K Staller1,2,3, K Barshop4, A N Ananthakrishnan1,3, B Kuo1,2. 1. Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 2. Center for Neurointestinal Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. 3. Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. 4. Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ingestion of radiopaque markers (ROM) is frequently used to determine colonic transit in chronic constipation. Although ≥20% of retained markers at 5 days defines slow-transit constipation, some clinicians use the number of retained markers to determine disease severity. METHODS: We assembled a cross-sectional cohort of patients presenting for evaluation of chronic constipation who underwent transit testing by ROM and completed validated symptom severity and quality-of-life (QOL) measures. We performed a correlation analysis to determine whether there was an association between number of retained markers and symptom severity and QOL. KEY RESULTS: Among 159 patients undergoing evaluation for chronic constipation, there was poor correlation between the number of retained markers and symptom severity (R = .09, P = .25) and QOL. Among the 55 patients with slow-transit constipation defined by ≥5 retained markers retained on day 5, there were similarly poor correlations between symptom severity (R = .17, P = .21) and QOL (R = .07, P = .60). Excluding patients with irritable bowel syndrome and outlet obstruction by balloon expulsion testing did not materially alter our results, nor did a multivariable analysis controlling for demographic and psychiatric confounders. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: Among patients with chronic constipation, number of retained markers on a ROM colonic transit study does not correlate with measures of symptom severity or QOL. Clinicians should be cautious about overinterpreting ROM transit testing.
BACKGROUND: Ingestion of radiopaque markers (ROM) is frequently used to determine colonic transit in chronic constipation. Although ≥20% of retained markers at 5 days defines slow-transit constipation, some clinicians use the number of retained markers to determine disease severity. METHODS: We assembled a cross-sectional cohort of patients presenting for evaluation of chronic constipation who underwent transit testing by ROM and completed validated symptom severity and quality-of-life (QOL) measures. We performed a correlation analysis to determine whether there was an association between number of retained markers and symptom severity and QOL. KEY RESULTS: Among 159 patients undergoing evaluation for chronic constipation, there was poor correlation between the number of retained markers and symptom severity (R = .09, P = .25) and QOL. Among the 55 patients with slow-transit constipation defined by ≥5 retained markers retained on day 5, there were similarly poor correlations between symptom severity (R = .17, P = .21) and QOL (R = .07, P = .60). Excluding patients with irritable bowel syndrome and outlet obstruction by balloon expulsion testing did not materially alter our results, nor did a multivariable analysis controlling for demographic and psychiatric confounders. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: Among patients with chronic constipation, number of retained markers on a ROM colonic transit study does not correlate with measures of symptom severity or QOL. Clinicians should be cautious about overinterpreting ROM transit testing.
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