The effect of barium sulphate on small bowel motility in man

To investigate the effect of barium sulphate on small bowel motor activity.

Nine healthy male volunteers underwent two separate, ambulatory 24 h manometry studies. Jejunal motor activity was recorded during fasting and after ingestion of 300 ml volumes of barium, water or a glucose solution (1380 kJ). Recordings were analysed visually for recurrence of phase III of the migrating motor complex, and a validated computer program was used to calculate the incidence and amplitude of contractions.

Phase III reappeared 71 +/- 10 min after ingestion of barium sulphate. This interval was not significantly different after the intake of water (60 +/- 8 min) or in the fasted state (88 +/- 21 min), but it was significantly shorter than after ingestion of a glucose solution (136 +/- 17 min). The mean incidence of contractions after ingestion of barium was 3.0 +/- 0.5/min. This was significantly higher than that observed after water (1.9 +/- 0.4/min) and also significantly higher than during fasting (1.5 +/- 0.3/min), but not significantly different from the incidence of contractions after ingestion of a glucose solution (2.2 +/- 0.4/min). The mean amplitude of contractions after ingestion of barium was 24.2 +/- 1.4 mmHg. This was significantly higher than the amplitude of contractions during fasting (19.5 +/- 1.0 mmHg), but not significantly different from that after water intake (23.7 +/- 1.3 mmHg) or after ingestion of a glucose solution (21.4 +/- 1.3 mmHg).

Small bowel motor activity after ingestion of barium sulphate differs distinctly both from the interdigestive and from the postprandial motor pattern. Barium suspensions do not interrupt the migrating motor complex with a typical 'fed' pattern, but contractions are more frequent after ingestion of barium than after the intake of water and are both more frequent and of greater force than the contractions observed during the fasted state.