Bowel Transit Time

How It Is Done

Pellet test

Your doctor will give you small, indigestible pellets to swallow with instructions about when to take the pellets. You may have to take them at a certain time for 2 or 3 days in a row. You will then have X-rays taken of your belly. These are usually done on day 4 and again on day 7. Your doctor will compare how many pellets show up on the first X-ray with the number of pellets that can be seen on the later X-ray pictures and also compare where the pellets show up in each picture. The time it takes for the pellets to show up and how fast they move through your intestines is your bowel transit time.

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Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: April 11, 2008
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Peter J. Kahrilas, MD - Gastroenterology
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