Being a functional disorder, there is no objective evidence of structural change in those areas of the bowel demonstrating clinical symptomatology. A highly variable complex of gastrointestinal symptoms include anorexia, nausea, vomiting, stercoraceous breath, flatus, cramps, and constipation or diarrhea.
Clinical examination reveals variable general abdominal tenderness along the course of the colon.
Laboratory studies are negative and lower GI studies commonly reveal altered gastrointestinal motility. Nocturnal diarrhea, which awakens the patient from a sound sleep, is almost always a result of organic bowel disease. Although shortwave diathermy may be used to relieve the distress of flatus and colonic hypermotility, care must be exercised not to apply this modality for a time period sufficient to cause inspissation of the fecal mass. A controversial treatment procedure which this author has used with excellent results is the application of interferential current to the abdominal cavity. Two electrodes are placed just medial to the anterior superior iliac spine of the pelvic ilium.