Pediatric Solid Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy: Normative Value Guidelines and Nonstandard Meal Alternatives

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Adult criteria for gastric emptying scintigraphy are routinely applied to pediatric patients without prior validation.
• The efficacy of using adult standards for assessing gastric emptying in children remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the use of adult criteria for gastric emptying scintigraphy in the pediatric population.
• To determine if nonstandard meals can be utilized with adult criteria for pediatric gastric emptying studies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1,151 pediatric patients undergoing solid-phase gastric emptying scintigraphy.
• Stratification of patients into normal and delayed gastric emptying groups based on adult criteria (≤10% retention at 4 hours).
• Comparison of gastric retention values at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours across different meal types (standard, partial standard, cheese-based).

Main Results:

• Adult criteria showed no significant age- or sex-specific differences in pediatric patients.
• Median gastric retention values for standard and cheese-based meals aligned with adult normative ranges.
• Partial standard meals also demonstrated comparable retention percentages to full standard meals.

Conclusions:

• Adult normative standards for gastric emptying scintigraphy are applicable and validated for pediatric use.
• Nonstandard meal options, including cheese-based and partial meals, can be reliably assessed using adult criteria in children.