Gastric emptying of mixed solid-liquid meal in patients with intestinal pseudoobstruction

Gastric emptying of solids and liquids was evaluated simultaneously in 11 patients with intestinal pseudoobstruction. Despite a normal upper gastrointestinal series in most patients, over two thirds of the patients had abnormal gastric emptying of solids and/or liquids. Half these patients exhibited delayed emptying of solids and accelerated emptying of liquids. Alterations in motility patterns were observed in the four patients tested including decreased frequency or absence of migrating motor complexes originating in the stomach, shortening or absence of phase I, and loss of distinct fasted and fed patterns. Both basal values and mean postprandial increments in serum gastrin concentrations were lower in the patients, whereas no significant difference was found for pancreatic polypeptide concentrations when compared to normals. Our findings emphasize the functional heterogeneity of patients with intestinal pseudoobstruction. In addition, in contrast to previous reports which used barium meals to access gastric function, we observed a high prevalence of gastric emptying disturbances in these patients, suggesting that the motility disturbance is not restricted to the small intestine.