PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGICAL MODIFICATION OF SMALL-BOWEL MOTILITY

During the past year, the modulation of small intestinal motility by substances such as nitric oxide, opioids, and prostaglandins continued to be the focus of attention of in vitro studies. With regard to human small bowel motility, most articles dealt with investigations into the pathophysiology of various gastrointestinal disorders, or into the effects of drugs on patterns of motor activity and transit. The gradual progress occurring in these areas should eventually lead to better therapeutic regimens for a number of diseases. In contrast, technical advances have been few; results of experiments in progress using novel methodologies are awaited with interest. These include ambulatory monitoring of small bowel motility, the small intestinal barostat, strain-gauge transducers to determine propulsive forces in the small intestine, and sophisticated scintigraphic studies to assess small bowel transit and its relationship to motor activity.