The influence of levodopa on gastric emptying in healthy elderly volunteers

Paracetamol absorption and 99Tc-DTPA measurements have been used to determine the influence of levodopa on gastric emptying in 8 healthy elderly volunteers. In the absence of levodopa 7 subjects showed a rapid gastric emptying pattern by gamma-camera and a single major peak in the plasma concentration-time curve of paracetamol. One subject showed two rapid phases of gastric emptying separated by a period of negligible emptying and had 2 separate peaks in the paracetamol plasma concentration-time curve. In the presence of levodopa, the gamma-camera data for 6 subjects showed a pattern of gastric emptying consisting of 2 rapid phases separated by a plateau. In each case secondary peaks in the plasma concentration-time curve of paracetamol occurred about 30 min after the end of the plateau. The time to 90% emptying on the gamma scan was increased significantly from 40 min to 65 min in the presence of levodopa. Comparison of the present data with those reported previously indicates that levodopa affects gastric emptying in the both elderly and young volunteers to a similar extent.