The feces flow in colon: biomechanics, rheology, simulation

Modeling can allow us to realize the functionality of a living organ and analyze the influence of various factors on it. In particular, modeling the movement of fecal masses through the intestine allows us to investigate the relationship between motility and the processing of intestinal contents, the time of its progress, and the role played by peristaltic waves. The intestine is a complicated system of complex geometric shape, wave movements of several configurations, and multi-level processing of internal contents. At the same time, a medical examination of the individual features of its structure and function is quite time-consuming. Building a personalized model that takes into account all these factors is a non-trivial task. However, such a model (if it can be developed) will minimize the use of invasive assessments of a patient's condition. It can also be used as the basis for planning therapeutic measures for a particular patient. This article presents an overview of current mathematical models developed in the past couple of decades for simulating the movement of fecal masses through the large intestine.