Specialised tests needed for diagnosis of motility

Specialised tests are required for a definitive diagnosis of motility and functional bowel diseases, say gastroenterologists at a two-day national conference of Indian Motility and Functional Disease Association, which concluded at KIMS Hospitals on Sunday.

Motility is related to contraction of muscles inside the gastrointestinal tract of the human digestive system. The conference theme was 'Frontiers and future perspectives in GI physiology and functional GI diseases'.

The speakers observed that these disorders are usually chronic for many years and most of the investigations done in patients with functional bowel diseases are normal, which is often frustrating for both patients and doctors.

"The panel felt that the disease requires specialised GI motility tests for a definitive diagnosis," said Nitesh Pratap, Gastroenterologist at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospitals.

Bhaskar Rao, MD and CEO of KIMS Hospitals said that the conference provided platform for young gastroenterologists to improve their understanding about disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Over 200 gastroenterologists from all different parts of the country attended the event while experts from USA, South Korea and Australia spoke on the latest developments in the field.

There was a panel discussion on a typical chest pain which mimics heart attack, and detailed discussions were held on diagnosis and differentiation of acidity from a heart attack.

A symposium was held on bloating, which is one of the common symptoms among Indians due to rich fiber content in the diet. There was a discussion on the dietary changes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.