[Diabetic gastroparesis and gallbladder disease. Ultrasound diagnosis after multiple-component meals]

Thirty insulin-dependent diabetics (16 women, 14 men, mean age 37.7 [17-74] years) and 12 controls (eight women and four men; aged 20-58 years) were studied by real-time ultrasound before and after each of three meals to assess gastric and gallbladder motility. The diabetics were grouped according to the results into those without (n = 17) and those with diabetic autonomic neuropathy (n = 13). Antral cross-section provided the criterion for gastric emptying. It decreased significantly more slowly in diabetics with autonomic neuropathy than in the other two groups. The difference during the postprandial observation period of 240 min became the greater the longer the interval after the test meal (multivariance analysis: P < 0.001). Gallbladder emptying, too, was slowest in diabetics with autonomic neuropathy (P < 0.05). These results indicate that abnormalities of gastric and gallbladder emptying in diabetics can be recognized by measuring antral cross-section and longitudinal gallbladder area on fasting and 180 min after a test meal.