Gastrointestinal transit of liquids

A simple, non-invasive technique has been established for the simultaneous measurement of stomach emptying and the small bowel transit of a liquid meal. The rate of gastric emptying (T1/2) was measured in 21 normal subjects by using a gamma camera and computer to observe emptying of 200 ml of water to which 200 muCi 99Tcm - diethylene tetramene pentacetic acid chelate was added. By adding lactulose to the drink and measuring breath hydrogen (H2) concentration, small bowel transit time (Ta) was simultaneously estimated. There was no significant correlation (r = 0.26, P greater than 0.2) between T1/2 and Ta or between T1/2 and the shape of the breath H2 evolution curve. However, the shape of the breath H2 curve did seem to be affected by Ta. The technique should prove useful for the study of gastrointestinal motility in disease states.