Does duodenogastric reflux affect the rate of gastric emptying?

The gastric emptying of a liquid meal (10% dextrose solution) and a semi-solid meal (minced meat, peas, potatoes and milk) was measured in the sitting position; both meals were 400 ml. Duodenogastric reflux was assessed supine after intravenous injection of 75 MBq of 99 mTc HIDA and cholecystokinin. Patients were ajudged reflux positive (R+), or reflux negative (R-) by looking at gamma camera pictures. Thirty-two duodenal ulcer patients (DU), 22 patients after truncal vagotomy and pyloroplasty (TV+P) and 21 after proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) were studied. In DU sufferers the mean volume of early liquid emptying in R+ patients (74 ml) was similar to R- patients (78 ml). After TV+P early liquid emptying was greatly increased (mean 176 ml) but no difference was found between R+ and R- patients. After PGV excessive early emptying was less common but emptying was significantly greater in R+ patients (R+ mean = 132 ml, SD = 48 n = 8; R- mean = 63 ml, SD = 21, N = 13: t = 4.2 p less than 0.001). There was no difference in solid meal emptying between R+ and R- patients in any group.