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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
08:15
Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor (GIMM)
Published on: December 1, 2010
Gastric hypomotility in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy
R J Barohn1, E J Levine, J O Olson
1Department of Neurology, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus 43210.
The New England Journal of Medicine
|July 7, 1988
Summary
Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients exhibit delayed gastric emptying due to smooth muscle impairment. This study provides objective evidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
Background:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can lead to severe gastrointestinal complications, including acute gastric dilatation and intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
- Smooth muscle degeneration in the stomach has been observed in patients with DMD.
Observation:
- A patient with DMD presented with smooth muscle degeneration of the stomach.
- Gastric emptying studies were conducted on 11 DMD patients and 11 healthy controls using technetium-99m radionuclide scintigraphy with oatmeal.
Findings:
- Patients with DMD demonstrated significantly delayed gastric emptying times (118.18 ± 32.21 minutes) compared to controls (42.5 ± 3.4 minutes).
- This indicates objective functional smooth muscle impairment in the gastrointestinal tract of individuals with DMD.
Implications:
- The findings suggest that gastrointestinal smooth muscle dysfunction is a significant clinical manifestation of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
- The underlying cause of smooth muscle abnormalities may be linked to a deficiency in dystrophin, the protein encoded by the DMD gene locus.
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