Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by MCKAY, L. F.
Right arrow Articles by CRUIKSHANK, J. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by MCKAY, L. F.
Right arrow Articles by CRUIKSHANK, J. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1983 Oxford University Press

research-article

AN INVESTIGATION OF COLONIC FUNCTION IN THE ELDERLY

LINDA F. MCKAY, Research Fellow, R. G. SMITH, Consultant Geriatrician, M. A. EASTWOOD, Consultant Gastroenterologist, S. D. WALSH, Consultant Geriatrician and J. G. CRUIKSHANK, Consultant Radiologist

Wolfson Gastrointestinal Laboratory, University Department of Medicine, Western General Hospital Edinburgh EH4 2XU
Department of Geriatric Medicine, City Hospital Greenbank Drive, Edinburgh EH10
Wolfson Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Royal Victoria Hospital Craigleith Road, Edinburgh EH4
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Victoria Hospital Craigleith Road, Edinburgh EH4
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Royal Victoria Hospital

A straight abdominal radiograph can be used in the elderly to indicate a loaded colon. Two groups of patients were identified using radiology, one with faeces-filled caeca and the other with gasfilled caeca. Gastro-intestinal transit time measurements and breath methane analysis, an indicator of colonic bacterial activity, were used to investigate colonic function. An attempt was made to identify different colonic transit patterns by radiography after administering radio-opaque markers of various shapes on three consecutive days. Although the two patient groups showed no differences in gastro-intestinal transit time there were differences in the distribution of the pellets in the colon and in the excretion of breath methane. Straight abdominal radiography was of value in identifying two patient groups with different colonic function.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.