Gastric emptying of liquids in cystic fibrosis

Epigastric impedance recording was used to measure the rate of gastric emptying (GE) of a liquid test meal in 45 control children and 28 CF patients. Epigastric impedance was recorded in the fasting state and following ingestion of orange squash. In 8 controls and 8 CF patients the test was repeated with the addition of 1.25% fat to the test meal. Mean time to half-emptying (t1/2) was 13.5 min in controls and 15.6 min in CF patients (NS). The addition of fat to the test meal prolonged t1/2 in all controls and most CF patients. In those CF patients in whom GE of orange + fat was more rapid than orange alone, repetition of the test with added pancreatic enzymes reversed this effect. We concluded that GE of clear liquids in CF patients does not differ significantly from normal controls, and that most CF patients behave like controls in their response to fat in the test meal.