Constipation is one of the most common yet persistently misunderstood GI complaints, often sending patients on long journeys—literally and diagnostically—for relief. But a new innovation from gastroenterologist Dr. Eric Dinesh Shah at the University of Michigan may finally bring answers closer to home.
The Rectal Expulsion Device (RED), recently FDA-cleared, offers a point-of-care diagnostic tool to assess pelvic floor dysfunction—a key contributor to chronic constipation. Using a simple foam-filled balloon that can be deployed during a routine office visit, RED removes the need for expensive referrals or complex testing housed only at tertiary centers. For many, it means no more waiting months or traveling hundreds of miles for specialized testing.
“The problem isn’t that physicians don’t care—it’s that local teams often don’t have the tools,” said Dr. Shah. “RED helps bridge that gap.”
Funded in part by the AGA-Shire Research Scholar Award, RED is now commercially available and aims to shift constipation diagnosis out of academic hubs and into local clinics. It’s already being integrated into community-based pelvic floor physical therapy programs, which have expanded nationwide.