Pediatric Motility Disorders

What Causes Motility Disorders in Children?

When functioning properly, the parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract work together to move food along, help to digest it to nourish the body, and eliminate waste. The GI tract – which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines (colon), rectum and anus – is under neurologic control. Nerves keep the GI tract organized and moving.

When this system experiences a disruption or stops working together, it can cause dysmotility. This impairment of the digestive system muscles can lead to changes in the speed, strength and coordination of the GI tract.

Dysmotility is a very common issue in children. Symptoms and signs can include:

• Chronic abdominal pain
• Swallowing difficulty
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Chronic nausea and vomiting
• Malnutrition

Motility Conditions We Treat

The comprehensive UH Rainbow Motility Program treats a wide range of motility and functional disorders, including:

• Achalasia: Difficulty moving food from esophagus into stomach
• Chronic constipation: Infrequent bowel movements or hard, dry stool
• Esophageal atresia: Birth defect causing a physical gap in esophagus
• Gastroparesis: Slows the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine
• Gastroschisis: intestines growing outside the body while in the womb
• GI system malformations
• Hirschsprung’s disease: Undeveloped nerves in the large intestine cause difficulty passing stool
• Swallowing disorders

Diagnosing and Treating Dysmotility in Children

The UH Rainbow motility team uses advanced technology and a multidisciplinary team approach to diagnose and treat diseases, including:

• Anorectal and esophageal manometry: A small, flexible tube is used to measure the strength of muscles and assess motility in the GI tract.
• Esophageal pH/impedance testing: Evaluates for the presence of gastric reflux.
• Upper endoscopy: Uses a flexible tube inserted through the mouth to view the child’s upper digestive tract.
• Colonoscopy (lower endoscopy): Uses a flexible tube inserted through the anus to view the child’s lower digestive tract.
• Endoluminal functional lumen imaging (EndoFLIP): Evaluates the dimension and movement of the esophagus.
• Advanced imaging: Including nuclear medicine studies and X-rays.

Treatments include:

• Biofeedback: This research-backed therapy targets the muscles in the GI tract to train the patient to voluntarily control a bodily function with the help of electronic monitoring.
• Neuromodulation: Addresses communication problems between the brain and the nerves by delivering mild electrical impulses.
• Botox injections: Can help with conditions such as constipation, gastroparesis and swallowing disorders.
• Medications: Can help improve the motility of the GI tract or reduce pain.
• Surgery: Some disorders may require surgical intervention to correct a defect that is causing motility issues.

Why Choose UH Rainbow?

UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is consistently ranked as one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals for pediatric gastroenterology. Our robust team works seamlessly with UH Rainbow pediatricians, emergency medicine experts and family medicine/internal medicine doctors to diagnose suspected GI issues and provide an accurate diagnosis, advanced treatment options and comprehensive services. Additionally, the pediatric and adult digestive health specialists at UH are able to follow patients over a lifetime for complex conditions. This provides continuity of care for patients and peace of mind for parents.

Our multidisciplinary team includes:

• Aerodigestive team (comprising experts in pediatric gastroenterology, ENT and pulmonology)
• General pediatric surgery
• Pediatric urology
• Pediatric dietitians
• Child life specialists
• Pediatric psychology