Gastric emptying rates to liquid or solid meals appear to be unaffected by spinal cord injury

There is controversy with regard to the effect of spinal cord injury (SCI) on gastric emptying times of liquids. The emptying rates of solids in subjects with SCI have not yet been addressed. Thus, the gastric emptying rates for both liquids and solids were studied by radionuclide imaging in subjects with chronic SCI.

After an overnight fast, subjects with SCI were evaluated for gastric emptying rates for iso-osmolar (normal saline) and hyperosmolar (glucose) liquids and a mixed meal of liquids and solids. Twenty-five subjects received normal saline (500 ml). Of these 25 subjects, 16 and 4 others (a total of 20 subjects) received 75 g glucose dissolved in 225 ml water. Each of the liquid meals was labeled with 300 microCi technetium-99-m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (99mTc-DPTA). The mixed meal consisted of egg white labeled with 300 microCi technetium-99m-sulfur colloid (99mTc-SC) between two slices of toast with water (110 ml). Each test meal was followed by anterior radionuclide imaging of the stomach with the subject seated. The results were compared with those of matched healthy nonSCI subjects from the literature.

Compared with gastric emptying times reported in the literature in healthy subjects without SCI, no significant differences were noted in those with SCI with regard to rates of gastric emptying for liquids (whether iso- or hyperosmolar) and for solids.

Our findings do not support the previously reported results of a delay in gastric emptying for liquids in subjects with SCI. We have extended our findings of essentially normal rates of gastric emptying of liquids to that of solids.