1. Figure 8 Assessment of colonic tone using a barostat device
Figure 8 | Assessment of colonic tone using a barostat device. The barostat balloon is placed into the colon endoscopically (part a). The barostat device keeps intraballoon pressure at a pre-set level chosen to ensure apposition of the balloon to the colonic wall without relevant distension. Phasic and tonic contractions therefore induce a decrease in baseline balloon volume. The panels show phasic and tonic contractile activity measured under constant pressure conditions in the colon of a patient with slow-transit constipation (part b) and in the colon of a patient with chronic megacolon (part c). Note the large colonic volume (indicating low tone) during fasting in part c and the persistence of phasic contractile activity despite the low colonic tone.
Keller, J. et al. (2018) Advances in the diagnosis and classification of gastric and intestinal motility disorders
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