Table 1.
Tests Currently Available for Measuring Gastrointestinal and Colonic Motility
| Function | Tests available |
|---|---|
| Gastric capacity or accommodation | Barostat balloon measurements |
| Nutrient drink test | |
| SPECT | |
| Ultrasonography | |
| MRI | |
| High-resolution intragastric manometry | |
| Gastric emptying | Scintigraphy |
| Wireless pH and motility capsule | |
| Stable isotope breath tests | |
| Gastric transit in preclinical studies | Analysis of gastric contents |
| Stable isotope breath tests | |
| Scintigraphy | |
| Small-bowel transit | Breath hydrogen tests |
| Stable isotope breath tests | |
| Scintigraphy | |
| Wireless pH and motility capsule | |
| Whole-gut transit in preclinical studies | Nonabsorbable marker such as carmine red |
| Scintigraphy using steel beads and barium in mice | |
| Colonic transit | Radiopaque markers |
| Scintigraphy | |
| Wireless pH and motility capsule | |
| Gastrointestinal, colonic, and anorectal contractility | Antropyloroduodenal manometry |
| Wireless pH and motility capsule | |
| Colonic phasic contractility (including high-resolution manometry) and tone | |
| Anorectal manometry | |
| Colonic motility and transit in preclinical studies | Bead expulsion |
| Colonic manometry (including high-resolution manometry) | |
| Scintigraphy | |
| New MRI applications | All the earlier-described functions as well as anorectal and pelvic floor motion and anatomic integrity |
NOTE. Tests with the strongest validation or most widely available and used are indicated in italics.