Ileus is a disruption of the normal propulsive ability of the gastrointestinal tract caused by the failure of peristalsis. Retroperistalsis, the reverse of peristalsis

References
External links
Interactive 3D display of swallow waves at menne-biomed.de
Peristalsis at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Nosek, Thomas M. "Section 6/6ch3/s6ch3_9". Essentials of Human Physiology. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Overview at colostate.edu
As the disease is thought to be progressive, this may impact negatively on outcome. Diagnosis of etiology
Once the clinical diagnosis myelopathy is established, the underlying cause must be investigated. Most commonly this involves medical imaging. The best way to visualize the spinal cord is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Apart from T1 and T2 MRI images, which are commonly used for routine diagnosis, more recently researchers are exploring quantitative MRI signals. Further imaging modalities used for evaluating myelopathy include plain X-rays for detecting arthritic changes of the bones, and Computer Tomography, which is often used for pre-operative planning of surgical interventions for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Angiography is used to examine blood vessels in suspected cases of vascular myelopathy.The presence and severity of myelopathy can also be evaluated by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a neurophysiological method that allows the measurement of the time required for a neural impulse to cross the pyramidal tracts, starting from the cerebral cortex and ending at the anterior horn cells of the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spinal cord. This measurement is called Central Conduction Time (CCT). TMS can aid physicians to:
Determine whether myelopathy exists
Identify the level of the spinal cord where myelopathy is located.