Open AccessDelayed Small Bowel Transit in Children With Cystic Fibrosis and Pancreatic Insufficiency
Author(s) -
Rovner Alisha J.,
Schall Joan I.,
Mondick John T.,
Zhuang Hongming,
Mascarenhas Maria R.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1536-4801
pISSN - 0277-2116
DOI - 10.1097/mpg.0b013e318290d112
Subject(s) - medicine , gastroenterology , cystic fibrosis , cecum , gastric emptying , ascending colon , population , body mass index , ileum , calorie , exocrine pancreatic insufficiency , stomach , environmental health
Objective: Gastrointestinal disturbances are common in people with cystic fibrosis (CF); however, motility studies in this population have yielded inconsistent results. This study examined gastric emptying (GE) and small bowel transit (SBT) time in children with CF and pancreatic insufficiency compared with a healthy adult reference group. Methods: Participants consumed an 8‐ounce liquid test meal (approximately 550 calories, 32 g of fat) labeled with 300 μCi 99m technetium (Tc) sulfur colloid. Subjects with CF received a standard dose of pancreatic enzymes before consuming the test meal. GE and SBT were measured using a standard nuclear medicine scan. GE was determined after correcting for 99mTc decay in both anterior and posterior images. SBT was determined by following the movement of the tracer from the stomach to the cecum. The percentage arrival of total small bowel activity at the terminal ileum and cecum/ascending colon at 6 hours was used as an index of SBT. A 1‐way analysis of covariance was performed for comparisons between groups after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. Results: Subjects with CF (n = 16) had similar GE compared with the healthy reference group (n = 12); however, subjects with CF had significantly prolonged SBT time. At 6 hours, 37.2% ± 25.4% (95% CI 23.7–50.7) of the tracer reached the terminal ileum and colon compared with 68.6% ± 13.1% (95% CI 60.2–76.9) for the reference group ( P < 0.001). After controlling for sex, age, and body mass index, this difference remained statistically significant ( F = 12.06, adjusted R 2 = 0.44, P < 0.002). Conclusions: Children with CF and pancreatic insufficiency had unaltered GE but delayed SBT time when taking pancreatic enzymes.