CHRONIC IMPAIRMENT OF INTESTINAL MOTILITY WITHOUT

CHRONIC IMPAIRMENT OF INTESTINAL MOTILITY WITHOUT DILATATION

Constipation and IBS are very common conditions and collec tively represent about a third of patients presenting to the aver age colorectal clinic in the Western world. They are presented here as separate entities to reflect the general approach of most physicians; however, the reader should be aware that ther very considerable overlap, especially between constipation and the constipation-predominant form of IBS (C-IBS). Patients can fulfil the criteria for both diagnoses concurrently or move between diagnoses over time.