Jejunal motility in patients with functional abdominal pain

A radiotelemetric system using dual pressure pills was used to record the jejunal motility in man. Prolonged recordings were made under relatively physiological conditions. Six patients with functional abdominal pain and six age/sex matched normal subjects were studied. Motility patterns varied markedly both within and between subjects. No differences were detected between the two groups. In particular, the occurrence of characteristic pain in the patients bore no relation to the recorded motor activity. The wide range of jejunal motility patterns in normal subjects needs to be appreciated before conclusions can be drawn about possible abnormalities in gut diseases or disorders.