After your healthcare provider prescribes the SITZMARKS test, they will share where to pick up the capsule and will give you instructions for scheduling the X-ray and next steps.

For two days prior to taking the capsule, you should stop taking any laxatives, stool softeners, or suppositories.

The SITZMARKS® Process

Frequently Asked Questions

SITZMARKS is a colonic transit time test, meaning it measures how food moves through your colon. It provides an inside look into whether it’s moving food normally, slower than normal, or if there is a potential blockage — providing your healthcare provider insight into the potential causes of your constipation so they can better tailor a treatment plan.
Colonic transit time is the time it takes for food to pass through your colon, or the time between when you eat and when you have a bowel movement. The average transit time for someone without constipation is 30 to 40 hours.
A SITZMARKS capsule contains 24 radiopaque rings, which are small markers that show up on an X-ray. The capsule dissolves when swallowed, and the harmless radiopaque rings are released into your digestive tract.
SITZMARKS is a diagnostic test that provides insight into your colonic transit and aids your healthcare provider in the diagnosis of conditions like colonic inertia, blockage, chronic constipation, and other motility disorders. The test uses a small capsule containing 24 tiny, safe radiopaque rings that are visible and easy to see inside the capsule, which travel through your digestive tract. With an X-ray, your healthcare provider can see how the rings have moved through your colon and identify potential reasons for chronic constipation.
Yes, your healthcare provider will need to prescribe a SITZMARKS test.
A SITZMARKS test has three steps. First, you swallow the capsule on day one. Then, on days one through four, the small rings within the capsule are released in your digestive tract. You can continue your daily routine during this process. Finally, on day five, you will have an abdominal X-ray. This allows your healthcare provider to see how the rings have moved through your digestive tract.
Your healthcare provider may use SITZMARKS to help diagnose:

Chronic constipation: A persistent digestive challenge where bowel movements are infrequent, difficult, and cause significant discomfort

Colonic inertia: A condition where the colon moves waste extremely slowly, causing prolonged periods between bowel movements

Outlet obstruction: A digestive roadblock where waste struggles to exit the body

Hypomotility: A digestive tract that moves too slowly, resulting in extended time between bowel movements, persistent feelings of fullness, and overall digestive discomfort

Bowel disorders: A range of other digestive challenges
No, SITZMARKS will not affect your bowel movements. The test measures colonic transit to help identify potential causes of constipation. It does not treat constipation.
The SITZMARKS capsule contains 24 radiopaque rings, which are visible and easy to see within the pill, which are small markers that show up on an X-ray.
This product should not be used in patients with known or suspected hypersensitivity to barium sulfate or any component of SITZMARKS. Consult your healthcare provider before taking SITZMARKS.
When you swallow a SITZMARKS capsule, the outside dissolves and the 24 markers enter your digestive tract. They are harmless, and you will not feel them as they move through your colon. The markers will pass with your bowel movements.
Radiopaque markers are small rings made of a material that appears on an X-ray. They are visible within the SITZMARKS capsule and are harmless to your body.

This product should not be used in patients with known or suspected hypersensitivity to barium sulfate or any component of SITZMARKS. Consult your healthcare provider before taking SITZMARKS.
No, the SITZMARKS test is not painful and does not include any invasive procedures. All you need to do is take the SITZMARKS capsule, continue your daily routine for the following 4 days, then on day 5 you’ll have an abdominal X-ray to see how many markers have passed through your colon. The process is minimally disruptive to your daily life.
Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for the SITZMARKS test. You will take the capsule with water. Alternative methods for those who cannot swallow the capsule include opening the capsule and emptying the contents into applesauce (or other similar food).
The main types of constipation include functional constipation (related to lifestyle and diet), slow-transit constipation (where the digestive tract moves food very slowly), and outlet obstruction (when food has difficulty leaving the body due to muscle or structural issues).

Getting Started With the SITZMARKS® Test

A Guide for Patients
Living with constipation can be frustrating and confusing. The SITZMARKS® test is a non-invasive diagnostic test designed to provide insight into your colonic transit and aid in the diagnosis of conditions like colonic inertia, blockage, chronic constipation, and other motility disorders.

Why SITZMARKS®?

SITZMARKS capsule containing 24 radiopaque markers

*Image shown is not to scale

How It Works

SITZMARKS is a test designed to provide insight into your colonic transit and aid your healthcare provider in the diagnosis of conditions like chronic constipation, colonic inertia, blockage, and other motility disorders. The test begins with swallowing a capsule containing 24 small radiopaque rings that will disperse throughout your digestive tract. These rings, which serve as markers, give your healthcare provider a clear view of your colonic transit and help to identify outlet obstruction, hypomotility, or other bowel disorders as the possible cause of your chronic constipation.

Day 1

Swallow the SITZMARKS capsule like you would take any other pill. Alternative methods for those who cannot swallow the capsule include opening the capsule and emptying the contents into applesauce (or other similar food).

Days 1-4

Continue your regular routine. The capsule will dissolve, releasing the small radiopaque rings.

Day 5

You will have an abdominal X-ray. This allows your healthcare provider to see how the rings have moved through your digestive tract.

Your healthcare provider may have recommended the SITZMARKS® test because:

You are experiencing chronic constipation that has not improved with typical treatments

Your healthcare provider wants a clear view of your colonic transit to help them identify possible cause of your chronic constipation such as outlet obstruction, hypomotility, or other bowel disorders