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Impaired accommodation of the proximal stomach in children with recurrent abdominal pain

E Olafsdottir1, O H Gilja, A Aslaksen

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, University of Bergen, Norway.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|March 4, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Recurrent abdominal pain in children may stem from impaired stomach relaxation after meals. A new ultrasound technique shows promise for diagnosing this motility disorder in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Motility Disorders

Background:

  • Recurrent abdominal pain is common in children.
  • Its underlying mechanisms, particularly gastric accommodation, are not fully understood.
  • A novel ultrasonographic method was employed to investigate proximal stomach function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess proximal stomach accommodation to a meal in children with recurrent abdominal pain.
  • To compare gastric emptying and adaptive relaxation between patients and healthy controls.
  • To evaluate the potential of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool for this condition.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty children (ages 7-14) with recurrent abdominal pain and 23 healthy controls (ages 7-13) underwent epigastric ultrasonography.
  • Proximal stomach size was measured before and after a standardized meat soup test meal.
  • Gastric emptying fractions and symptom reporting were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Children with recurrent abdominal pain exhibited a significantly smaller proximal stomach sagittal area post-meal compared to controls (P=0.01).
  • A significantly higher proximal stomach emptying fraction was observed in patients at 10 minutes post-meal (P=0.02).
  • Patients reported increased pain and bloating after the test meal.

Conclusions:

  • Recurrent abdominal pain in children may be linked to impaired proximal stomach adaptive relaxation, suggesting a motility disorder.
  • Ultrasonography effectively detected these abnormalities in proximal stomach function.
  • This ultrasonographic approach shows potential as a valuable diagnostic tool for pediatric recurrent abdominal pain.
Abstract

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