Water Balloon Excels as Fecal Function Test

A 50-cc water-filled balloon is the optimal device for assessing defecation ability at the bedside, according to research presented at the 2018 Digestive Disease Week (abstract Su1609).

A few years ago, a group of Italian researchers suggested using a Foley balloon for this test (Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014;12[12]:2049-2054), said Satish Rao, MD, a professor of medicine and the director of neurogastroenterology and motility at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta. “It is designed