Gastric emptying scintigraphy in postprandial distress syndrome

To find out the pattern of gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES) in patients with post prandial distress syndrome (PDS).

This study was carried out from January 2015 to July 2016 at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Kharian and Nuclear Medical Centre (NMC) of Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Rawalpindi. Patient's inclusion criteria were dyspepsia of post prandial distress type for more than six months duration. Patients with dyspepsia due to epigastric pain syndrome and other organic disorder were excluded. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in all patients to rules out organic causes. Four-hour Gastric emptying scintigraphy was carried out at NMC, AFIP. Results were compiled and statistical assessment was done by utilizing SPSS IBM 22 version.

Thirty-eight patients were included in the study with age range from 15-72 years with mean age of 37.05±13.5 years. Males were 28(73.7%) and 10(26.7%) were female. Mean gastric retention with SD at one, two, three and four hours were 63 ± 19.04, 37± 20.62, 19±16.66 and 10±12.73 percent respectively. Early gastric emptying was in 3(7.89%) and delayed gastric emptying at two and four hours was seen in 4(10.52%) and 12(32%) respectively. Seventeen (44%) of the patients had normal gastric emptying despite the classical symptoms of PDS.

Gastric dysmotility in GES seen in half of the patients points some additional mechanism as well like gastric accommodation or visceral hypersensitivity in the patients with PDS.