Table 3.
Diagnostic test availability for CC and its distribution in the different geographic areas in Italy. Statistics: frequency (%).
| Overall Availability (n = 236) |
Northern Italy (n = 117) |
Central Italy (n = 40) |
Southern Italy and Islands (n = 79) |
p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonoscopy | 231/236 (97.4%) | 115/117 (98.3%) | 39/40 (97.5%) | 75/79 (94.9%) | 0.902 |
| CT–Colonoscopy | 173/236 (73.3%) | 95/117 (81.2%) | 31/44 (77.5%) | 47/79 (59.5%) | 0.007 |
| Conventional Anorectal Manometry (ARM) | 97/236 (41.1%) | 60/117 (51.3%) | 11/40 (27.5%) | 25/79 (31.6%) | 0.004 |
| High-resolution/high-definition ARM | 36/236 (15.2%) | 27/117 (23.1%) | 4/40 (10.0%) | 5/79 (6.3%) | 0.005 |
| Balloon expulsion test | 45/236 (19.1%) | 29/117 (24.8%) | 7/40 (17.5%) | 9/79 (11.4%) | 0.046 |
| Transanal ultrasound | 124/236 (52.5%) | 71/117 (60.7%) | 27/40 (67.5%) | 26/79 (32.9%) | <0.001 |
| Dynamic Transperineal Ultrasound | 34/236 (14.4%) | 20/117 (17.1%) | 8/40 (20.0%) | 6/79 (7.6%) | 0.111 |
| Defeco-MRI | 75/236 (31.8%) | 42/117 (35.9%) | 13/40 (32.5%) | 20/79 (25.3%) | 0.379 |
| Perineography | 36/236 (15.2%) | 25/117 (21.4%) | 4/40 (10.0%) | 7/79 (8.9%) | 0.043 |
| Radiopaque Markers Colonic Transit Time | 122/236 (51.7%) | 70/117 (59.8%) | 21/40 (52.5%) | 31/79 (39.2%) | 0.027 |
| Colonic Transit Scintigraphy | 29/236 (12.3%) | 17/117 (14.5%) | 6/40 (15.0%) | 6/79 (7.6%) | 0.35 |
| Neurophysiologic Study of Pelvic Floor | 33/236 (14.0%) | 19/117 (16.2%) | 8/40 (20.0%) | 6/79 (7.6%) | 0.127 |