RADIOLOGIC MANIFESTATIONS OF CHRONIC CONSTIPATION ON CT SCAN

Abstract

Background and Aim: Constipation is the most common digestive complaint in the general population. Regarding the long transit time of fecal material and abnormal aggregation of feces in the colon in chronic constipation, some anatomical changes should be seen such as increasing of cross sectional diameter or elongation of the colonic segments. Some times in abdominal radiological examinations like CT scan that were performed for any clinical reasons, these changes are evident. The question is whether they are normal variations or secondary to chronic constipation. In the literature review, we did not find any clear answer to this question. This problem encouraged us to set up a new study to clarify the answer.

 Materials and Methods: This was comparative cross sectional study. We studied 86 patients that abdominopelvic CT scan was performed for them for any reason with a 64 detector MDCT. Regarding Rome-III criteria, the patients were divided into constipated (33 patients) and non constipated groups. The colon was surveyed by a radiologist in axial, coronal and sagittal sections and the maximum diameter of every portion of colon and the evidences of colonic elongation were recorded.

Results: There is no significant difference between them in the age (p=.105), height (p=0.239), weight (p=0.220), maximum diameter of ascending (p=0.227), descending (p=0.136), transverse (p=0.613) and rectum (p=0.712).

Conclusions: Regarding the results of this study, it was shown that diagnosis of constipation can’t draw from anatomic changes of colon in radiologic studies.