Whole Gut Transit Scintigraphy for the Assessment of Patients with Symptoms of Chronic Constipation

Whole gut transit scintigraphy (WGTS) can detect delayed colonic transit (CT), different types of CT delays, and assess upper GI tract transit.

To delineate the frequency of different types of CT patterns in patients with chronic constipation (CC), determine the relationship between these CT patterns and upper GI tract transit abnormalities, and assess how symptoms relate to different colonic transit patterns.

Retrospective review of patients who had WGTS for CC. Patients completed a modified PAGI-SYM questionnaire to assess symptoms. Patients ingested a standard solid (Tc-99m egg sandwich)-liquid (In-111 water) meal to assess solid meal gastric emptying (GE), liquid GE, small bowel transit (SBT), and geometric center of colonic activity at 24, 48, and 72h.

One hundred and eighty six patients underwent WGTS. Main symptoms were constipation (41%), nausea (24%), and bloating (22%). CT assessment showed 32% of patients had normal transit, 31% colonic inertia (CI), 28% functional rectosigmoid obstruction (FRS0), and 9% generalized slow colonic transit (GSCT). GE was delayed in 36%; more commonly in CI and FRSO. SBT was delayed in 19%; more commonly in GSCT and CI. Patients with CI had less bowel movements per week whereas patients with normal CT had more bm/week.

In this series of patients with symptomatic constipation, WGTS assessment showed delayed colonic transit in 68% of patients, with 31% having colonic inertia, 28% a functional rectosigmoid obstruction pattern, and 9% generalized delay in colonic transit. Abnormalities in GE and SBT were present in 36 and 19%. WGTS is helpful to document delayed colonic transit (CT), assess the pattern of the delay in CT, and determine if there are upper GI transit abnormalities.