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Updated: Mar 24, 2026
Author Spotlight: Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Gastric Content Assessment and Risk Stratification in Perioperative Care
Published on: September 22, 2023
The ultrasound meal accommodation test in 509 patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders
Elisabeth K Steinsvik1,2, Trygve Hausken1,2,3, Odd Helge Gilja1,2,3
1a National Centre for Ultrasound in Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine , Haukeland University Hospital , Bergen , Norway ;
Aim:
The Ultrasound Meal Accommodation Test (UMAT) is a clinical test used to assess gastric accommodation, gastric emptying, and visceral sensitivity. It has been used as a clinical tool at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen for more than 20 years.
Material And Methods:
Five-hundred and nine patients were retrospectively evaluated, 71% females, and 51% were referred from other hospitals or specialists. The aim was to explore the usefulness of UMAT in patients with suspected functional GI disorders (FGID).
Results:
One hundred and sixty patients were diagnosed with functional dyspepsia (FD), and 154 patients were diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The overlap between IBS and FD was 41%. In 36% of FD patients, ultrasound assessment showed impaired gastric accommodation. Of 262 patients filling out all required fields for the FD diagnosis (ROMA II and III), 198 (74%) met the criteria for FD, but only 91 (34%) were later diagnosed with FD by an experienced clinician.
Conclusions:
By combining ultrasonography, the symptom response to a standardized meal, and psychological assessment, the UMAT is useful in diagnosis and management of patients with FGID.
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