Delayed gastric emptying in rx-negative dyspepsia

In 9 out of 11 subjects with upper digestive dyspepsia: pyrosis, nausea, emesis, bloating, with negative roentgenological findings, a radioisotopic test detected a delayed gastric emptying. The investigation was based on a 500 ml saline meal including lmCi (3.7 MBq) 113m In-DTPA. For the sequential detection of the radioactivity in front of the epigastric area a gammacamera was used. This was linked to a microcomputer processing the histograms of the curves and estimating the half-time of the gastric emptying (normal value 8-25 min). The results suggest the need for prokinetic drugs in the management of symptoms due to functional pathology.