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Delayed gastric emptying in rx-negative dyspepsia
D L Dumitraşcu1, S Cotul, S Tamaş
1Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Physiologie (Bucarest)
|January 1, 1988
Summary
Delayed gastric emptying was identified in most patients with upper digestive dyspepsia using a radioisotopic test. This finding suggests prokinetic drugs may help manage symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Nuclear Medicine
Background:
- Upper digestive dyspepsia presents with symptoms like pyrosis, nausea, and bloating.
- Conventional roentgenological findings are often negative in these cases, complicating diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of a radioisotopic test in detecting delayed gastric emptying in patients with upper digestive dyspepsia.
- To assess the role of gastric emptying time in the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia.
Main Methods:
- A radioisotopic test using a 500 ml saline meal labeled with 113m In-DTPA was administered.
- Gastric emptying was monitored sequentially using a gammacamera linked to a microcomputer.
- The half-time of gastric emptying was calculated and compared to normal values (8-25 min).
Main Results:
- Delayed gastric emptying was detected in 9 out of 11 subjects (82%) presenting with upper digestive dyspepsia.
- The radioisotopic method provided quantitative assessment of gastric emptying in patients with negative roentgenological findings.
Conclusions:
- Delayed gastric emptying is a significant finding in a majority of patients with functional upper digestive dyspepsia.
- Prokinetic drug therapy should be considered for managing symptoms associated with delayed gastric emptying in functional gastrointestinal disorders.