Constipation is a common symptom affecting the majority of the population at some time in their lives. Constipation can be defined as delay in the passage of stools, infrequency of bowel movements, stool consistency, difficulty in passing stool, or colonic transit time. Causes may be attributed to:

• Diet
• Diseases of the colon
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Lack of exercise
• Acquired constipation
  • due to prior operations
  • due to other diseases such as endocrine, neurological, psychogenic, or metabolic.

There are various tests which can be performed to analyze the cause of constipation. Tests may include:

• Sigmoidoscopy
• Colonic motility
• Manometry
• Videoproctogram