Pan-Colonic Pressurizations Associated With Relaxation of the Anal Sphincter in Health and Disease: A New Colonic Motor Pattern Identified Using High-Resolution Manometry.

OBJECTIVES: Only a few studies have applied high-resolution manometry (HRM) to the study of colonic motility in adults and none of them have concurrently evaluated colonic and anal motor activity. The aim of the study was to evaluate colonic and anal motor activity by means of HRM in healthy subjects. As the present study revealed the presence of a new colonic motor pattern (pan-colonic pressurizations) in healthy subjects, three additional studies were conducted: the first and the second to exclude that this motor event results from an artifact due to abdominal wall contraction and to confirm its modulation by cholinergic stimulation, and the third, as pilot study, to test the hypothesis that this colonic pattern is defective in patients with chronic constipation refractory to current pharmacological treatments. METHODS: In both volunteers and patients the HRM catheter was advanced proximally during colonoscopy. RESULTS: In all subjects, pressure increases of 15±3 mm Hg and 24±4 s simultaneously occurring in all colonic sensors (pan-colonic pressurizations) and associated with anal sphincter relaxation were identified. Subjects had 85±38 pan-colonic pressurizations, which increased significantly during meal (P=0.007) and decreased afterward (P=0.01), and were correlated with feelings of and desire to evacuate gas. The mean number of propagating sequences was 47±39, and only retrograde increased significantly postprandially (P=0.01). Pan-colonic pressurizations differed from strain artifacts and significantly increased after prostigmine. In patients pan-colonic pressurizations were significantly reduced as compared with volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Pan-colonic pressurizations associated with relaxations of the anal sphincter represent a new colonic motor pattern that seems to be defective in patients with treatment-refractory chronic constipation and may have a role in the transport of colonic gas and in the facilitation of the propagating sequence-induced colonic transport.

Development and validation of a new, simplified endoscopic activity score for Crohn's disease: the SES-CD.

BACKGROUND: Healing of mucosal lesions appears to offer significant benefit and is an important end point in clinical trials of treatment for Crohn's disease. The only validated endoscopic activity score at present is the Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity, which is complicated and time consuming and, hence, is unsuitable for routine use. The aim of this study was to develop and to prospectively validate a simpler endoscopic score of disease activity, the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease. METHODS: Selected endoscopic parameters (ulcer size, ulcerated and affected surfaces, stenosis) were scored from 0 to 3. Reproducibility for scoring of these parameters was evaluated through 71 examinations in which the endoscopist was paired with an observer. The simplest score (Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease) that was highly correlated with both the Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity and Crohn's Disease Activity Index was derived for 70 patients and then was prospectively validated in 121 different patients with Crohn's disease. RESULTS: The interobserver agreement for all selected endoscopic variables was excellent (kappa coefficient 0.791-1.000). Based on multiple linear regression, the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease resulted in the sum of the scores for ulcer size, ulcerated surface, affected surface, and luminal narrowing. In the validation phase of the study, a strong correlation was demonstrated for the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease with Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity (r = 0.920). In addition, the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease was correlated to clinical parameters and serum C-reactive protein level. CONCLUSIONS: Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease is a simple, reproducible, and easy-to-use endoscopic scoring system for Crohn's disease.