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Gastric emptying in children with cerebral palsy and gastroesophageal reflux

Kleomenis Spiroglou1, Ioannis Xinias, Nikolaos Karatzas

  • 1Third Department of Pediatrics, Hippocration Hospital Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Pediatric Neurology
|September 8, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Gastroesophageal reflux is common in children with cerebral palsy, often causing complications. However, delayed gastric emptying time does not influence reflux severity in these patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Neurology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is frequently observed in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
  • Delayed gastric emptying is a suspected contributor to GER in this population.
  • The relationship between gastric emptying time and GER severity in children with CP remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between gastric emptying time and the severity of gastroesophageal reflux in children with cerebral palsy.
  • To determine if gastric emptying influences reflux complications in this patient group.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy-six children with cerebral palsy and GER symptoms underwent 24-hour pH monitoring.
  • Gastric emptying time was assessed using gastric scintigraphy.
  • A control group of 28 children with resistant asthma was included for emptying time comparison.

Main Results:

  • Gastroesophageal reflux was diagnosed in 51.3% of children with cerebral palsy, with 53.8% classified as severe.
  • Common complications included iron deficiency (51.3%), anemia (41.0%), and malnutrition (33.3%).
  • No significant difference in gastric emptying time was found between children with CP and the control group, nor was a relationship identified between emptying time and reflux severity.

Conclusions:

  • Moderate to severe gastroesophageal reflux is prevalent in children with cerebral palsy and is associated with significant complications.
  • Delayed gastric emptying time is not a contributing factor to the severity of reflux in this population.
  • The study findings suggest that interventions targeting gastric emptying may not be effective in managing reflux severity in children with CP.

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