Sequential ten-second acquisitions for detection of gastroesophageal reflux

We illustrate the importance of short imaging times during gastroesophageal (GE) scintigraphy to better image GE reflux while still obtaining clinically useful gastric emptying data. While most reflux scans are comprised of 30- or 60-sec sequential images, we advocate the use of 10-sec images to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of any radionuclide present in the esophagus. In the current case, clinically documented reflux of significant magnitude was missed during a study inadvertently performed using 60-sec frames, but subsequently detected using a 10-sec imaging protocol.