PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G L Lyford
AU  - C-L He
AU  - E Soffer
AU  - T L Hull
AU  - S A Strong
AU  - A J Senagore
AU  - L J Burgart
AU  - T Young-Fadok
AU  - J H Szurszewski
AU  - G Farrugia
TI  - Pan-colonic decrease in interstitial cells of Cajal in patients with slow transit constipation
AID  - 10.1136/gut.51.4.496
DP  - 2002 Oct 01
TA  - Gut
PG  - 496--501
VI  - 51
IP  - 4
4099  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/51/4/496.short
4100  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/51/4/496.full
SO  - Gut2002 Oct 01; 51
AB  - Background: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are required for normal intestinal motility. ICC are found throughout the human colon and are decreased in the sigmoid colon of patients with slow transit constipation.Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the normal distribution of ICC within the human colon and to determine if ICC are decreased throughout the colon in slow transit constipation.Patients: The caecum, ascending, transverse, and sigmoid colons from six patients with slow transit constipation and colonic tissue from patients with resected colon cancer were used for this study.Methods: ICC cells were identified with a polyclonal antibody to c-Kit, serial 0.5 μm sections were obtained by confocal microscopy, and three dimensional software was employed to reconstruct the entire thickness of the colonic muscularis propria and submucosa.Results: ICC were located within both the longitudinal and circular muscle layers. Two networks of ICC were identified, one in the myenteric plexus region and another, less defined network, in the submucosal border. Caecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, and sigmoid colon displayed similar ICC volumes. ICC volume was significantly lower in the slow transit constipation patients across all colonic regions.Conclusions: The data suggest that ICC distribution is relatively uniform throughout the human colon and that decreased ICC volume is pan-colonic in idiopathic slow transit constipation.