Changes of the position and length of the transverse colon causing abdominal pain and chronic constipation during adolescence

: In 12 patients aged 9 to 17 years (14.1 +/- 2.3 SD years) (11 girls, 1 boy) complaining of abdominal pain and chronic constipation, barium large bowel X-ray examination showed the following anatomical and positional abnormalities: ptosis of the transverse colon to the small pelvis was found in 11/12 patients, ptosis of the hepatic flexure of the transverse colon (2/12), ptosis of both the hepatic and lienal flexures (2/12), dolichocolon (2/12), and dolichosigma (2/12); 10 of 12 children had symptoms characteristic of irritable colon syndrome. It seems that clinical symptoms accompanying these abnormalities begin to manifest mainly in girls during adolescence because at that time the final length of the colon is established, the transit time reaches its maximal value, and the shape of the pelvis becomes characteristic for this gender. These abnormalities are rather constitutional than acquired since previously it has been reported that the vertical ptosis of the kidney(s) occurs also mainly in adolescent girls.