[Digestive involvement in progressive systemic sclerosis]. / Compromiso digestivo en esclerosis sistémica progresiva.

We studied 14 patients with PSS, 12 females and 2 males with a mean age of 43.6 and a medium of 8 years disease. All of the patients were selected for this study according to updated ARA criteria and were included in a prospective protocol to investigate digestive involvement. This protocol consists of a complete medical history, physical examination, radiologic and endoscopic studies, parasitological and microbial flora investigation. The symptoms more frequently seen were: pyrosis (78%), gastroesophageal regurgitation (50%), flatulence (50%), dysphagia (42%) and chronic diarrhea (21%). The radiologic findings commonly seen were: distal esophageal aperistalsis (78%), gastroesophageal reflux (57%), dilatation of intestinal loops (35%), changes of the mucosal folds (35%). A mild esophagitis was seen endoscopically in 64% of the patients, moderate and severe in 7% respectively. The study of the microbial flora showed contaminations with enterobacteria in 5 patients (35%). After statistical analysis we concluded that the digestive compromise by PSS is frequent, being the esophagus more commonly affected (80%), at the beginning in the form of reflux esophagitis and later in esophageal stenosis, the compromise of the small intestine (40%) is manifested by chronic diarrhea or dyspeptic flatulence, which correlates well the radiologic findings and the bacterial overgrowth in this organ. The colonic compromise generally is asymptomatic, and the common finding is dilatation os the colonic loops. Finally, the bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine is a secondary involvement to the intestinal compromise of Progressive Systemic Sclerosis.

[Simple method of measuring the physiological form the velocity of intestinal transit]. / Metodo sencillo para medir en forma fisiológica la velocidad del transito intestinal.

The velocity of intestinal transit was studied in 24 healthy volunteers using as a marker a small rubber bag which contained 7 to 10 microcuries of NaI 131. The bag was ingested and its passage along the digestive tract followed over the abdominal surface with the help of a collimated scintillation counter connected to an automatic counting system. The time elapsing since ingestion of the bag until its expulsion with feces was taken as the intestinal transit time. In a normal subject, transit of the bag was compared with the one of plastic radioopaque pellets whose passage along the intestine can be followed radiologically, and which at present are considered the best existent marker to measure velocity of intestinal transit. The bay and pellets progressed practically together along the digestive tract. The described method is thought to be very useful to measure in a phisiologic and simple way the velocity of intestinal transit.

Metodo sencillo para medir en forma fisiológica la velocidad del transito intestinal / [Simple method of measuring the physiological form the velocity of intestinal transit]

The velocity of intestinal transit was studied in 24 healthy volunteers using as a marker a small rubber bag which contained 7 to 10 microcuries of NaI 131. The bag was ingested and its passage along the digestive tract followed over the abdominal surface with the help of a collimated scintillation counter connected to an automatic counting system. The time elapsing since ingestion of the bag until its expulsion with feces was taken as the intestinal transit time. In a normal subject, transit of the bag was compared with the one of plastic radioopaque pellets whose passage along the intestine can be followed radiologically, and which at present are considered the best existent marker to measure velocity of intestinal transit. The bay and pellets progressed practically together along the digestive tract. The described method is thought to be very useful to measure in a phisiologic and simple way the velocity of intestinal transit.

Metodo sencillo para medir en forma fisiológica la velocidad del transito intestinal. / [Simple method of measuring the physiological form the velocity of intestinal transit]

The velocity of intestinal transit was studied in 24 healthy volunteers using as a marker a small rubber bag which contained 7 to 10 microcuries of NaI 131. The bag was ingested and its passage along the digestive tract followed over the abdominal surface with the help of a collimated scintillation counter connected to an automatic counting system. The time elapsing since ingestion of the bag until its expulsion with feces was taken as the intestinal transit time. In a normal subject, transit of the bag was compared with the one of plastic radioopaque pellets whose passage along the intestine can be followed radiologically, and which at present are considered the best existent marker to measure velocity of intestinal transit. The bay and pellets progressed practically together along the digestive tract. The described method is thought to be very useful to measure in a phisiologic and simple way the velocity of intestinal transit.