Cortical mapping of visceral pain in patients with GI disorders using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: We sought to identify central loci that activate in response to visceral stimuli (stool and pain). We had a particular interest in observing the anterior cingulate gyrus and frontal cortex in normals and in patients with intestinal disease, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: Subjects underwent rectal balloon distention to a sensation of stool and to a sensation of pain while undergoing blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging.