel with a standardized enteroclysis technique with barium and methylcellulose. The method can detect both disturbed motility and morphological changes. Examples of different causes (neurogenic-humoral factors, malabsorption, intestinal wall disease, ischemia and vascular disorders) are described. In some patients the finding of disturbed motility is the only observation of any clinical significance. In others it may be helpful in establishment of correct diagnosis or narrowing of the differential diagnosis. The efficiency and accuracy of small-bowel radiology can be improved by this method.