Czech scientists develop radiation-free digestive monitoring method

Researchers from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University, and Ghent University have developed a new method to monitor the digestive tract using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without the need for ionizing radiation.

The technique utilizes water-soluble fluorinated polymers that mix with food content and travel through the stomach and intestines. Because fluorine occurs naturally in the human body in negligible amounts, the ¹⁹F MRI can detect the polymer's signal with minimal background interference. This allows doctors to track the speed of food transit by overlaying the fluorine signal with standard MRI anatomical images.

Currently, monitoring food transit often relies on X-rays or scintigraphy, which involve radiation exposure. Such methods are limited for frequent use and are particularly unsuitable for children and pregnant women. While the new method has been successfully tested on rats, further development is required before it can be applied to human clinical diagnostics.