Assessment of simple methods of measuring intestinal transit times in children with gastroenteritis.

Intestinal transit times in children less than 3 years old with gastroenteritis were measured using carmine suspension and radioopaque pellets. Carmine transit times were short as expected in the acute illness, and lengthened on recovery to the values found in children without diarrhoea. Pellet transit times of the sick children were the same as those of controls without bowel disease. Solid markers may thus be misleading in acute diarrhoeal illness of childhood. Possible mechanisms are discussed.