ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION Motility disorders result from impaired control of the neuromuscular apparatus of the gut. Associated symptoms include recurrent or chronic nausea, vomiting, bloating, and abdominal discomfort, constipation, or diarrhea, which occur in the absence of intestinal obstruction. Occasionally, gastroparesis and intestinal pseudo-obstruction are associated with generalized disease processes that affect other regions of the gastrointestinal tract and extraintestinal organs, including the urinary bladder. Other motility disorders affecting the stomach and small intestine are characterized by signs and symptoms of accelerated transit.