This department offers
- Motility disorder diagnostics (manometry)
- Pediatric gastroenterology
Colorectal Motility Program
When your child struggles with ongoing stomach pain, constipation, or trouble swallowing, daily life can feel overwhelming. At the Colorectal Motility Program at Primary Children’s Hospital, we specialize in caring for children with complex motility disorders, conditions that affect how food and fluids move through the digestive system.
We’re the only pediatric program in the Intermountain West offering advanced motility testing and comprehensive treatment, giving families access to answers and support close to home.
What we do
“Motility” means movement. In a healthy digestive tract, muscles and nerves work together to push food, fluids, and waste where they need to go. When that process doesn’t work properly, kids may experience:
- Trouble swallowing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Severe constipation or encopresis (soiling accidents)
- Abdominal pain or bloating
Our team uses specialized tests, like manometry studies, to understand how your child’s digestive tract is working. We also care for children with disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs)—conditions where the gut and nervous system don’t communicate properly, leading to symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome, functional nausea, or chronic abdominal pain.
Conditions we treat
Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
Rumination
Esophageal achalasia
Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)
Pediatric intestinal pseudo-obstruction
Hirschsprung disease
Severe constipation
Encopresis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The best care comes from collaboration
Our motility program is closely connected with the Colorectal Center and Bowel Management Program, so your child has access to a full range of options, from advanced testing to physical therapy and daily bowel programs.
Treatment may include:
Diagnostic testing
- pH/impedance testing for gastroesophageal reflux
- Esophageal manometry
- Stomach and small bowel manometry
- Gastric emptying testing
- Colonic manometry
- Anorectal manometry
Therapeutic procedures
- Esophageal dilation
- Pyloric dilation
- Pyloric BOTOX® and Dysport® injections
- Anal sphincter dilation
- Anal BOTOX® and Dysport® injections
Programs and rehabilitation
- Multidisciplinary bowel management program
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation and physical therapy
National recognition
Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's best children's hospitals in 11 of 11 pediatric specialties, including gastroenterology and GI surgery.
Why families trust us for expert motility care
Pediatric specialists
Our pediatric gastroenterologists, surgeons, and care teams treat and support kids with complex digestive conditions.
Nationally recognized
Nationally recognized for upper and lower GI care, we offer the Intermountain West's only full pediatric motility program.
State-of-the-art care
We offer advanced pediatric endoscopy, motility testing, and team-based care with in-person and telehealth clinic visits.
Understanding your child's condition
Meet our team
Our multidisciplinary team consists of pediatric gastroenterologists, nurse practitioners, surgeons, nurses, social workers, psychologists, physical therapists, dietitians, and child life specialists dedicated to the care of patients with motility disorders.
