Oro-caecal transit time and intra-luminal pH in cystic fibrosis patients with distal intestinal obstruction syndrome.

Oro-caecal transit time assessed by the lactulose/hydrogen breath test was prolonged in cystic fibrosis patients experiencing distal intestinal obstruction syndrome (DIOS); compared to those without the syndrome, and normal controls. Jejunal intraluminal pH was lower in cystic fibrosis patients compared to controls, but no difference was observed between those patients experiencing DIOS, and those cystic fibrosis patients without the syndrome. The prolonged oro-caecal transit time observed in cystic fibrosis patients with DIOS may contribute to the syndrome, however intraluminal pH is unlikely to be a factor in the aetiology of DIOS.